ABSTRACT
The oceans are almost always a final sink of contamination, but wave action occasionally brings contaminants onshore. To a large extent, the level of human health and/or environmental risk is a function of two fundamental concepts: mobility and persistence. The fate and transport of contamination begins with their release into the environment. Contaminant releases originate from numerous sources and under different circumstances; they vary on degree, concentration, duration, mass, volume, and whether a single contaminant is released or if a mixture of contaminants are released. The chapter describes these factors influencing the migration of contaminants, degradation of contaminants, and then describe how the fate and transport of each group of substances is influenced by the group’s specific chemistry. The transport of contaminants in surface water is dominated by turbulent advective flow. Transport of contaminants in groundwater is dominated by three factors: advection, dispersion, and molecular diffusion.
