Abstract |
The literature was searched to provide clues to general principles regarding the geochemical behavior of the heavy metal pollutants mercury, nickel, and chromium in lacustrine environments similar to that of Lake Erie, and the information gained was supplemented by experimental work to more closely define the transport phases in this particular lake and to determine how they might be affected by early diagenesis. Pertinent historical data was gathered from the industrial chemical literature to provide information on pollutant sources, especially the times of major plant openings and relative discharges, and this information was used in conjunction with other data from the literature, the experimental phase data, and 21 detailed depth profiles of each metal from sediment cores taken in various locations throughout the lake to put together an interpretation of the pollution problem regarding these metals in this lake. |