Mercury in the Sediments of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1219-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Sedimentation Pattern ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Shelf Sediments ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

In sediments collected from the Saguenay fjord, the St. Lawrence estuary, and open Gulf of St. Lawrence, total mercury varies with sediment texture and location from 10 to 12 300 ppb (average 386 ppb). The highest concentrations occur in the Saguenay fjord (average 2980 ppb) and the lowest in the open Gulf of St. Lawrence (average 150 ppb). The concentration of mercury increases with decreasing grain size, the highest concentrations occur in the fine-grained sediments of the submarine troughs and shelf valleys and the lowest in the sandy shelf sediments. Analyses of the sediments from the Saguenay fjord, where mercury values range from 12 300 ppb at its head to > 500 ppb in the lower reaches, indicate that most of the mercury (70 to 90% of the total) is held by the organic matter in the sediments. The distribution of mercury in the fjord is apparently controlled by the downstream dispersal from local industrial sources of mercury-rich organic matter, most likely of terrestrial origin because of its high C/N ratio. In the St. Lawrence estuary where mercury values range from 30 to 950 ppb, and in the open Gulf where correlations between variables are lower and scattered anomalies exist, analyses indicate that mercury accumulates along with the fine-grained inorganic and organic matter in response to the present depositional processes. The distribution of mercury appears to be controlled by the sedimentation pattern. Terrestrial organic matter and industrial waste originating in the Saguenay drainage area have the strongest influence on its distribution.

Distribution and partition of cobalt, nickel, chromium, and vanadium in the sediments of the Saguenay fjord

1976 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1706-1718 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Sedimentation Pattern ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Inorganic Particles ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Nickel Chromium ◽  
Cobalt Nickel ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Sandy Sediments ◽  
Fjord Sediments

In the Saguenay fjord sediments, cobalt (Co) concentrations vary between 5 and 20 ppm, nickel (Ni) concentrations between 7 and 36 ppm, chromium (Cr) concentrations from 33 to 70 ppm, and vanadium (V) concentrations from 67 to 149 ppm in relation to texture and location. The highest concentrations are found in the fine-grained sediments from the upper part of the fjord and the lowest concentrations occur in the sandy sediments near the mouth of the fjord. On the average, the fjord's muds are neither greatly enriched nor depleted in Co, Ni, Cr, and V when compared to muds from the St. Lawrence estuary and the open Gulf of St. Lawrence.Acetic acid extractions indicate that 8 to 25% of the total Co, 11 to 29% of the total Ni, 2 to 9% of the total Cr, and 5 to 23% of the total V are contributed by the non-detrital fraction and may be available to the biota in the fjord. Non-detrital Co, Ni, Cr, and V appear to have been removed from solution by adsorption onto fine-grained inorganic particles and their distribution controlled by the sedimentation pattern. Non-delrital Cr, V, and Ni are also associated with Mn and Fe oxides, which are present as grain coatings. Most of the Co, Ni, Cr, and V in the detrital fraction, which accounts for 71 to 98% of the total elemental concentrations are found in sulphide, oxide, and ferromagnesian minerals. These minerals accumulate at the same rate as other detrital sedimentary material in response to the present depositional conditions.The discharge of industrial waste has not resulted in an increase in the concentrations of Co, Ni, Cr, and V in the sediments above their natural levels.

The distribution and partition of zinc, copper, and lead in the sediments of the Saguenay fjord

1976 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 960-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Soluble Fraction ◽  
Insoluble Fraction ◽  
Sediment Texture ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Sulphide Minerals ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Zn And Cu In ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Zinc (Zn) concentrations vary between 43 and 145 ppm, copper (Cu) concentrations between 6 and 33 ppm, and lead (Pb) concentrations between 14 and 66 ppm in relation to sediment texture and location in the Saguenay fjord. The concentrations of the elements increase with decreasing grain size; the highest concentrations occur in the fine grained sediments (muds) in the upper part of the fjord and they decrease downstream. On the average, the fjord muds are enriched in Zn and Pb when compared to sediments from the St. Lawrence estuary and the open Gulf of St. Lawrence.Acetic acid extractions of the sediments indicate that 14 to 29% of the total Zn, 14 to 21% of the total Cu, and 12 to 25% of the total Pb is contributed by the non-detrital (acid soluble) fraction, and the remainder (70–88%) is contributed by the detrital (acid insoluble) fraction. Most of the Zn, Cu, and Pb in the detrital fraction is held in discrete sulphide minerals. These minerals accumulate at the same rate as other detrital sedimentary material in response to the present depositional conditions. Non-detrital Zn, Cu, and Pb contributions represent the portion of the total element content adsorbed by fine grained inorganic and organic material during transport and deposition. The distributions of non-detrital Pb and to a lesser extent of Zn and Cu in the fjord are apparently controlled by the downstream dispersal from local industrial sources of mercury (Hg)-rich terrestrial organic matter.

