Heavy metals behavior in coastal sediments of southern California: a critical review and synthesis

Abstract

The present paper reviews and discusses the studies on heavy metals behavior in coastal sediments of southern California which have been published since 1970. The available data allow for the estimation of pollution-free 'base-line' concentrations of some heavy metals in southern California sediments (Ag, 0.4 ppm; Cd, 0.4 ppm; Cr, 25 ppm; Cu, 9 ppm; Ni, 15 ppm; Pb, 10 ppm; and Zn, 44 ppm) which may be used as references for monitoring future metal pollution. The transport of most, if not all, heavy metals through the near-shore and shelf environments is controlled by their association with particles, a significant fraction of which is sewage-derived and rich in organic carbon. Changes in the relative abundances of the heavy metals are brought about mainly by settling differentiation of their host particles, and much less so by diagenetic solubilization. The bulk of the heavy metals are transported, within fine-grained particles, out from the shelf into deep ocean regions. Simple linear mixing of polluted outfall materials with clean natural sediments cannot explain the distribution of heavy metals in near-shore and basinal sediments in southern California, unless significant protective effects of organic coatings (near outfalls) and of grain-size distributions are taken into account. Heavy metal pollution from oil seepages are significant for only a very limited number of metals (Ni, Ba, etc.) and only on a local scale. The urgent need for standardization of heavy metal leaching techniques is demonstrated and emphasized. © 1981.