Abstract:
The high organic loading sediment in the algae accumulation areas has been proved to be the main reason for the frequent occurrence of black bloom in western Chao Lake. By algae accumulation experiment, plow-tillage measures designed based on resuspension characteristics and tillage performance of lake sediment and a large device capable of simulating lake winds and sediment resuspension were employed to study the dynamics of overlying water color,
ρ(Fe
2+),
ρ(S
2-) in the process of black bloom induction, the key physical and chemical characteristics of newly formed water-sediment interface, and the changes of iron, sulfur in interstitial water as well as their respective response process to plow-tillage. The results showed that the depth of plow-tillage had a great influence on the formation and burst of lake black bloom, and the 15 cm depth of plow-tillage achieved the control of lake black bloom. When black bloom occurred in the other plow-tillage (2, 5 and 10 cm), controls and blank treatments during the 8
th to 14
th days, typical overlying water characteristics (
ρ(Fe
2+) and
ρ(S
2-)) of plow-tillage 15 cm treatments were 68.6%, 79.5%, 48.1%, 46.7%, 51.3%, and 75.2%, 65.7%, 57.1%, 74.5%, 75.0% that of the other plow-tillage (2, 5 and 10 cm), controls and blank treatments respectively, further analysis of the nature of the bottom water and bottom sediments revealed that 15 cm depth of plow-tillage treatment could significantly enhance the tolerance of the fresh water-sediment interface to algae accumulation and anoxic environment, after the black bloom induction simulation, the dissolved oxygen concentration, redox potential, and pH in the bottom water and at the interface were much higher than those in the black bloom groups. However, the
ρ(∑H
2S) was significantly lower than the other treatments. The
ρ(Fe
2+) in the surface sediment water was 0.54 mg/L and was only 25.3%-33.7% of the black bloom groups. Fe
2+ was 25.2% of the total irons which was much lower than the nearly 40.0% of the black bloom groups. The concentration of acid-volatile sulfides was 0.51 μg/g which was only 14.6%-17.2% of the black bloom groups. Overall, the plow-tillage was a method of physical improvement of the sediment for algae accumulation areas. Plow-tillage could turn surface sediment that was overloaded with the organic pollution to the lower layer, blocking the material migration and supply of the contaminated surface sediment and the control of the participation of anaerobic microorganisms. It could prevent the formation of black bloom-generating substances in the water column where the algae accumulate and die, and effectively prevent the occurrence of black bloom.