Environmental assessment of metal concentrations in selected riverine, estuarine and coastal sediments

Riverine, estuarine and coastal environment are important habitats for aquatic and marine life.However, long-term industrial developments with economic growth in coastal regions have resulted in environmental degradation, habitat loss and geomorphologic alteration in riverine, estuarine and coastal systems globally.Due to coastal development such as new industrial facilities and commercial port expansion, anthropogenic metals are introduced near the construction sites and dispersed and transported to the adjacent areas.Consequently, metal concentrations in riverine, estuarine and coastal sediments are one of the focused environmental concerns. Sediment quality reflects the long-term health status of a riverine, estuarine and coastal environment because it keeps the records of the historic development in the area.In this study, we summarize and report metal concentrations in the sediments of 43 selected sites around the world to expand our knowledge in understanding the environmental quality.The results from this study could be applicable to science-based policy formulation, and ecological restoration/rehabilitation practices in an integrated coastal management (ICM) framework to meet the urgent need for integrated coastal management planning and environmental protection.