title: Trace metal contamination of Beaufort's Dyke, North Channel, Irish Sea: a legacy of ordnance disposal.
abstract: Beaufort's Dyke is a disused ordnance disposal ground within the North Channel of the Irish Sea. Over 1 million tonnes of ordnance were disposed of in the dyke over a 40 year period representing a substantial volume of trace metal pollutants introduced to the seabed. Utilising particle transport modelling software we simulated the potential transport of metal particles from Beaufort's Dyke over a 3 month period. This demonstrated that Beaufort's Dyke has the potential to act as a source for trace metal contamination to areas beyond the submarine valley. Trace metal analysis of sediments from the Dyke and surrounding National Marine Monitoring Programme areas demonstrate that the Dyke is not the most contaminated site in the region. Particle transport modelling enables the transport pathways of trace metal contaminants to be predicted. Implementation of the technique in other munitions disposal grounds will provide valuable information for the selection of monitoring stations.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Coastal and Marine Research, Environmental Sciences Research Institute and School of Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, United Kingdom. callaway-a1@email.ulster.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Callaway
authors.forename: Rory
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Craig J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Service
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benetti
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010316:Particle Size; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012606:Scotland; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*; D014872:Water Movements; D054041:Weapons
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014866:Waste Products