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Processes Affecting The Behavior Of Redox-Sensitive Elements In Chesapeake Bay, Maria Lourdes San Diego-Mcglone

OES Theses and Dissertations

Several processes can affect variations in the chemical composition of an estuary, including (1) biogeochemical reactions in the water column, (2) advective transport, and (3) diffusion from underlying sediments.

The purpose of the study was to establish whether estuarine redox reactions are controlled by a complex interaction of processes 1 to 3. Short-term and long-term studies were conducted in Chesapeake Bay. Redox species involved in redox cycling include oxygen, iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen species, arsenic and antimony species, while phosphate is indirectly involved in redox cycles. Silicate was used as a non-redox tracer.

For the short-term study, a Lagrangian …