Experimental results from intact core incubations of nearshore sediments in Lake Kabetogama, MN (2021, 2022)

Lake water level fluctuations are an important factor driving variation in many ecosystem processes. The nearshore sediments that are periodically exposed and re-inundated can develop distinct physical and chemical characteristics, especially in relationship to the organic matter content of the sediments and the particle size distribution. These sediment characteristics in turn can alter the flux of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from sediments into the water column when sediments are inundated. Here we used intact sediment core experiments across a range of sediment inundation frequencies to estimate the effect of inundation frequency on sediment nutrient flux in Kabetogama Lake, MN. A total of 96 intact sediment core experiments were performed, with 89 experiments completing the full 3-day incubation. Also reported are the water level fluctuations recorded at the lake during the time the experiments took place.