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Trace Metals Speciation in Nearshore Anoxic and Suboxic Pore Waters

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Trace Metals in Sea Water

Part of the book series: NATO Conference Series ((MARS,volume 9))

Abstract

Sedimentary pore waters were obtained seasonally from two nearshore areas in Long Island Sound, U.S.A. The pore waters were collected, separated from the sediments and analyzed utilizing an inert atmosphere and ultra-clean laboratory techniques in order to minimize any artifacts due to improper sampling and contamination. The pore fluids were analyzed for a variety of major and minor components as well as the trace metals Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd and Ag. The sediments from Branford Harbor were anoxic and bacterially mediated sulfate reduction was the major biogeochemical process taking place. As this process proceeds, SO 2−4 is consumed and HS−, PO 3−4 , NH +4 , titration alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon are produced. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that metal-polysulfide and bisulfide complexes may control the concentrations of dissolved Cu, and Ag in these pore waters, while the concentrations of Fe, Mn and Cd are controlled by other inorganic species. Except for Cu, there is little evidence to suggest that complexation with dissolved organic matter plays a major role in controlling the solubility of these trace metals in the anoxic waters under investigation.

On the other hand, the sediments from Mystic River showed little evidence of sulfate reduction. Enrichments of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Ag did occur in the surface pore waters. These enrichments are through to be due to either the reduction of Mn and Fe oxides or the oxidation of iron monosulfides.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824, USA

    W. Berry Lyons & W. F. Fitzgerald

  2. Marine Sciences Institute, University of Connecticut, Avery Pt., Groton, CT, 06340, USA

    W. Berry Lyons & W. F. Fitzgerald

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  1. W. Berry Lyons
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

    C. S. Wong (Editor-in-Chief) (Editor-in-Chief)

  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Edward Boyle

  3. University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA

    Kenneth W. Bruland

  4. University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    J. D. Burton

  5. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Edward D. Goldberg

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Lyons, W.B., Fitzgerald, W.F. (1983). Trace Metals Speciation in Nearshore Anoxic and Suboxic Pore Waters. In: Wong, C.S., Boyle, E., Bruland, K.W., Burton, J.D., Goldberg, E.D. (eds) Trace Metals in Sea Water. NATO Conference Series, vol 9. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6864-0_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6864-0_36

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-6866-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6864-0

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