Influences of sediment dessication on phosphorus transformations in an intertidal marsh: Formation and release of phosphine

This study investigated the effects of sediment dewatering on the phosphorus transformations concerning about the production and emission of phosphine in the intertidal marsh of the Yangtze Estuary. The concentrations of matrix-bound phosphine ranged from 18.62–72.53 ng kg−1 and 31.14–61.22 ng kg−1 within the August and January exposure incubations, respectively. The responses of matrix-bound phosphine concentrations to sediment dessication demonstrate that the production (or accumulation) of matrix-bound phosphine significantly increased with water loss at the start of the emersion incubations. However, further dehydration inhibited the formation of matrix-bound phosphine in sediments. The significant correlations of matrix-bound phosphine with the organic-P bacteria abundance and alkaline phosphatase activities implicate that the production of matrix-bound phosphine within the dessication incubations was linked closely to the microbial decomposition of organic P. The emissions of phosphine generally decreased with sediment dewatering, with the fluxes of 7.51–96.73 ng m−2 h−1 and 5.34–77.74 ng m−2 h−1 over the exposure incubations of both August and January, respectively. Also, it is observed that the releases of phosphine during the entire exposure periods were affected not only by its production but also by sediment water and redox conditions.

Research highlights
► We investigate the effects of sediment dewatering on the phosphine cycle.
► Sediment dessication effectively controls the production of matrix-bound phosphine.
► Phosphine derives mainly from the microbial decomposition of organic P.
► Emissions of phosphine are affected primarily by sediment water and redox conditions.