Geochemistry of cobalt, nickel, chromium, and vanadium in the sediments of the estuary and open Gulf of St. Lawrence

1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Deposit ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Hydrous Oxides ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Local Anomalies

Total Co (3–22 ppm), Ni (4–160 ppm), V (4–168 ppm), and Cr (8–241 ppm) concentrations vary regionally and with textural differences in the sediments of the St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. They are, except for local anomalies, at or near natural levels relative to their source rocks and other marine sediments.Chemical partition and mineralogical analyses indicate that small but biochemically significant quantities (2–24%) of the total element concentrations are potentially available to the biota and are most likely held by fine-grained organic material, hydrous iron oxides, and ion exchange positions in the sediments. In the upper estuary, nondetrital Ni, Cr, and V supplied from natural and anthropogenic (Cr) sources are apparently preferentially scavenged from solution by terrestrial organic matter and hydrous oxides and concentrated in fine-grained sediments deposited below the turbidity maximum. In the lower estuary, the fine-grained sediments are relatively enriched in nondetrital V supplied from anthropogenic sources in the Saguenay system. Elsewhere the sedimentation intensities of the nondetrital elemental contributions have remained relatively constant with fluctuations in total sediment intensity.Seventy-six to 98% of the total Co, Ni, Cr, and V is not, however, available to the biota, but held in various sulphide, oxide, and silicate minerals. The host minerals have accumulated at the same rate as other fine-grained detrital material except for some local anomalies. In the upper estuary, detrital V concentrations are highest in the sands as an apparent result of an enrichment of ilmenite and titaniferous magnetite from a nearby mineral deposit. In the open gulf, relatively high concentrations of Ni, Cr, and V occur in sediments from the Bay of Islands, Newfoundland, and probably result from the seaward dispersal of detrital Ni, Cr, and V bearing minerals from nearby ultrabasic rocks.

Strength development with burial in fine-grained sediments from the Saguenay Fjord, Quebec

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Perret ◽  
J. Locat ◽  
S. Leroueil
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Strength Development ◽  
Creep Tests ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Episodic Events ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Liquidity Index ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Continuous Sedimentation ◽  
Marine Clays

Following a sedimentological and geotechnical investigation, two main types of materials were identified in the Saguenay Fjord: (1) organic-rich sediments deposited by continuous sedimentation, and (2) unbioturbated sediments deposited rapidly by episodic events. The consolidation state of sediments with depth were analysed. In all subsurface deposits, sediments are overconsolidated irrespective of the depositional processes. However, in continuously deposited sediments, strength develops more rapidly than in turbidites or mass flows. In the surficial bioturbated layer, strength and liquidity index gradients are at a maximum and the rate of strength variation can reach values as high as 9 kPa/kPa. Results from one-dimensional creep tests suggest that in the organic-poor turbidites, the strength development is controlled, at least partly, by thixotropic strengthening. For bioturbated clays, it appears that the viscosity and the aggregating potential of organic matter controls the evolution of the strength with burial. Key words : Saguenay Fjord, marine clays, consolidation, turbidite, organic matter, bioturbation.

Sources and early diagenesis of lignin and bulk organic matter in the sediments of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord

1997 ◽  
Vol 58 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Louchouarn ◽  
Marc Lucotte ◽  
René Canuel ◽  
Jean-Pierre Gagné ◽  
Louis-Filip Richard
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Early Diagenesis ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Bulk Organic Matter ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Terrigenous Organic Matter in Sediments of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord

1979 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 1250-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pocklington ◽  
J. D. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Lower Estuary ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Carbon To Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
Terrigenous Organic Matter ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Nitrogen Ratio ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

The proportion of land-derived organic matter in sediments of the upper St. Lawrence Estuary is unexpectedly low. In the Saguenay Fjord and the lower estuary, high organic carbon to nitrogen ratios and the presence of lignin indicate a substantial contribution of organic matter from terrestrial sources. The proportion of terrigenous organic matter decreases rapidly thereafter, approaching levels typical of marine sediments in the open Gulf. Key words: Organic matter, sediments, carbon to nitrogen ratio, lignin, St. Lawrence Estuary, Saguenay Fjord

scholarly journals Benthic fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen in the lower St. Lawrence estuary and implications for selective organic matter degradation

