Metals and models: Diagenetic modelling in freshwater lacustrine sediments

This review aims to distill and synthesize the existing information on the use of models to describe and predict the distribution and movement of metals in lacustrine sediments. As such it examines the causes of metal diagenesis, the origin and form of the equations that govern these phenomena, and the predictability or measurability of the parameters that appear in the models. The paper concludes by highlighting some seminal results from modelling studies, including the determination of the factors controlling the formation of surficial Mn-Fe-enriched zone or layers, the substantial contribution possible from metal reduction to organic matter regeneration, the calculation of mixing-corrected metal input histories to lakes, and the prediction of growth rates and morphologies for both deep-sea and lacustrine ferromanganese nodules.