Dissolved aluminum in the upper St. Lawrence Estuary

The concentrations of dissolved aluminum (Al) in the upper St. Lawrence Estuary were determined during periods of high and intermediate river-discharge. Laboratory experiments simulating estuarine processes were also conducted in order to examine possible mechanisms controlling the Al distribution. During the high river-discharge, the Al concentration at river end-member was 1.63 μM and decreased exponentially with increasing salinity. An almost complete removal of dissolved Al was observed in the low salinity area up to 10 with an intensive removal in the turbidity maximum zone. Principal mechanisms responsible for the Al removal inferred from the laboratory experiments were flocculation and adsorption onto suspended particulate matter (SPM). During the intermediate river-discharge, the Al concentration was 0.72 μM at the river end-member and again decreased with increasing salinity. However, the removal was less pronounced, being only about 25%. Good fits with model predictions and laboratory experiments suggest that principal removal mechanisms were authigenic aluminosilicate formation and adsorption onto SPM. In the upper St. Lawrence Estuary, Al distribution is controlled by a combination of three removal mechanisms: flocculation, authigenic aluminosilicate formation, and adsorption. Each mechanism can become a dominant factor depending on the concentration level and speciation of dissolved Al in the river water.