Biogeochemical research underway seeks to understand the interactions between biologically reactive elements and organisms. In particular, Sanders is interested in how the chemical structure of metalloids such as arsenic and selenium and important trace metals such as copper, silver and cadmium influence their reactions with phytoplankton and microbes, how biochemical reactions within the cell influence the toxicity of these elements, and in determining their ultimate fate within marine systems.

Concentrations of dissolved Arsenic and its major chemical forms in a transect along the estuarine Patuxent River at two seasons, winter and summer.