Historical Development of Heavy Metal Input into Near-Coastal Areas : Reconstruction, Assessment & Ecological Response

Anthropogenic influences on coastal marine ecosystems can date back several centuries or even millennia, however, with severely increasing impacts following the onset of the industrial revolution. Of particular interest is the release of contaminants, such as heavy metals, as they can have adverse effects on marine ecosystems. Monitoring programs record levels of heavy metals in coastal areas in order to assess the current degree of pollution and state of ecosystem health. To quantify the anthropogenic impact, heavy metal contents need to be compared to their naturally occurring background values. Near-coastal sediment cores have the potential to provide high-resolution archives to determine pristine background values, reconstruct the pollution history in sediments and evaluate its ecotoxicological effects. Therefore, this dissertation unravels the pollution history and elucidates natural background values in three study areas, the Firth of Thames (New Zealand), the Helgoland Mud Area (SE North Sea) and the Skagerrak (NE North Sea)