Assessing the nutrient load and its source identification in the sediments of two distinctly different wetlands in the Gangetic alluvial plains of Bihar, India

Sediments in wetlands serve as critical reservoirs for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), influencing nutrient availability and ecosystem health. The intricate relationship of TN and TP with environmental variables and nutrient sources significantly affects their bioavailability in wetland ecosystems. Therefore, this study aims to assess the nutrient load in sediments and compare their source inputs in an urban and agricultural wetland in Patna, India. The result revealed alkaline sediment in both wetlands, with marginally lower values at the agricultural wetland. The concentration of TN ranged from 8.44 to 39.20 mg kg−1 and 18.46 to 51.05 mg kg−1 at the urban and agricultural wetlands, respectively. Significantly higher values of 1,882 and 2,391 mg kg−1 of TP than TN were noted at the respective wetlands. The result further revealed nitrogen as the limiting nutrient for both wetlands with a low TN:TP ratio (