(Pre-) historic changes in natural and anthropogenic heavy metals deposition inferred from two contrasting Swiss Alpine lakes |
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| Authors: | Florian Thevenon Stéphane Guédron Massimo Chiaradia Jean-Luc Loizeau John Poté |
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| Institution: | 1. Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Surface Waters — Research and Management, Seestrasse 79, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland;2. ETH Zurich, Institute for Biogeochemistry and Pollution Dynamics, Universitaetstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland;3. ETH Zurich, Geological Institute, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland;4. Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Ueberlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland;1. School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China;2. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, PR China |
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| Abstract: | Continuous high-resolution sedimentary record of heavy metals (chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and mercury (Hg)), from lakes Lucerne and Meidsee (Switzerland), provides pollutant deposition history from two contrasting Alpine environments over the last millennia. The distribution of conservative elements (thorium (Th), scandium (Sc) and titanium (Ti)) shows that in absence of human disturbances, the trace element input is primarily controlled by weathering processes (i.e., runoff and erosion). Nonetheless, the enrichment factor (EF) of Pb and Hg (that are measured by independent methods), and the Pb isotopic composition of sediments from the remote lake Meidsee (which are proportionally more enriched in anthropogenic heavy metals), likely detect early mining activities during the Bronze Age. Meanwhile, the deposition of trace elements remains close to the range of natural variations until the strong impact of Roman activities on atmospheric metal emissions. Both sites display simultaneous increases in anthropogenic trace metal deposition during the Greek and Roman Empires (ca 300 BC to AD 400), the Late Middle Ages (ca AD 1400), and the Early Modern Europe (after ca AD 1600). However, the greatest increases in anthropogenic metal pollution are evidenced after the industrial revolution of ca AD 1850, at low and high altitudes. During the twentieth century, industrial releases multiplied by ca 10 times heavy metal fluxes to hydrological systems located on both sides of the Alps. During the last decades, the recent growing contribution of low radiogenic Pb further highlights the contribution of industrial sources with respect to wood and coal burning emissions. |
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