Time trends of heavy metals and PAHs in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and contamination of sediments in the Kristiansandfjord, Southern Norway

The Kristiansandfjord in Southern Norway has been contaminated for several decades (Green et al., 1985; Berge et al., 2007; Øxnevad et al., 2021). In this study, contaminant concentration data from blue mussel and sediments have been collected, mainly from 2010-2022. The selected contaminants were heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, as well as PAHs including benzo(a)pyrene. The aims of this study were to describe time trends for concentrations of contaminants in blue mussels and compare contaminant levels at different locations in the fjord. Additional aims were to determine environmental conditions and chemical status of locations in the fjord, and to perform a pollution assessment. T…