Abstract
Caohai Lake is a typical natural lake-type karst plateau wetland, which is sensitive to environmental changes, and the release of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in sediment is a potential factor of nitrogen pollution in this lake. Therefore, we aimed to reveal the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics and source analysis of DON in karst lake sediment. Surface sediment samples were collected from Caohai Lake in southwest China, and the sample locations were distributed across almost the entire wetland area, during both the wet and dry seasons. The DON content and fluorescence spectroscopy were determined and analysed using a three-dimensional fluorescence-parallel factor analysis (3DEEM-PARAFAC) model. The mean DON content in the sediment during the dry season (67.79 ± 42.96 mg/kg) was higher than that in the wet season (28.57 ± 20.97 mg/kg). There were four fluorescent components of DON in the sediment: C1 (tyrosine-like protein), C2 (terrestrial humus), C3 (tryptophan-like protein) and C4 (terrestrial humus). The DON in the surface sediment of Caohai Lake was influenced by terrestrial sources and biological activities. These findings help reveal the circulation mechanism of endogenous nitrogen in the lake and provide theoretical support for the prevention and control of nitrogen pollution in Caohai Lake.
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Acknowledgements
We sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for their critical comments and suggestions on our manuscript, and everyone who funded the research.
Funding
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41807376), the Talent Introduction Project of Guizhou University (No. [2019]24), and the Project of Talent Base in Guizhou Province (No. RCJD2018-21).
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript and the drawing of the diagram were completed by Xinting Yan, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Manuscript writing guidance and the first draft revision were completed by Associate Prof. Xingxing Cao and Prof. Zhiwei Han. Experimental operation was done by Jiahao Liao and Xinting Yan. Data collation and sample collection were performed by Jiahao Liao. Associate Prof. Xingxing Cao provided funding. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Yan, X., Liao, J., Cao, X. et al. Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics and source analysis of dissolved organic nitrogen in the surface sediment of the Caohai Lake, southwest China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 12844–12856 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22953-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22953-6