DUAL FILTRATION EFFECT OF GEOCHEMICAL AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES IN THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY

Dissolved nutrients (NO3- , PO4 3- , SiO32- ) and oxygen , chlorophyll- a , pH and Eh were measured on board during a cruise in August 1988 in the Changjiang Estuary region . Heavy metals , organic matter and carbonate contents were analyzed in laboratory. The results show that geochemical processes in the Changjiang Estuary have dual filtration effect: on the one hand geochemical filtration effect, reflected by ferromanganese oxide flocculation and sedimentation , occurs near the turbidity maximum, and leads to enrichment of heavy metals in suspended matter and sedi -ments; on the other hand biogeochemical filtration , reflected by nutrients consumption , organic matter and carbonate sedimentation and enrichment of trace elements in suspended matter. occurs outside the plume water front. The biogeochemical filtration affects the environmental conditions ; the dissolved oxygen and pH increase in surface water and decrease in bottom water. The biogeochemical filtration effect outside the plume front is m     

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEDIMENTS AND ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY ENVIRONMENT

Analysis of material from three 55- cm long cores collected with box corer m summer of 1988 in the Changjiang Estuary region yielded data on the sedimentation rate, granulometric composition and contents of carbonates, organic matter, Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb there. Subsequent study of the data led to the conclusion that there is no obvious pollution in the region based on the absolute value of the content of heavy metals, but the region is in potential danger of being polluted as seen by the obvious increase of sedimentation flux of heavy metals to and the enrichment of them on the surface sediment during the last several years, e.g. Pb increased by 10-20μg/g, Zn by about 30μg/g, Cu by 5-10μg/g and Mn by 150μg/g.A ferromanganese redox interface was found at about 40 cm depth of sediments where Fe and Mn and associated trace metals are enriched. The trace metals such as Zn, Cu have (but Pb does not) the same source, forms, displacement mechanism and geochemical behaviours as those of Fe and Mn in t