Overbank sediment profiles of the channelized and heavily polluted Vistula and Odra rivers were investigated in southern Poland. The sediments are usually represented by sandy layers about a dozen centimetres thick, intercalated with black sandy muds few centimetres thick and rich in organic matter. Accumulation of these sediments started by the end of 19th century. The sediments are contaminated with heavy metals in amounts exceeding background values by two orders of magnitude and contain coal particles dispersed in black layers. These fine sediments initially accumulated over gravel bars at the channel banks due to lateral channel stabilization by stony groynes and bank revetments, constructed in 19th and 20th century. Progressively the sediments, which are up to 4 m thick, became a part of 20–30 m wide floodplain zones along many reaches of the upper Vistula and Odra. The distribution of these sediments is related to the degree of channel narrowing and incision induced by 19th and 20th century channelization.
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