Leatherman, Marissa2021-09-282021-09-282021http://hdl.handle.net/1773/47766Trace metal pollution is a global concern and a threat to the local communities it affects. The human activity in the Puget Sound area of Washington state is a large source of these pollutants, with ambient pollution, wastewater treatment plants, shipyard waste, and rivers all flowing into the estuary. This area is home to many important organisms essential for subsistence and commercial fisheries, as well as keystone species vital for local ecosystem functioning. Trace metal pollution puts these organisms and the humans that consume them at great risk of trace metal poisoning. The LiveOcean Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was used to assess if Puget Sound acts as a trap for lead and copper, to determine what factors influence the behavior of trace metals, and to locate areas where trace metals accumulate in Puget Sound. Based on their natural behaviors, copper was modeled with no sinking rate and lead was modeled with a sinking rate of 40 m/day. Metals were released within the model from three trace metal point-source locations: the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Puyallup River. The majority of both copper and lead reached the bottom of the water column at every release location and time. This supports the idea that Puget Sound is a sink for trace metals. Based on the differences in particle behavior between locations and months, the fate of particles is highly dependent on their sinking behavior, the location from which they are released, and the season. These findings neither support nor refute if the Main Basin is the key area of sequestration because, within the model, copper did not reach the bottom at higher rates here compared to the rest of Puget Sound. With a more informed understanding of the behavior of trace metals in Puget Sound, strategies can be implemented to mitigate anthropogenic pollution and minimize future health risks for the environment and the local human population.Puget SoundRegional Oceanographic Modelling SystemHeavy metal pollutionLiveOceanPuget Sound Naval ShipyardWest Point Wastewater Treatment PlantPuyallup River