Instantaneous sediment accumulation rates in Tarr Inlet, Glacier Bay, Alaska

Abstract

The rate at which sediments accumulate in marine waters affects benthic life and sequestration of organic carbon and PAHs. The instantaneous sediment accumulation in Glacier Bay was measured and found to be slower in March than an earlier study found it in July and August. A greater influx of freshwater in summer is presumed to explain the difference. Glacier Bay, relative to its size, buries six times more organic carbon than is estimated.