Effect of recent climate change on Arctic Pb pollution: a comparative study of historical records in lake and peat sediments.
Historical changes of anthropogenic Pb pollution were reconstructed based on Pb concentrations and isotope ratios in lake and peat sediment profiles from Ny-Ålesund of Arctic. The calculated excess Pb isotope ratios showed that Pb pollution largely came from west Europe and Russia. The peat profile clearly reflected the historical changes of atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic Pb into Ny-Ålesund, and the result showed that anthropogenic Pb peaked at 1960s-1970s, and thereafter a significant recovery was observed by a rapid increase of (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios and a remarkable decrease in anthropogenic Pb contents. In contrast to the peat record, the longer lake record showed relatively high anthropogenic Pb contents and a persistent decrease of (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios within the uppermost samples, suggesting that climate-sensitive processes such as catchment erosion and meltwater runoff might have influenced the recent change of Pb pollution record in the High Arctic lake sediments.
Institute of Polar Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China. ycx@ustc.edu.cn
Xiaodong
X
Liu
Shan
S
Jiang
Pengfei
P
Zhang
Liqiang
L
Xu
D001110:Arctic Regions; D057231:Climate Change / Q000266:history*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D060106:Lakes / Q000032:analysis*; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*
D007854:Lead