Volatile halocarbons (VHCs) are important atmosphere trace gases,which play significant roles in the global warming and atmospheric chemistry. The concentrations of six VHCs including CFC-11,CFC-12,CH_2Cl_2,CCl_4,C_2Cl_4 and CHBr_3 in the seawater of the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent area were determined by purge and trap-chromatography during the period of 4-16 July 2016. Furthermore,CCl_4,CFC-11,CFC-12 and C_2Cl_4 concentrations in the marine atmosphere were determined. The results showed that the concentrations of six VHCs in the coastal waters were higher than those in the open sea,due to the impact of terrestrial input,water mass and biological production. Influenced by geographical position and hydrological conditions,the concentrations of six VHCs were different in the vertical distributions,although they had a common feature with the maxima appearing in the 0~ 20 meters of sea water. Significant positive correlations were observed among the CCl_4,C_2Cl_4 and CFC-11 concentrations,suggesting that they might have some common sources. Besides,a positive correlation was found between the CHBr_3 and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations in the surface seawater,indicating that phytoplankton biomass might play an important role in controlling the distribution of CHBr_3 in the study area. No correlation was observed between the CHBr_3 and pH. The atmospheric concentrations of CCl_4,CFC-12 and C_2Cl_4 in the study area were higher than the global averages except CFC-11. According to the analytical results of backward trajectories,the atmospheric diffusion and transport of the nearshore terrigenous pollutants were the main source of CCl_4,CFC-11 and CFC-12. The sea-to-air flux data indicated that the Yangtze River and adjacent area acted as a source for atmospheric CCl_4,C_2Cl_4,CHBr_3 and CH_2Cl_2 during the study period.