title: Biogeochemical cycling in the Strait of Georgia.
abstract: The papers in this special issue present the results of a five-year project to study sedimentary biogeochemical processes in the Strait of Georgia, with special emphasis on the near-field of a large municipal outfall. Included in this special issue are overviews of the sedimentology, benthic biology, status of siliceous sponge reefs and distribution of organic carbon in the water column. Other papers address the cycling of contaminants (PCBs, PBDEs) and redox metals in the sediment, a method to map the extent of the influence of municipal effluent from staining on benthic bivalves, and the relationships among geochemical conditions and benthic abundance and diversity. The latter set of papers addresses the role of municipal effluent as a pathway of organic carbon and other contaminants into the Strait of Georgia and the effect of the effluent on benthic geochemistry and biology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 9860 W. Saanich Rd., P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 4B2. sophia.johannessen@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Johannessen
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burd
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Roodselaar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001955:British Columbia; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D045483:Rivers; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D010100:Oxygen