Abstract:The Daihai Lake (40°29′27″-40°37′6″N, 112°33′31″-112°46′40″E) is a typical inland lake in a semiarid region in Inner Mongolia, China. This research is mainly focus on phosphorus release from the surface sediments in different environmental conditions which is temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), disturbance and illumination. The results are described as follows: (1) the concentration of phosphorus release from the sediments increases with temperature. (2) It is higher in alkali condition, therefore it will cause a lot of phosphorus release when pH increases in the Daihai Lake (pH 88). (3) It is higher in anaerobic condition (ρDO<0.8mg/L), and the concentration of phosphorus in overlying water is higher in deep water area in which the DO is lower than in shallow water. (4) The disturbance is propitious to phosphorus release, which has an impact on the sediment in shallow water. (5) The illumination has an influence on phosphorus release from the surface sediments indirectly through biological action of benthic algae.