INVESTIGATING SUBAQUEOUS COASTAL SEDIMENT DYNAMICS ALONG CONNECTICUT COAST WITH TRACE METALS

Trace metals are crucial for understanding the interplay between the terrestrial and marine environment. Coastal sediments commonly preserve trace metals due to anthropogenic activities over the last 200 years. Spatial and temporal variations in trace metal concentrations in coastal sediments may be due to proximity to specific metal sources, such as industrial centers, agricultural runoff, or urban development, or sediment dynamics in the coastal zone, such storage, transport, erosion, deposition and dilution. In this study, we present trace metal results from 63 subaqueous cores collected in shallow (<3 m) water depths along the Connecticut coast. Loss of Ignition (LOI) and portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) techniques were used for analyzing organics and metal concentration in the cores. Results highlight large differences in erosion and deposition at subaqueous sites. End members include: 1) sites of continuous sedimentation and deposition exhibiting increased metal concentrations, as well as; 2) sites with no difference from background values, indicating either no <200 yr sedimentation or erosion of sediment than may have previously contained trace metals. Overall, results underscore the relative significance of many factors influencing coastal sediment dynamics.