Particle size distribution predicts particulate phosphorus removal

Particulate phosphorus (PP) is often the largest component of the total phosphorus (P) load in stormwater. Fine-resolution measurement of particle sizes allows us to investigate the mechanisms behind the removal of PP in stormwater wetlands, since the diameter of particles influences the settling ve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2018-01, Vol.47 (Suppl 1), p.S124-S133
Main Authors: River, Mark, Richardson, Curtis J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural practices
Agricultural watersheds
Airborne particulates
Atmospheric Sciences
best management practices
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Management
Gravitation
Gravity
mechanistic models
Mineral particles
Particle size
Particle size distribution
Phosphorus
Phosphorus removal
Physical Geography
Settling velocity
Size distribution
Stormwater
Stormwater management
Surface area
Urban agriculture
Wetlands
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Summary:Particulate phosphorus (PP) is often the largest component of the total phosphorus (P) load in stormwater. Fine-resolution measurement of particle sizes allows us to investigate the mechanisms behind the removal of PP in stormwater wetlands, since the diameter of particles influences the settling velocity and the amount of sorbed P on a particle. In this paper, we present a novel method to estimate PP, where we measure and count individual particles in stormwater and use the total surface area as a proxy for PP. Our results show a strong relationship between total particle surface area and PP, which we use to put forth a simple mechanistic model of PP removal via gravitational settling of individual mineral particles, based on a continuous particle size distribution. This information can help improve the design of stormwater Best management practices to reduce PP loading in both urban and agricultural watersheds.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-017-0981-z