Monitoring trace metal contamination in salt marshes of the Westerschelde estuary

A survey is given of the possibilities and restrictions of (bio)monitoring trace metals in the salt marsh as exemplified for the Scheldt estuary. The objectives for monitoring in the salt marsh are enumerated as well as the requirements they should meet. Previous studies on monitoring trace metals in the salt marsh are reviewed.Problems in monitoring trace metals in the soil subsystem are due to variations in the input of these metals, the type of esturine circulation and the distribution of physical and chemical conditions in the salt-marsh deposits. The degree of metal enrichment and the spectrum of chemical speciation of the metals by means of a sequential extraction procedure is shortly discussed.Problems in monitoring trace metals in salt-marsh plants are discussed with respect to the bioavailability of these metals from soil and inundation water as sources of contamination, the allocation and seasonal variation in metal accumulations, and the role of adhesive particulate matter carried on the shoots by the floods. Aster tripolium seems to be a good species for biomonitoring trace metals in the vegetational component of the salt-marsh ecosystem.