Phosphorus Species, Influencing and Release Risks Assessment in Mangrove Wetland Sediments of Dongzhai Harbor on Hainan Island, China

Abstract

Mangrove wetlands are superior sites for the deposition of various pollutants, but they are also more susceptible to environmental contamination. To investigate the health threats of phosphorus to mangrove ecosystems, this study presents the distribution, chemical speciation and factors influencing phosphorus (P) forms in 38 surface sediments from the mangrove wetlands of Dongzhai Harbor on Hainan Island, China. P forms were measured using the sequential extraction (SEDEX) procedures. The results showed that the total phosphorus content in the sediment was at a high level, and there was a significant spatial variability of phosphorus in each form. Among them, inorganic phosphorus accounted for 74.64% of the total phosphorus, and organic phosphorus accounted for 25.35% of the total phosphorus. Among the inorganic phosphorus, detrital limestone phosphorus and Ca-bound phosphorus were dominant, while the content of exchangeable phosphorus and Fe-bound phosphorus had a smaller percentage. The concentration of biologically available phosphorus, ranged from 1.76 umol/g to 18.57 umol/g, and the Fe-bound and organic forms of phosphorus had a controlling effect on it. Based on Corg/OP, N/P and land use surveys, it was concluded that phosphorus was mainly an exogenous input. The correlation analysis concluded that the main sources of phosphorus in the study area are agriculture and aquaculture. The development of agriculture and aquaculture led to moderate levels of phosphorus pollution in the study area as a whole, with more serious a phosphorus pollution at the wetland park in the southeast corner of Dongzhai Harbor and in the western areas, with lush vegetation and developed river systems, mainly influenced by human activities, topography, vegetation and water system conditions.