As described in a
study conducted on the Great Barrier Reef, periodic turbidity can
resuspend fine-grain sediment, depositing and adhering trace metals
to mucosal coral surface (Esslemont, 2000). While resuspension
events may be short lived, according to extrapolated results from a
laboratory-based erosion chamber, metals with strong peaks in release
are an important contributor to the calculated annual sediment
metal load, releasing dissolved species to the overlying oxic water
(Kalnejais et al., 2010). The ecological effect of resuspended contaminated
sediment in marine environments is complex (Roberts,
2012); however, the liberation of sediment-bound contaminates is
an important problemin minewastemanagementwhere resuspension
and entrainment of sediment particles by wind-induced motions
(e.g., waves and currents) occur (see review by Eggleton and
Thomas, 2004).