Sediment-Water Interaction and Early Diagenesis in the Laurentian Trough

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the results of more than a decade of study of sediment-water interactions and early diagenesis in the St. Lawrence Estuary. A review is made of the role of organic matter (input to the sediment surface, inmixing through bioturbation, degradation by bacteria) and of the distributions of oxidants, nutrients, trace metals and other chemical substances either directly and indirectly involved in the cycling of organic matter. Manganese, in particular, is used to illustrate the development of our understanding about sediment geochemistry in the Laurentian Trough.