Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A recent history of metal accumulation in the sediments of the Thames Estuary, United Kingdom

  • Published:
Estuaries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sediment cores were collected from the Tilbury Tidal Basin in the Thames Estuary to determine the depositional history of metals in the estuary. Profiles of metals in sediments deposited in the lower Thames Estuary show a 30–50% decrease in concentration for Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, and a 70% decrease for Hg in recent decades. Historic depth soundings data showed the decreases in metal concentrations occurred between 1944 and 1966. The decline in sediment metal concentrations has been attributed to reduced inputs to the estuary, following updating of the major sewage treatment works in 1959 and 1963. This is indicated by the through-core distribution of Mn which implies that prior to 1960 the sediments were deposited in anoxic conditions, which subsequently improved. An increase in Mn concentrations observed in one of the cores has been attributed to increases in the dissolved oxygen of the estuarine waters resulting from the increased efficiency of the sewage treatment works.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Anglian Sea Defence Management Study. 1991. Stage 3. Study Task Report—Tidal Circulation. Sir W. Halcrow and Partners and UK AEA, p. 32–42. Harwell, United Kingdom.

  • Attrill, M. J. andThomas, M. 1995. Heavy metal concentrations in sediment from the Thames Estuary, UK.Marine Pollution Bulletin 30:742–744.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bourg, A. C. M. 1988. Physico-chemical speciation of trace elements in oxygenated estuarine water, p. 289–321.In T. S. West and H. W. Nurnberg (eds.), The Determination of Trace Metals in Natural Waters. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, M. J. andJ. N. Lester. 1979. Metal removal in activated sludge, the role of bacterial extracellular polymers.Water Research 13:817–837.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bruland, K. W., K. Bertine, M. Koide, andE. D. Goldberg. 1974. History of Metal pollution in Southern California coastal zone.Environmental Science and Technology 8:425–432.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan, G. W. and P. E. Gibbs. 1983. Heavy metals in the Fal estuary, Cornwall: A study of long-term contamination by mining waste and its effects on estuarine organisms.Marine Biology Association UK, Occidental Publishing., No 2.

  • Bryan, G. W. andW. J. Langston. 1992. Bioavailability, accumulation and effects of heavy metals in sediments with special reference to United Kingdom estuaries: A review.Environmental Pollution 76:89–131.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calvert, S. E. andT. F. Pedresen. 1993. Geochemistry of recent oxic and anoxic marine sediment: Implications for the geological record.Marine Geology 113:67–88.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chiffoleau, J. F., D. Cossa, D. Auger, andI. Truquet. 1994. Trace metal distribution, partition and fluxes in the Seine estuary (France) in low discharge regime.Marine Chemistry 47:145–158.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cockburn, A. G. 1979. Beckton's part in the great Thames clean-up.Surveyor 15, March 1979.

