Measurements of Nutrient and Metal Fluxes from the Sea Floor in the Area Around the Whites Point Sewage Outfall, Los Angeles, California

by William M. Berelson, Univ of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States,
Kenneth S. Johnson, Univ of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Zone '91

Abstract:

Studies are underway to determine the influence of sewage outfall-impacted sediment on the exchange of nutrients and trace metals in the coastal marine environment. Utilizing a benthic flux chamber, we are collecting samples incubated in situ for direct measurement of exchange rates. Research has been conducted off the Whites Point Sewage Outfall and a transect of measurements is planned for the winter of 1991. Preliminary nutrient flux measurements show that exchange rates are high enough to detect in a 7-liter chamber over a 24-hour incubation period. The trace metals iron, manganese, cobalt and copper will be measured in chamber samples using the analytical technology known as flow injection chemiluminescence. Fluxes of the nutrients and metals will be fit into a model that evaluates the importance of sewage-influenced sediments on chemical budgets in coastal waters.

Subject Headings: Water pollution | Flow measurement | Sewage | Water treatment plants | Sea water | Sediment | Nutrient pollution | California | United States | Los Angeles

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