Marine sediment analysis - A review of advanced approaches and practices focused on contaminants

This review is aimed at critical analysis of current and emerging capabilities of analytical methods as employed for marine sediment analysis. An emphasis is given to the most reliable experimental strategies used to quantifying the various classes of contaminants and thus to acquiring analytical information that is relevant to assess the quality of sediments with regard to possible pollution of marine ecosystems. Advanced analytical methodology in use basically relies on the application of mass spectrometry to enable identification and quantification of hazardous chemical species, directly or after separation using the principles of gas and liquid chromatography. Also addressed are sample preparation techniques which - given the complexity of sediment matrices and the diverse and multiple nature of contaminants - are often a key for successful analysis. Among the trends in marine sediment analysis is an inclination to chemicals that are only recently recognized as emerging pollutants of very high concern, such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals and their metabolites.