Organic and inorganic sulfur constituents of the Sediments in three New York lakes: Effect of site, sediment depth and season

✍ Scribed by M. J. Mitchell; D. H. Landers; D. F. Brodowski; G. B. Lawrence; M. B. David

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 769 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0049-6979
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00163627

✦ Synopsis

Water and sediment parameters, with emphasis on S constituents, were compared among lakes (Oneida, South, Deer), seasons, sites and sediment depths. The three lakes differed in size, morphometry, productivity and acid neutralizing capacity and none of the Iakes had anoxia in the water column. Redox potentials (Eh) were higher for oligotrophic South and mesotrophic Deer than eutrophic Oneida within the sediment. In the water column, the only S constituent measured was sulfate which was higher in nutrient rich Onieda (110 to 490 gmol1-1) than South (30 to 70 gmol 1-1) or Deer (10 to 60 gmoll-1).

Total S in sediment was higher for South than for either Deer or Oneida. For Deer and South sediment, total S was greatest in the 5 to 15 cm layer, and this was likely due to historical changes in anthropogenic inputs through atmospheric deposition. The high S concentration in South sediment can be accounted for by particulate deposition of S through the water column. Organic S constituents constituted major forms of S in the sediments of the three lakes, Non-HI reducible S, of which carbon-bonded S was a dominant constituent, comprised a major portion of total S in Oneida, South and Deer. Ester sulfate was the next largest S constituent in South and Deer. As a percent of total S, sulfide (HCL digestion) and sulfate was higher in Oneida than South or Deer. There was an inverse relationship between sediment Eh and sulfide. Pyritic S was measured on bulk samples and constituted 37, 12, and 6% of total S in Oneida, South and Deer. Both inorganic and organic S forms showed seasonal variation and the transformation and translocation of these forms play an important role in the S dynamics of lakes.