Table S1. Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Sediment core Samples from Mangrove Forests Inside and Outside Zhanjiang Bay, South China.xls

Sediment samples were collected in December 2022 from mangrove areas along both sides of the Donghai Island embankment, with nine sampling stations established (see Figure 1). Sediment cores were obtained using PVC plastic tubes, yielding nine cores ranging from 10 to 30 cm in length. Of these, four cores were collected within Zhanjiang Bay (DHD-Z-1 to DHD-Z-4), and five were obtained outside the bay (DW-Z-1 to DW-Z-5). Each core was sectioned at 5 cm intervals, resulting in a total of 42 sediment samples (see Table S1).