Historical pollution trends in a disturbed, estuarine sedimentary environment, SW Sweden

The objective of this article is to determine whether pollution trends can be reconstructed from sediments in the outer Göta älv estuary. Detailed interpretation of heavy metal profiles in the recent sediment, in combination with profiles of ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹³⁷Cs-activity, organic carbon content and grain size distribution, allows estimation of historical trends. This is based on the assumption that only certain intervals, which can be identified, are disturbed. The sediment data are compared with archive data on historical trends in emissions of heavy metals. Special attention is given to mercury, which shows high enrichment over long periods of time. It is found that the most polluted sediments were deposited between 1930 and 1980, but that episodic discharges have also occurred more recently. Nevertheless, the effects of remediation since the 1970s are apparent.