Trace elements (TEs) frequently contaminate coastal marine sediments with many included in priority chemical lists or control legislation. These, improved waste treatment and increased recycling have fostered the belief that TE pollution is declining. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of long-term robust datasets to support this confidence. By mining UK datasets (100s of sites, 31 years), we assess sediment concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and use indices (PI [Pollution], TEPI [Trace Element Pollution] and I_geo [Geoaccumulation]) to assess TE pollution evolution. PI and TEPI show reductions of overall TE pollution in the 1980s then incremental improvements followed by a distinct increase (2010–13). Zn, As and Pb I_geo scores show low pollution, whilst Cd and Hg are moderate, but with all remaining temporally stable. I_geo scores are low for Ni, Fe and Cr, but increasing for Ni and Fe. A moderate pollution I_geo score for Cu has also steadily increased since the mid-1990s. Increasing site trends are not universal and, conversely, minimal temporal change masks some site-specific increases and decreases. To capture this variability we strongly advocate embedding sufficient sentinel sites within observation networks. Decreasing sediment pollution levels (e.g. Pb and Hg) have been achieved, but stabilizing I_geo and recently increasing TEPI and PI scores require continued global vigilance. Increasing Ni and Fe I_geo scores necessitate source identification, but this is a priority for Cu. Local, regional and world analyses indicate substantial ‘hidden’ inputs from anti-fouling paints (Cu, Zn), ship scrubbers (Cu, Zn, Ni) and sacrificial anodes (Zn) that are also predicted to increase markedly. Accurate TE input assessments and targeted legislation are, therefore, urgently required, especially in the context of rapid blue economic growth (e.g. shipping).

痕量元素（TE）经常污染沿海海洋沉积物，其中许多都包含在优先化学品清单或控制法规中。这些改进的废物处理和增加的回收利用使人们相信TE污染正在下降。尽管如此，仍然缺乏长期可靠的数据集来支持这种置信度。通过挖掘英国数据集（100个站点，为期31年），我们评估了砷（As），镉（Cd），铬（Cr），铜（Cu），铁（Fe），汞（Hg），镍（ Ni），铅（Pb）和锌（Zn）以及使用指数（PI [污染]，TEPI [痕量元素污染]和I _geo[地积累]评估TE污染的演变。PI和TEPI显示，1980年代总体TE污染减少，然后逐渐增加，随后又明显增加（2010-13）。Zn，As和Pb I_地理评分显示低污染，而Cd和Hg中等，但在时间上都保持稳定。Ni，Fe和Cr的I _geo分数较低，但Ni和Fe的I _geo分数却较高。一个中度污染我_的地理自1990年代中期以来，铜的得分也稳步上升。越来越多的站点趋势并不普遍，相反，最小的时间变化掩盖了某些站点特定的增加和减少。为了捕获这种可变性，我们强烈建议在观察网络中嵌入足够的前哨站点。沉积物污染水平（例如铅和汞）已降低，但要稳定I _geo和最近提高的TEPI和PI分数，需要全球保持警惕。镍和铁_离子的增加分数需要进行源识别，但这是Cu的优先事项。本地，区域和世界的分析表明，防污涂料（铜，锌），船舶洗涤塔（铜，锌，镍）和牺牲阳极（锌）的大量“隐性”投入也预计会显着增加。因此，迫切需要准确的TE输入评估和有针对性的法规，尤其是在蓝色经济快速增长（例如运输）的背景下。