Heavy metal spatial variability and historical changes in the Yangtze River estuary and North Jiangsu tidal flat.

This research focuses on the spatial and temporal patterns of heavy metals from the Yangtze River estuary and the tidal flat of north Jiangsu. Most heavy metals in the surficial sediments after normalization to Ti decreased seaward at the Yangtze River estuary. The core records showed that the heavy metal variations in the last 50years were primarily linked to natural weathering input of trace elements.