A REVIEW OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION IN THE PEARL RIVER ESTUARY

Since 70’s, the economy and society in the Pearl River Delta region have been undergoing a great development. Pollution control and environment protection have received much public attention. As heavy metals are an important toxic pollutant source in this area and are not biodegradable in general, a lot of scientists in China, especially in Southern China, devote their focus on studying the pollution caused by heavy metals in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). This paper presents a comprehensive review on the heavy metal pollution research and its related research in this area. It is suggested that the study of heavy metal pollution in PRE should be coupled with water movement, sediment motion and tidal characteristics in this region. Studying core sediments in various locations is recommended to reveal the history of heavy metal pollution in PRE and improve the understanding of the fate and transport of metals.