Problems associated with the use of corrected sediment contaminant levels for spatial and temperal trend detection

The purpose of the project MIVEOS (microverontreinigingen in organismen en sediment) was to develop a monitoring methodology to determine micropollutant-levels in organisms or sediments. In order to distinguish differences in sediment contaminant levels in time or in place a method was developed for correction of the measured contaminant concentrations for compositional differences of the sediments. This correction is not sufficient to make direct comparison of the corrected contaminant levels in time or in place possible because of various processesses that influence the corrected contaminant levels. This report discusses those processes.