ABSTRACT
The investigation of sediment characteristics is generally aimed to produce an indicative value for the ecosystem as a whole, such as a map of horizontal distribution or a trend in sedimentation through time. The corers are usually designed to provide the maximum amount of sample with a minimum disturbance of the sediment itself. The total organic content of sediments has been suggested as an indicator of the spatial variability, since this analysis is inexpensive and quick. The chemical characteristics of sediments collected by a gravity corer and a modified Ekman grab sampler were compared at six locations in Lake Como. Many techniques have been suggested to elaborate the original data so that they could be more easily related to physical, chemical, or biological processes which explain the observed distribution. The frequency distributions of the chemical constituents of sediments have also been investigated.
