UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

TP or Not TP? Successful Comparison of Two Independent Methods Validates Total Phosphorus Inference for Long-Term Eutrophication Studies

Moyle, Madeleine; Boyle, John; Bennion, Helen; Chiverrell, Richard; (2024) TP or Not TP? Successful Comparison of Two Independent Methods Validates Total Phosphorus Inference for Long-Term Eutrophication Studies. Environmental Science and Technology , 58 (17) pp. 7425-7432. 10.1021/acs.est.4c01816. Green open access

[thumbnail of moyle-et-al-2024-tp-or-not-tp-successful-comparison-of-two-independent-methods-validates-total-phosphorus-inference-for.pdf]
Preview
Text
moyle-et-al-2024-tp-or-not-tp-successful-comparison-of-two-independent-methods-validates-total-phosphorus-inference-for.pdf - Published Version

Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Validating paleo total phosphorus (TP) inference methods over long time scales is essential for understanding historic changes in lake P supply and the processes leading up to the present-day global lake eutrophication crisis. Monitored lake water TP time series have enabled us to identify the drivers of eutrophication over recent decades. However, over longer time scales, the lack of reliable TP inference means our understanding of drivers is speculative. Validation of lake water TP reconstruction, therefore, remains the "ultimate aim" of eutrophication studies. Here, we present the first critical comparison of two fully independent paleo TP inference approaches: the well-established diatom method (DI-TP) and a recently developed sediment geochemical method (SI-TP). Using lake sediment records from a small eutrophic U.K. lake (Crose Mere), we find a statistically significant agreement between the two inferred TP records with greater than 60% shared variance. Both records show identical timings, with a 19th century acceleration in TP concentration and subsequent declines following a peak in 1930. This significant agreement establishes the validity of long-term paleo TP inference for the first time. With this, we can now test assumptions and paradigms that underpin understanding of catchment P sources and pathways over longer time scales.

Type: Article
Title: TP or Not TP? Successful Comparison of Two Independent Methods Validates Total Phosphorus Inference for Long-Term Eutrophication Studies
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c01816
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c01816
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0.
Keywords: diatom, eutrophication, geochemistry, lake sediment, phosphorus, total phosphorus reconstruction, Phosphorus, Eutrophication, Lakes, Geologic Sediments, Environmental Monitoring, Diatoms, Water Pollutants, Chemical
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10191735
Downloads since deposit
3Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item