Iron-sulfide and trace element behaviour in sediments of Coombabah Lake, southern Moreton Bay (Australia)

Iron-sulfide minerals in benthic sediments may sequester potentially toxic trace elements that are introduced to estuaries from natural and anthropogenic sources (Chapman et al., 1998, Morse and Luther, 1999, Simpson et al., 2002, Teasdale et al., 2003). Understanding iron-sulfide formation in benthic sediments is therefore central to assessing the risk posed by sedimentary trace elements (Machado et al., 2004, Burton et al., 2005a, Burton et al., 2006a). This report provides a baseline description of sedimentary iron-sulfide and trace element behaviour in Coombabah Lake – a sub-tropical estuarine lake in southern Moreton Bay, Australia (Fig. 1).