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 7609-7622 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Alkhatib ◽  
P. A. del Giorgio ◽  
Y. Gelinas ◽  
M. F. Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
Internal Source ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Element Partitioning ◽  
Sediment Porewaters ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Abstract. The distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and carbon (DOC) in sediment porewaters was determined at nine locations along the St. Lawrence estuary and in the gulf of St. Lawrence. In a previous manuscript (Alkhatib et al., 2012a), we have shown that this study area is characterized by gradients in the sedimentary particulate organic matter (POM) reactivity, bottom water oxygen concentrations, and benthic respiration rates. Based on the porewater profiles, we estimated the benthic diffusive fluxes of DON and DOC in the same area. Our results show that DON fluxed out of the sediments at significant rates (110 to 430 μmol m−2 d−1). DON fluxes were positively correlated with sedimentary POM reactivity and varied inversely with sediment oxygen exposure time (OET), suggesting direct links between POM quality, aerobic remineralization and the release of DON to the water column. DON fluxes were on the order of 30 to 64% of the total benthic inorganic fixed N loss due to denitrification, and often exceeded the diffusive nitrate fluxes into the sediments. Hence they represented a large fraction of the total benthic N exchange, a result that is particularly important in light of the fact that DON fluxes are usually not accounted for in estuarine and coastal zone nutrient budgets. In contrast to DON, DOC fluxes out of the sediments did not show any significant spatial variation along the Laurentian Channel (LC) between the estuary and the gulf (2100 ± 100 μmol m−2 d−1). The molar C / N ratio of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in porewater and the overlying bottom water varied significantly along the transect, with lowest C / N in the lower estuary (5–6) and highest C / N (> 10) in the gulf. Large differences between the C / N ratios of porewater DOM and POM are mainly attributed to a combination of selective POM hydrolysis and elemental fractionation during subsequent DOM mineralization, but selective adsorption of DOM to mineral phases could not be excluded as a potential C / N fractionating process. The extent of this C- versus N- element partitioning seems to be linked to POM reactivity and redox conditions in the sediment porewaters. Our results thus highlight the variable effects selective organic matter (OM) preservation can have on bulk sedimentary C / N ratios, decoupling the primary source C / N signatures from those in sedimentary paleoenvironmental archives. Our study further underscores that the role of estuarine sediments as efficient sinks of bioavailable nitrogen is strongly influenced by the release of DON during early diagenetic reactions, and that DON fluxes from continental margin sediments represent an important internal source of N to the ocean.

New records of the mysids Boreomysis nobilis G. O. Sars and Mysis litoralis (Banner) in the Saguenay fjord (St. Lawrence estuary)

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1087-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Judkins ◽  
Robert Wright
Keyword(s):  
New Records ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Glacial Period ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Midwater Trawl ◽  
Boreal Region ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

The arctic–subarctic mysids Boreomysis nobilis and Mysis litoralis were abundant in midwater trawl collections from the Saguenay fjord but were almost absent in collections from the confluent St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Collections from the estuary and Gulf contained boreal mysids more typical of the latitude. The presence of apparently isolated populations of B. nobilis and M. litoralis in the fjord is further evidence that it is an arctic enclave within a boreal region. The hypothesis that populations of arctic and subarctic species in the Saguenay fjord are relicts from a previous glacial period is questioned in view of the possibility of more recent faunal exchange between the Arctic and the fjord via intermediate arctic enclaves on the eastern Canadian coast.

scholarly journals Spatial variations in CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes in the Saguenay Fjord (Quebec, Canada) and results of a water mixing model

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 547-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Delaigue ◽  
Helmuth Thomas ◽  
Alfonso Mucci
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Brackish Water ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Mixing Model ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Spring Freshet ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Abstract. The Saguenay Fjord is a major tributary of the St. Lawrence Estuary and is strongly stratified. A 6–8 m wedge of brackish water typically overlies up to 270 m of seawater. Relative to the St. Lawrence River, the surface waters of the Saguenay Fjord are less alkaline and host higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. In view of the latter, surface waters of the fjord are expected to be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere, as they partly originate from the flushing of organic-rich soil porewaters. Nonetheless, the CO2 dynamics in the fjord are modulated with the rising tide by the intrusion, at the surface, of brackish water from the Upper St. Lawrence Estuary, as well as an overflow of mixed seawater over the shallow sill from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary. Using geochemical and isotopic tracers, in combination with an optimization multiparameter algorithm (OMP), we determined the relative contribution of known source waters to the water column in the Saguenay Fjord, including waters that originate from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary and replenish the fjord's deep basins. These results, when included in a conservative mixing model and compared to field measurements, serve to identify the dominant factors, other than physical mixing, such as biological activity (photosynthesis, respiration) and gas exchange at the air–water interface, that impact the water properties (e.g., pH, pCO2) of the fjord. Results indicate that the fjord's surface waters are a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere during periods of high freshwater discharge (e.g., spring freshet), whereas they serve as a net sink of atmospheric CO2 when their practical salinity exceeds ∼5–10.

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