Trace metals dynamics in surface sediments investigated by DGT micro-scale measurements

In surface sediments, metal mobility is controlled by the recruitment and turn-over of organic matter whereas sulphide is thought to control the concentration of metals in sediment pore water by removing them from the solution. DGT is a dynamic probe that measures the kinetically available fraction of metals or sulphide. DGT uses a credit card size probe inserted into the sediment that provides a snapshot of the metal distribution in the sediment, which can be uncovered by spectrochemical analytical techniques. In-situ vertical profiles and horizontal maps of trace metals at high (mm scale) and ultra-high resolution (100 m) together with Fe, Mn and sulphide were generated from DGT probes deployed in surface sediments. Collectively, the results showed that besides vertical gradients, associated with the depletion of oxygen with depth and the degradation of organic matter by a succession of electron acceptors, small scale remobilisation of metals associated with sediment heterogeneity take place.