HISTORICAL RECORD OF HEAVY-METALS IN A HIGHLY CONTAMINATED MEDITERRANEAN DEPOSIT - THE BESOS PRODELTA

The Besos prodelta, located around a highly populated area, receives t he discharge of the Besos River, one of the most contaminated rivers d ischarging into the Mediterranean sea. The record of heavy metals accu mulated in this prodelta is studied to assess the sedimentary behaviou r and the history of the anthropogenic heavy metals in the area.Pb-210 dated sediments have allowed the identification of the sedimentation patterns and the elaboration of dated heavy metals and cenospheres pro files, which reflected the evolution of the anthropogenic impact in th is marine environment Sediments accumulated during the 18th and 19th c enturies were already affected by a moderate heavy metal contamination . This contamination increased drastically in the sediments accumulate d during the last decades. This data is well correlated with the incre ase in industrialisation, population and energy consumption in the Bes os drainage basin during the last century. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.