Soils and sediments represent concentrated reservoirs for metals that serve
as sinks for introduced trace metals or can become environmental sources.
The coastal zone of Louisiana provides a "living laboratory" to investigate
the mechanisms of transport, deposition, and dissolution of trace metals i
nto this fragile environment. Common trace metals determined and their rang
e of concentrations in soil and sediments are chromium (10-30 (parts per mi
llion) (ppm)), copper (10-25 ppm), iron (0.6-2.1 %), manganese (200-600 ppm
), nickel (6-20 ppm), lead (8-20 ppm), and zinc (30-55 ppm).