  • De Groot, A. J. andE. Allersma. 1973. Field observations on the transport of heavy metals in sediments, p. 85–94.In P. A. Krendel (ed.), Heavy metals in the Aquatic Environment, Proceedings of the International Conference, Nashville, 1973, Pergamon Press Ltd., Oxford, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmond, J. M., A. Spivack, B. C. Grant, M. H. Hu, Z. X. Chen, S. Chen, andX. S. Zong. 1985. Chemical dynamics of the Changjiang estuary.Continental Shelf Research 4:17–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, C. A., J. M. Bubb, andJ.N. Lester. 1994a. Magnitude and distribution of anthropogenic contaminants in salt marsh sediments of the Essex coast, UK. II. Selected metals and metalloids.Science of the Total Environment 155:47–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, C. A., J. M. Bubb, andJ. N. Lester. 1994b. Magnitude and distribution of anthropogenic contaminants in salt marsh sediments of the Essex coast, UK. I. Topographical, and chemical characteristics.Science of the Total Environment 155:31–45.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, C. A., N. C. Meakins, J. M. Bubb, andJ. N. Lester 1994. Magnitude and distribution of contaminants in salt marsh sediments of the Essex coast, UK. III. Chlorophenoxy acid ands-triazine herbicides.Science of the Total Environment 155:61–72.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Förstner, U. andG. T. W. Wittmann. 1979. Metal Pollution in the Aquatic Environment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaudette, H. E. andW. R. Flight. 1974. An inexpensive titration method for the determination of organic carbon in recent sediments.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 44(1):249–253.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gobeil, C., N. Silverberg, andN. Silverberg 1981. Factors influencing particulate organic matter geochemistry in the St. Lawrence estuary turbidity maximum.Marine Chemistry 10: 123–140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstone, M. E., P. P. W. Kirk, andJ. N. Lester. 1990. The behaviour of heavy metals during wastewater treatment. I. Cadmium, chromium and copper.Science of the Total Environment 95:233–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. andR. Middleton. 1990. An assessment of metal contamination of sediment in the Humber Estuary, U.K.Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 31:71–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greeves, I. S. 1980. London Docks 1800–1980. A Civil Engineering History. Thomas Telford Ltd., London, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglis, C. C. andF. H. Allen. 1957. The regimen of the Thames Estuary as affected by currents, saliinities and river flows.Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 7:827–878.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, L. andS. Emerson. 1985. Partitioning and transport of metals across the O2/H2O interface in a permanently anoxic basin: Framvaren Fjord, Norway.Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 49:1433–1444.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kersten, M. 1988. Geobiological effects on the mobility of contaminants in marine sediments. p. XXX-XXX.In W. Salomons, B. L. Bayne, E. K. Duursma, and U. Förstner (eds.), Pollution of the North Sea Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kersten, M. andU. Förstner. 1987. Cadmium associations in freshwater and marine sediment, p. 51–88.In J. O. Nriagu and J. B. Sprague (eds.), Cadmium in the Aquatic Environment, Wiley Series in Advances in Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 19, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, K. J. M., R. Misdorp, G. Berger, andR. Duijts. 1991. Maximum pollutant concentrations at the wrong depth: A misleading pollution history in a sediment core.Marine Chemistry 36:183–198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, J. N. 1983. Significance and behaviour of heavy metals in waste water treatment processes. 1. Sewage treatment and effluent discharge.Science of the Total Environment 30:1–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, J. N., R. M. Harrison, andR. Perry. 1979. The balance of heavy metals through a sewage treatment works 1. Lead, Cadmium and Copper.Science of the Total Environment 12:13–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Letzsch, W. S. andR. W. Frey. 1980. Deposition and erosion in a Holocene salt marsh, Sapelo Island, Georgia.Journal of Sedimentary petrology 50:529–542.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, C. K. andY. S. Fung. 1992. Heavy metal pollution profiles of dated sediment cores from Hebe Haven, Hong Kong.Water Research 26:1605–1619.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loring, D. H. 1991. Normalisation of heavy-metal data from estuarine and coastal sediments. ICESJournal of Marine Science 48:101–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. K. 1976. Fundamentals of Soil Behaviour. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • North Sea Task Force. 1993a. North Sea Quality Status Report 1993. ‘Report on sub-region 3b’, p. 40–51, Oslo and Paris Commissions, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • North Sea Task Force. 1993b. North Sea Quality Status Report 1993. p. 24–25. Oslo and Paris Commissions, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Reilly Wiese, S., J. M. Bubb, andJ. N. Lester. 1995. The significance of sediment metal concentrations in two eroding Essex salt marshes.Marine Pollution Bulletin 30:190–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paetzel, M. andH. Schrader. 1994. Do decreased trace metal concentrations in surficial Skagerrak sediments over the last 15–30 years indicate decreased pollution?.Environmental Pollution 84:213–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pethick, J. S. 1981. Long-term accretion rates on tidal salt marshes.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 51:571–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pye, K. andP. W. French. 1993. Erosion and Accretion Processes on British Salt Marshes. Vol. 2, Database of British Salt Marshes. p. 215–237, and Vol. 3, National Survey of Accretion and Erosion Trends. p. 33-47. Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants Ltd, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossin, A. C., R. M. Sterritt, andJ. N. Lester. 1981. The influence of process parameters on the removal of heavy metals in activated sludge.Water, Air and Soil Pollution 19:105–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, H. andC. E. Reimers. 1991. The Recent History of Trace Metal Accumulation in the Santa Barbara Basin, Southern California Borderland.Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 33:485–500.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scrimshaw, M. D., J. M. Bubb, andJ. N. Lester. 1994. Magnitude and distribution of contaminants in salt marsh sediments of the Essex coast. IV. Organochlorine insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls.Science of the Total Environment 155:73–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scrimshaw, M. D. andJ. N. Lester. 1995. Organochlorine contamination in sediments of the Inner Thames Estuary.Journal of the Institution of Water and Environmental Management 9:519–525.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skowronek, F., J. Sagemann, F. Stenzel, andH. D. Schulz, 1994. Evolution of heavy-metal profiles in River Wester Estuary sediments, Germany.Environmental Geology 24:223–232.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Standing Committee of Analysis. 1980. Methods for the determination of waters: Suspended, settleable and total dissolved solids in waters and effluents. HMSO, London, United Kingdom.

    Google Scholar 

  • Standing Committee of Analysis. 1981. The determination of alkalinity and acidity in water, 1981. HMSO, London, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Standing Committee of Analysits. 1987. Lithium, magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium in waters and sewage effluent by AAS, HMSO, London, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, C. B. andM. L. Jackson. 1947. Nomograph of sedimentation times for soil particles under gravity or centrifugal acceleration.Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 12:60–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tessier, A., F. Rapin, andR. Carignan. 1985. Trace metals in oxic lake sediments: Possible adsorption onto iron oxyhydroxides.Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 49:183–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valette-Silver, N. J.. 1993. The use of sediment cores to reconstruct historical trends in contamination of estuarine and coastal sediments.Estuaries 16:577–588.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Windom, H., J. Byrd, R. Smith, Jr.,M. Hungspreugs, S. Dharmvanij, W. Thumtrakul, andP. Yeats. 1991. Trace metal—nutrient relationships in estuaries.Marine Chemistry 32:177–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, L. B. 1982. The Restoration of the Tidal Thames, Adam Hilger Ltd., Bristol, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar, J. H., 1984. Biostatistical Analysis, Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwolsman, J. G., G. W. Berger, andG. T. M. Van Eck. 1993. Sediment accumulation rates, historical input, postdepositional mobility and retention of major elements and trace metals in salt marsh sediments of the Scheldt estuary, SW Netherlands.Marine Chemistry 44:73–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Water Technology Group Centre for Environmental Technology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, SW7 2BU, London, UK

    S. B. O’Reilly Wiese, C. L. MacLeod & J. N. Lester

Authors
  1. S. B. O’Reilly Wiese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. L. MacLeod
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. N. Lester
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. N. Lester.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

O’Reilly Wiese, S.B., MacLeod, C.L. & Lester, J.N. A recent history of metal accumulation in the sediments of the Thames Estuary, United Kingdom. Estuaries 20, 483–493 (1997). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352608

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352608

Keywords

Search

Navigation