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Sediments as a source for contaminants?

  • Conference paper
Book cover Ecological Effects of In Situ Sediment Contaminants

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 39))

Abstract

This review article covers the processes affecting trace metals in deposited sediments. The sediment-water system can be divided in three parts: the oxic layer, the anoxic layer and the oxic-anoxic interface. Available data show that trace metals like Cu, Zn and Cd occur as sulphides in marine and estuarine anoxic sediments. Calculations show that organic complexation is unlikely and the dominant species are sulphide and bisulphide complexes. Chromium and arsenic are probably present as adsorbed species on the sediments; their concentrations in the pore waters, therefore depend on the concentrations in the sediments. The oxic-anoxic interface plays the major role in the potential flux of trace metals from the sediments, however this interface is not well studied at present. Changes from an anoxic to an oxic environment as occurs during dredging and land disposal of contaminanted sediments may cause a remobilization of some trace metals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Delft Hydraulics Laboratory, Haren Branch, c/o Institute for Soil Fertility, P.O. Box 30003, 9750, RA Haren (Gr), The Netherlands

    W. Salomons, N. M. de Rooij, H. Kerdijk & J. Bril

Authors
  1. W. Salomons
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  2. N. M. de Rooij
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  3. H. Kerdijk
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  4. J. Bril
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Regional Office, 100 Ouellette Avenue, 8th Floor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, N9A 6T3

    Richard L. Thomas  & Trefor B. Reynoldson  & 

  2. International Joint Commission, 8th Floor, 100 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5M1

    A. L. Hamilton

  3. Great Lakes Fisheries Research Branch, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7R 4A6

    M. Munawar

  4. Federal Environmental Assessment Review Office, Fontaine Building, 13th Floor, Hull, Quebec, Canada, K1A 0H3

    M. Husain Sadar

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© 1987 Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht

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Salomons, W., de Rooij, N.M., Kerdijk, H., Bril, J. (1987). Sediments as a source for contaminants?. In: Thomas, R.L., Evans, R., Hamilton, A.L., Munawar, M., Reynoldson, T.B., Sadar, M.H. (eds) Ecological Effects of In Situ Sediment Contaminants. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4053-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4053-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8299-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4053-6

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