Dispersal and deposition of suspended sediment on the shelf off the Tagus and Sado estuaries, SW Portugal

The Portuguese margin in front of the Tagus and Sado rivers is characterized by a narrow shelf incised by numerous canyons and by a large mud deposit. The two estuaries that feed this continental margin have distinct impact. The suspended particulate matter concentration values in the mouth of the Tagus are four times higher than in the Sado. During the summer the surface nepheloid layer is always larger than during the winter when it is restricted near the mouth of the estuary. This nepheloid layer may reach 30 km in length extending westward. The bottom nepheloid layer usually shows higher nephelometer values, and has a typical distribution: it is usually diverted southward in the direction of the Lisbon Submarine Canyon. We estimate the amount of suspended matter being discharged annually from the Tagus estuary to be between 0.4 and 1 x 10(6) t. The area covered by fine deposits is about 560 km(2). Hence the thickness of sediments deposited annually should be between 0.07 and 0.18 cm. The sedimentation rates calculated from the Pb-210 excess vary between 0.16 and 2.13 cm y(-1) which correspond to the maximum rate. For a layer of 1 cm thick, 81,000 t of particulate organic carbon (POC) should be trapped. That would represent, with a minimum sedimentation rate between 0.07 and 0.18 cm y(-1), an entrapment of 6000-15,000 t POC y(-1). The trace metals content of box core samples clearly shows the anthropogenic impact in the uppermost level (5 cm thick) in the Tagus estuary and in all the sedimentary deposits (15 cm thick) on the shelf muddy area. Despite the narrowness of the shelf, a significant part of continental fluxes fails to reach the deep ocean. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.