Abstract
Recent sediments in the Vagen, Bergen harbour, are subjected to injection of untreated sewage from around 15,000 person equivalent. Here the distribution of trace elements is mapped in surface and subsurface sediments. Selected trace-element concentrations decrease from the inner towards the outer Vagen. These concentration gradients do not correlate with minerogenic grain size. Linear correlation, combined with enriched sediment trace elements, are used to infer sources for these elements and possible reasons for their enrichment. (1) Frequent use of dental amalgam might be related to the enrichments of and correlation between Ag, Cu, Hg and Sn in surficial sediments pre-1994. (2) Enrichment and correlation of Cu/Zn may be related to the commercial and private use of anti-fouling boat-paint. Further, tributyltin is suggested as a source of Sn enrichment. (3) Increased traffic in the city of Bergen with gasoline combustion and car-wheel wear-off release Pb and Zn. (4) Hg and Pb might have been atmospherically supplied due to the combustion of coal in a nearby gas plant pre-1985. (5) No correlation is observed between enriched Vagen trace metals and bedrock element composition of the surrounding mountains, indicating a minor supply from erosion.
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