The role of submarine groundwater discharge in coastal biogeochemistry

The advection of fluids from sediments into the coastal ocean provides a source of nutrients, metals, carbon, and chemical tracers. Of these tracers radium isotopes have proved to be useful in quantifying fluxes of the other components and evaluating sources. Models that use radium must evaluate assumptions that are inherent in the models. The results of these studies demonstrate that submarine groundwater discharge must be considered as a significant source of nutrients, carbon, and metals to the coastal ocean.