Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake

Estuarine zones are regarded as the ecotones connecting the rivers and lakes. Sediment dredging is a conventional treatment technology that is widely used to remove the internal loading in estuarine zones worldwide. However, what is the characteristic of nutrient release in the gate-controlled estua...

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Main Authors: Xi Chen, Yanhua Wang, Tian Sun, Yu Huang, Yan Chen, Mingli Zhang, Chun Ye
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-01-01
Series:Journal of Chemistry
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7451832
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author Xi Chen
Yanhua Wang
Tian Sun
Yu Huang
Yan Chen
Mingli Zhang
Chun Ye
author_facet Xi Chen
Yanhua Wang
Tian Sun
Yu Huang
Yan Chen
Mingli Zhang
Chun Ye
author_sort Xi Chen
collection DOAJ
description Estuarine zones are regarded as the ecotones connecting the rivers and lakes. Sediment dredging is a conventional treatment technology that is widely used to remove the internal loading in estuarine zones worldwide. However, what is the characteristic of nutrient release in the gate-controlled estuary and how long this practice is effective are still unclear. Hence, sediment and water samples were collected from dredged and undredged regions around the gate-controlled estuary of northern Taihu Lake for laboratory experiments, in which they were subjected to different temperatures, depths, and disturbance levels. The total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of the dredged region were lower than those from the undredged region under stable hydrodynamic conditions. A high dynamic release rate (R) of nutrients in the dredged sediments (RTN = 164.75 mg/m2·d and RTP = 5.83 mg/m2·d) existed under dynamic release conditions (stirring speeds: 90 and 120 r/min). The effect of disturbance and temperature on release rate and nutrient form was completely different for the static and dynamic release cases. The nutrient loads from dynamic release were 4–17 times greater than those from static release. For unstable hydrodynamic conditions, the release rate from the bottom sediment exceeded that from the surface sediment in the undredged region. These results indicated that, under stable hydrodynamic conditions, dredging improves long-term water quality. However, dredging alone in unstable hydrodynamic conditions may not remove the potential risk of internal release in the long term. Specific ecological and engineering measures should be combined with dredging practice to restore estuary habitats and minimize the release of internal pollutants.
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spelling doaj-art-eb6925d4fcfa47628b172e058dba8c2d2025-08-20T03:21:18ZengWileyJournal of Chemistry2090-90632090-90712021-01-01202110.1155/2021/74518327451832Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu LakeXi Chen0Yanhua Wang1Tian Sun2Yu Huang3Yan Chen4Mingli Zhang5Chun Ye6School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaChinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 10002, ChinaEstuarine zones are regarded as the ecotones connecting the rivers and lakes. Sediment dredging is a conventional treatment technology that is widely used to remove the internal loading in estuarine zones worldwide. However, what is the characteristic of nutrient release in the gate-controlled estuary and how long this practice is effective are still unclear. Hence, sediment and water samples were collected from dredged and undredged regions around the gate-controlled estuary of northern Taihu Lake for laboratory experiments, in which they were subjected to different temperatures, depths, and disturbance levels. The total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of the dredged region were lower than those from the undredged region under stable hydrodynamic conditions. A high dynamic release rate (R) of nutrients in the dredged sediments (RTN = 164.75 mg/m2·d and RTP = 5.83 mg/m2·d) existed under dynamic release conditions (stirring speeds: 90 and 120 r/min). The effect of disturbance and temperature on release rate and nutrient form was completely different for the static and dynamic release cases. The nutrient loads from dynamic release were 4–17 times greater than those from static release. For unstable hydrodynamic conditions, the release rate from the bottom sediment exceeded that from the surface sediment in the undredged region. These results indicated that, under stable hydrodynamic conditions, dredging improves long-term water quality. However, dredging alone in unstable hydrodynamic conditions may not remove the potential risk of internal release in the long term. Specific ecological and engineering measures should be combined with dredging practice to restore estuary habitats and minimize the release of internal pollutants.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7451832
spellingShingle Xi Chen
Yanhua Wang
Tian Sun
Yu Huang
Yan Chen
Mingli Zhang
Chun Ye
Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
Journal of Chemistry
title Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
title_full Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
title_fullStr Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
title_short Effects of Sediment Dredging on Nutrient Release and Eutrophication in the Gate-Controlled Estuary of Northern Taihu Lake
title_sort effects of sediment dredging on nutrient release and eutrophication in the gate controlled estuary of northern taihu lake
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/7451832
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