Abstract |
Control of phytoplankton production in the Great Lakes can be achieved most efficiently by limiting inputs of biologically available P. The authors report the results of studies performed to characterize the chemical forms and availability to particulate P in wastewater and tributaries which enter the lower lakes, the eroding bluffs which border Lake Erie, and bottom samples from the near-shore of western Lake Erie. Rates of release of available P were estimated from a simple first-order model of the process, as observed during algal bioassays. Available P in wastewater samples, as a fraction of total particulate P, was affected minimally by wastewater treatment, including chemical precipitation and filtration; it correlated well with levels of total particulate P. |