Abstract
This paper discusses the interactions between sediment and phosphorus. More often than not a number of competing pathways are available for the sorption, transport, transformation and rerelease of pollutants in aquatic environments. The importance of any given process will depend on a number of interacting factors: the nature of the sediment (composition, mineralogy, particle coatings, drying history, etc.), the microbial community structure and activity within the sediment, and the water both overlying and within the sediment. The importance of the individual pathways to the fate of a given pollutant in any aquatic environment will no doubt vary both spatially and temporally.