Metal and Phosphorous behavior in the water and sediment underneath ice cover: a comparative study between hyper- and eutrophic lake systems

The behavior of metals and associated nutrients in lakes under ice cover is poorly understood, although wintertime metal nutrient dynamics near the sediment water interface (SWI) could impact water quality and algal ecosystems. To examine the behavior of these biogeochemical constituents under ice, we collected water column and sediment time series biogeochemical data from hyper-eutrophic Shelburne Pond (SP) and eutrophic Missisquoi Bay (MB), Vermont USA, from January to April 2015. Based on temporal changes in the concentration of Al, Ca, Fe, Mn and P in sediment, coupled with density and oxygen gradients in water, we demonstrate that water column variability in metal and P concentration and spatial distribution is impacted by redox cycling near the SWI, as well as episodic input from each system’s watershed. These processes are manifest differently in each system due to differences in lake-watershed configuration and sediment composition. Our data suggest that under ice nutrient and metal partitioning, flux and concentration distribution is highly dynamic in both time and space, and a complex interaction between SWI redox chemistry, hydrodynamics, and winter weather. These drivers control the biogeochemical evolution of the under ice system during the winter, with the potential to impact water quality and spring/summer ecosystem productivity.