Baltimore Harbor Sediment Metals: Dissolved Exchange with Overlying Water Versus Sediment BurialFor several decades researchers and resource managers have known that Baltimore Harbor is contaminated with a variety of toxic chemicals. Some suggest that the harbor acts as a trap for toxic trace metals by sequestering them in high concentrations in sediments. While recent evidence suggests that the flow of toxics to the Chesapeake Bay has lessened, the potential remains for harbor sediments to serve as a reservoir for the continued movement of metals into the Bay. This can occur through a number of chemical and physical mechanisms, and researchers Jeffrey Cornwell, Robert Mason and Jeffrey Halka are studying these processes in Baltimore Harbor. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a clear understanding of the sources, transport and fate of specific toxic metals (mercury, copper, cadmium, nickel and zinc), with an emphasis on quantifying the movement (or flux) of metals to and from the sediments. In particular, the investigators will examine how the formation of insoluble metal-sulfide complexes acts to immobilize toxic trace elements in the sediments. In addition, they will determine sources for the sediment metal load and in so doing begin the process of formulating a metal budget or mass balance for the harbor. In total, these studies will make a significant contribution to the understanding of basic geochemical processes and will provide important information to those charged with managing this important region of the Bay. |
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Jeffrey C. Cornwel
lUniversity of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Jeffrey Halka Maryland Geological Survey Robert P. Mason University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science |
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