title: Historical records of mercury, lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons depositions in a dated sediment core from the Eastern Mediterranean.
abstract: Depth profiles of mercury, lead and its stable isotopes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in a dated sediment core from the Levantine basin. Sedimentary records show that preindustrial fluxes and levels of Hg, Pb, and PAHs remained generally constant in the region before 1850. An almost concurrent uniform increase of both metals and PAHs deposition occurring at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution suggests coal combustion as a main source of these contaminants in the Levantine basin after the 1850s. However, none of the contaminant profiles indicates a decline after 1950-60, the characteristic period of coal use reduction. The modern fluxes of Hg and Pb reveal a 3- to 5-fold increase over preindustrial loads, while the contemporaneous flux of PAHs rises by 4-7 times. On the whole, records in the Eastern Mediterranean suggest atmospheric inputs from relatively distant sources, likely from Central and Eastern Europe.
authors.affiliation: IFREMER, Centre Atlantique, Département des Ressources Biologiques et Environnement, BP 21105, 44311 Nantes cedex 03, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azoury
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tronczyński
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chiffoleau
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cossa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakhlé
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khalaf
mesh_terms: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D007854:Lead; D008628:Mercury