Apatite-P as an Indictor of Past Land Use
Project Author
Issue Date
2009-04-01
Authors
Dille, Kimberly
Loading...
Embargo
First Reader
Ostrofsky, Milton L.
Additional Readers
Coenen, Catharina
Keywords
Distribution
Abstract
Eutrophication is a growing problem in the US as a result of nonpoint source pollution caused by changes in land use. Apatite phosphorus (P) concentrations in soils, stream seston and lake sediments may reflect land use. Apatite P was on average 2.5 time higher in agricultural soil than forested soil for the six soil types tested and ranged from 1.2 to 176.3 μg P/g soil. Data from 13 second and third order streams indicate that apatite P is proportional to the total phosphorus and particulate phosphorus being exported by a the watersheds, 9.6 ±_0.4% of the streams total P and 15.2 ± 0.9% of particulate P. These percents could allow prediction to be made about historic lake P loads based on historic apatite loads. In two lake cores, apatite P accumulation rates increased at the time when farming in northwestem Pennsylvanian rapid increased.
Description
Collections
Chair
Major
Biology
Department
Biology