Marine pollution in Australia, with special emphasis on central New South Wales estuaries and adjacent continental margin

The current knowledge and environmental status of Australian estuaries and continental margins are reviewed in terms of sedimentary heavy metals. Although 2.5% of Australian estuaries and 0.1% of the adjacent continental shelf have been surveyed for sedimentary heavy metals, some of the most contaminated maritime areas in the world have been located in this country. The review emphasizes that due to lack of good quality, regionally comparable data hinders the development of appropriate management strategies and construction of legislative structure- s for the coastal zone.