Reports
Chesapeake Bay Earth Science Study: interstitial water chemistry, data report
1979, Bricker, O.P., Hill, J.M., and Conkwright, R.D.
Open-File Report 2a
Abstract
The sediments on the bottom of Chesapeake Bay constitute a large reservoir of chemical species derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. The sediment reservoir may serve as a source or a sink for a substance depending upon the reactions that take place in the sedimentary environment and the transfer of material across the sediment-water interface. Interstitial water is the vehicle by which sediment constituents are mobilized and transported within the sediment and across the sediment-water interface. It is also the key to deciphering early diagenetic reactions that determine the chemistry of the shallow sediment system. The proceedures used by the Maryland Geological Survey for investigating the chemistry of the interstitial waters in Chesapeake Bay sediments are described. Values for Eh, pH, pS=, conductivity, Fe++, Mn++ and Si02 (aq) are reported for interstitial waters in the upper meter of sediment from the mouth of the Susquehanna River to the Virginia Capes. Eh, pH, pS= and conductivity were determined by electrode measurements, Fe and Mn were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophometry and Si02 (aq) was determined using a colorometric proceedure. Preliminary interpretation of the chemistry of iron and manganese in the sedimentary environment are discussed and estimates of the diffusional flux of some dissolved species across the sediment-water interface are given.
