Spatial and seasonal variations in the chemistry of sediment interstitial waters in the Tamar Estuary

Chemical concentration gradients in the interstitial waters of shallow (0–10 cm), reducing sediments are reported for four stations in the Tamar Estuary over a two-year period. The products of organic matter breakdown, sedimentary redox changes and diagenetic reactions have been determined and a multicomponent analytical approach has enabled the interactions of complementary processes to be examined. While many components show spatial and seasonal patterns related to the supply of organic matter and salinity associated sulphate distribution, the effects of temperature, sediment disturbance and river flow are also apparent.Sediment stored prior to the separation of interstitial water showed significant changes in chemical composition compared to samples processed within 24 h of collection.