Evidence for declining levels of heavy-metals in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel, U.K. and their spatial distribution in sediments

Duquesne, Sabine; Newton, Lyn C.; Giusti, Lorenzo; Marriott, Susan B.; St�rk, Hans Joachim; Bird, David J.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2005.12.002

Evidence for declining levels of heavy-metals in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel, U.K. and their spatial distribution in sediments

Duquesne, Sabine; Newton, Lyn C.; Giusti, Lorenzo; Marriott, Susan B.; St�rk, Hans Joachim; Bird, David J.

Authors

Sabine Duquesne

Lynda Newton Lyn.Newton@uwe.ac.uk
Dean and Head of School of Applied Sciences

Lorenzo Giusti

Susan B. Marriott

Hans Joachim St�rk

David J. Bird

Abstract

Levels of heavy-metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn) in suspended particulate and in surface and subsurface sediments were determined at seven locations in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. Sediment metal concentrations were highest at sites close to industrial centres but levels have decreased significantly over the last 30 years so that they are now close to, or meet, environmental quality guidelines. The greatest metal concentrations in deposited sediments were usually associated with the finest particulates at locations with muddy sediments, but this was not always true at sites with predominantly sandy sediments. The metals bound to suspended particulates at all sites were remarkably consistent, presumably reflecting the mixing capacity of this macro-tidal estuary. The re-exposure of older, more contaminated sediments could explain the observed differences between deposited and suspended material. Sediment redistribution due to strong seasonal currents might also explain the differences between winter and summer samples. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Duquesne, S., Newton, L. C., Giusti, L., Marriott, S. B., Stärk, H. J., & Bird, D. J. (2006). Evidence for declining levels of heavy-metals in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel, U.K. and their spatial distribution in sediments. Environmental Pollution, 143(2), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2005.12.002

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2006
Journal	Environmental Pollution
Print ISSN	0269-7491
Publisher	Elsevier
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	143
Issue	2
Pages	187-196
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2005.12.002
Keywords	heavy-metal, sediment, grain-size fraction, suspended particulates, contamination
Public URL	https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1043633
Publisher URL	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2005.12.002