Spatial and seasonal variations in phosphorus speciation along a river in a lowland catchment (Warnow, Germany)

Losses of phosphorus (P) from arable land lead to P enrichment in surface waters and thus to eutrophication. To gain deeper insights into riverine P processing and transport, the temporal and spatial changes of P compounds along the lowland river Warnow and its tributaries were investigated. Surface water samples were taken monthly between August 2016 and August 2017 and analyzed for the four P fractions: dissolved reactive (DRP), dissolved nonreactive (DNP), particulate reactive (PRP) and particulate nonreactive (PNP) phosphorus. P-composition differed between the courses of the upper Warnow and the impounded middle Warnow due to differences in their hydrological conditions. In the catchment of the upper course, riverine lakes were the sources of PNP and DRP during the summer and autumn. From the catchment of the middle course, mainly PRP and DRP had been introduced into the river. The negative relationship between PRP and the chlorophyll (Chla) concentration (rho = −0.43, p < 0.001) indicated that this P fraction is potentially bioavailable. During the rainy summer of 2017, substantially higher amounts of DRP occurred in the whole Warnow river. The potentially bioavailable P fractions (DRP, PRP, DNP) supported phytoplankton growth in the middle course, and the PNP loads increased with increasing biomass. Total phosphorus (TP) loads increased along the Warnow flow path, due to increasing discharge volume. The annual TP load of 40 t to the estuary was dominated by DRP (32%) and PNP (31%), with smaller contributions by PRP and DNP (19% and 18%, respectively). Our results demonstrate that detailed information on P fractions are helpful to understand P-cycling in rivers and its influence on eutrophication processes. This knowledge should be included in the development of effective management strategies for the improvement of water quality.