Lead Contamination of the European Atmosphere over the Last 7000 Years, insights from the Ortles, Eastern European Alps (Italy), Ice Cores
Abstract
In 2011 four ice cores were drilled from the Alto dell'Ortles glacier (3859 m a.s.l., South Tyrol, Italy). The ice cores #1 (73.5 m) and #3 (74.83 m) analyses reported in this study were performed at the University of Venice (Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, DAIS) and at The Ohio State University (Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, BPCRC). According to the published dating curve the two ice cores cover the last 3000 and 7000 years, respectively. Physico-chemical analyses on the core#1 and #3 were carried out by two Continuous Flow Analyses (CFA) systems and the samples from core#1 were also measured discreetly: trace elements concentrations were obtained at DAIS via an ICP-MS (Agilent 7500), whereas at the BPCRC by means of a ICP-SF-MS (Element2, Thermo). The Ortles cores allowed the reconstruction of the contamination levels of the past European atmosphere. Particularly, the Lead containing aerosol deposition variability were analyzed and explained in details in this work. For the first time, the signature of the Roman Empire Silver and Lead mining activities was found in a European Alpine glacier. Afterwards, Lead levels remained low except during the periods 1380-1500 AD and 1580-1680 AD thus giving insights about the human impacts in the pre-industrial periods, mostly due to mining and smelting activities. However, the highest Lead concentration levels were found in the ice layers formed during the 20th century, starting in the 1920s, mostly caused by leaded gasoline and industrial activities in the surrounding areas of the Ortles glacier. The Ortles ice core dating and main results appeared to be corroborated by the comparison with other local archives, such as the Coltrondo Peat-bog. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison with most of the available worldwide ice core's based lead reconstructions allowed the interpretations of the European atmosphere Lead contamination reconstructed from the Ortles ice cores in a global perspective.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.C41C1754G
- Keywords:
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- 3337 Global climate models;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSESDE: 0724 Ice cores;
- CRYOSPHEREDE: 1621 Cryospheric change;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 4901 Abrupt/rapid climate change;
- PALEOCEANOGRAPHY