Evaluation of the heavy metals pollution of the sediments of Vlora Bay Adriatic Sea, Albania

An evaluation of the heavy metal pollution in the sediments of the Vlora Bay is presented. This investigation is focused on the quantification of the most important trace metals, organic matter, mud and sand ratio. In this paper, different geochemical considerations and normalization procedures are used in order to clarify the anthropogenic input fraction of the heavy metals in this bay. It is demonstrated that the most important pollutant of the sediments of this bay is Hg, whose mean concentration (0.388 mg kg(-1)), is notably higher than in the other coastal regions of Albania.