Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dynamics of Experimental Lake 303 during Recovery from Eutrophication

Abstract

Little is known about the recovery of lakes from eutrophication, especially as it effects the cycling of nutrients other than phosphorus. We fertilized a naturally oligotrophic lake (Lake 303) in the Experimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario, with nitrogen and phosphorus over two summers and examined the subsequent recovery using mass balance and large in situ mesocosms. While large amounts of ammonium and smaller amounts of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were released from the lake's aerobic sediments during the first year of recovery, phosphorus input from the sediments was not detectable during the same period. Chlorophyll a concentration closely tracked total phosphorus concentration, and both returned to prefertilization levels within 1 yr. In contrast, ammonium, nitrate, DIC, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) needed almost 2 yr to reach baseline levels, and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) even longer. The results show that different elements may recover at different rates and that the release of stored pools of nitrogen and carbon in the sediments plays a major role in delaying the recovery of these elements.