Biological Mediation of Material Fluxes across the Sediment-water Interface in Estuaries and Coastal Systems

The strong association of contaminants with fine-grained or organic-rich sediments is well established. Contaminants focused at the sediment-water interface may be resuspended, transported, transformed or buried, depending on the phasing and interactions among biological, physical and chemical processes. Our long term goal is to develop a better understanding of how materials are exchanged across the sedimentwater interface and how these process influence the transport and fate of contaminants in coastal ecosystems. A knowledge of these processes is essential for ecological risk assessments for sediment-associated contaminants and for designing effective remediation strategies for contaminated coastal harbors.