A new index to sort estuarine sediments according to their contaminant content

•Zero to ten score to classify samples according to their contaminant content.•New methodology to investigate the distribution of contaminants in a given environment.•Identification of the areas of the highest concern in a potentially contaminated area.•Intuitive, versatile and easy-to-use tool for decision makers at the local scale.

When dealing with potentially contaminated regions, simple tools are needed to identify in a fast and first approach the areas of the highest concern. In this work we propose a new, intuitive, easy-to-use and versatile tool to accomplish this task. This tool comprises the calculation of a new cumulative index, the Normalised-and-Weighted Average Concentration (NWAC) and its visualisation on a map of the area investigated using a colour based code. The NWAC is a cumulative index that is calculated for each sample using the concentration of freely selected contaminants present in that sample. The NWACs can be used to sort samples in a scale from 0 to 10 according to their contaminant content. A colour-based visualisation of the NWACs on a map facilitates an easy identification of the areas of higher concern within the studied region. The methodology has been exemplified in a case study, for example, the estuary of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River (Bilbao, Basque Country) using a representative set of sediments and their metals and metalloids content. The NWAC values obtained have been compared to the corresponding values of mERMq, another cumulative index of general acceptance and frequently used to estimate the toxicity of sediments, with comparable results.