Preliminary estimates of benthic fluxes of dissolved metals in Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho

Open-File Report 98-793
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Abstract

This report presents porewater and selected water column data collected from Coeur d'Alene Lake in September of 1992. Despite probable oxidation of the porewater samples during collection and handling, these data are used to calculate molecular diffusive fluxes of dissolved metals (that is, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Mn) across the sediment-water interface. While these data and calculations provide preliminary information on benthic metal fluxes in Coeur d'Alene Lake, further work is needed to verify their direction and magnitude. The benthic flux calculations indicate that the sediment is generally a source of dissolved Zn, Cu, Mn, and, possibly, Pb to the overlying water column. These benthic fluxes are compared with two other major sources of metals to Coeur d'Alene Lake-the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe Rivers. Comparisons indicate that benthic fluxes of Zn, Pb, and Cu are generally less than half of the fluxes of these metals into the lake from the Coeur d'Alene River. However, in a few cases, the calculated benthic metal fluxes exceed the Coeur d'Alene River fluxes. Benthic fluxes of Zn and, possibly, Pb may be greater than the corresponding metal fluxes from the St. Joe River. These results have implications for changes in the relative importance of metal sources to the lake as remediation activities in the Coeur d'Alene River basin proceed.

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Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Preliminary estimates of benthic fluxes of dissolved metals in Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 98-793
DOI 10.3133/ofr98793
Year Published 1998
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center
Description 40 p.
Country United States
State Idaho
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