Evolution of heavy-metal profiles in river Weser Estuary sediments, Germany

Abstract

Studies of heavy metal concentrations in porewaters and in sediments from the Weser Estuary, Germany, indicate that the depth distribution of Mn, Cd, and Cu in the solid phase is predominantly influenced by the subsurface redox regime, while Ni shows only moderate alteration. Based on solid-phase heavy metal data from eight locations in the study area, linear regressions of Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Cd on Al allowed differences between the initial metal concentration and the concentration preserved in the sediments to be predicted. We calculate that, due to early diagenetic processes, Mn is enriched to 145 percent, while Cu and Cd are depleted to 71 percent and 46 percent, respectively, of the initial metal concentration in the near-surface sediment. Maximum depletion of Cd (84 percent), Cu (68 percent), Mn (54 percent), and Ni (24 percent) concentrations in the sediment, observed at a restricted area downcore, indicate the importance of post-depositional processes to metal preservation in the sediment. Without knowledge of the quantitative effects of diagenetic reactions on the preservation of metal concentrations in sediments, the depth distribution of metals in sediment cores may be misinterpreted as the effect of human activities.