Fluxes of copper-complexing ligands from estuarine sediments

Most studies of the organic complexation of Cu in natural waters have focused on distributions and processes in the water column, where a significant fraction of Cu-complexing ligands may be biologically produced. We present direct evidence for a flux of Cu-complexing ligands from estuarine sediments, demonstrating that sediments are a significant, yet previously unrecognized source of the ligands. Fluxes of Cu-complexing ligands from Chesapeake Bay sediments range from 300 to 1,200 nmol m(-2) d(-1), exceeding fluxes of total dissolved Cu by 3->40-fold, suggesting that any Cu fluxing from the sediments is likely to be organically complexed. Our results indicate that benthic fluxes may supply from 10 to 50% of the standing stock of Cu-complexing ligands in Chesapeake Bay and suggest that such fluxes may strongly influence the biogeochemistry of Cu in shallow water environments and potentially in the ocean as a whole.