Heavy metals in marine sediment phases determined by sequential chemical extraction and their interaction with interstitial water

A sediment core obtained in a highly polluted area of the Baie de Villefranche (Mediterranean Sea, France) was analysed for Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, Ni and Zn using EDX‐RF (interstitial water) and AAS (sediment extracts). Characterization of the chemical forms of the metals in the solid phase was carried out using chemical extraction techniques, and the vertical distribution of solutes in the interstitial water was interpreted in relation to the total amounts of the respective components in the solid phases.