Anthropogenic signatures of lead in the northeast Atlantic
Anthropogenic signatures of lead in the northeast Atlantic
Anthropogenic activities have resulted in enhanced lead (Pb) emissions to the environment over the past century, mainly through the combustion of leaded gasoline. Here we present the first combined dissolved (DPb), labile (LpPb), and particulate (PPb) Pb data set from the Northeast Atlantic (Celtic Sea) since the phasing out of leaded gasoline in Europe. Concentrations of DPb in surface waters have decreased by fourfold over the last four decades. We demonstrate that anthropogenic Pb is transported from the Mediterranean Sea over long distances (>2,500 km). Benthic DPb fluxes exceeded the atmospheric Pb flux in the region, indicating the importance of sediments as a contemporary Pb source. A strong positive correlation between DPb, PPb, and LpPb indicates a dynamic equilibrium between the phases and the potential for particles to "buffer" the DPb pool. This study provides insights into Pb biogeochemical cycling and demonstrates the potential of Pb in constraining ocean circulation patterns.
Celtic Sea, Lead, MOW, Particles, Sediments, Trace metals
2734-2743
Rusiecka, D.
70c9f91b-6ed5-451a-bccb-832fb7022724
Gledhill, M.
da795c1e-1489-4d40-9df1-fc6bde54382d
Milne, A.
e496b797-6206-414e-8f50-d2f2ce260fc9
Achterberg, E. P.
685ce961-8c45-4503-9f03-50f6561202b9
Annett, A. L.
de404d72-7e90-4dbd-884a-1df813808276
Atkinson, S.
085e1465-7cf7-4a84-b9e9-2dd8fec00978
Birchill, A.
11a92e59-432d-466e-b8a4-a91bd4d3da65
Karstensen, J.
3bc81c4c-e533-48b5-92ca-6b6976b2c899
Lohan, M.
6ca10597-2d0f-40e8-8e4f-7619dfac5088
Mariez, C.
78f597de-0aa9-46d1-a19e-a94bf5ac79e2
Middag, R.
9a4897d4-8292-4647-86cd-a4ac54850f3f
Rolison, J. M.
f86fa6f9-cdf1-4300-81ac-c59166fb6321
Tanhua, T.
1a17c8b4-0fb2-44f3-9c6d-e3ddcce1b696
Ussher, S.
25e332ba-ce47-4590-9881-0e01aa6bdc92
Connelly, D.
d49131bb-af38-4768-9953-7ae0b43e33c8
28 March 2018
Rusiecka, D.
70c9f91b-6ed5-451a-bccb-832fb7022724
Gledhill, M.
da795c1e-1489-4d40-9df1-fc6bde54382d
Milne, A.
e496b797-6206-414e-8f50-d2f2ce260fc9
Achterberg, E. P.
685ce961-8c45-4503-9f03-50f6561202b9
Annett, A. L.
de404d72-7e90-4dbd-884a-1df813808276
Atkinson, S.
085e1465-7cf7-4a84-b9e9-2dd8fec00978
Birchill, A.
11a92e59-432d-466e-b8a4-a91bd4d3da65
Karstensen, J.
3bc81c4c-e533-48b5-92ca-6b6976b2c899
Lohan, M.
6ca10597-2d0f-40e8-8e4f-7619dfac5088
Mariez, C.
78f597de-0aa9-46d1-a19e-a94bf5ac79e2
Middag, R.
9a4897d4-8292-4647-86cd-a4ac54850f3f
Rolison, J. M.
f86fa6f9-cdf1-4300-81ac-c59166fb6321
Tanhua, T.
1a17c8b4-0fb2-44f3-9c6d-e3ddcce1b696
Ussher, S.
25e332ba-ce47-4590-9881-0e01aa6bdc92
Connelly, D.
d49131bb-af38-4768-9953-7ae0b43e33c8
Rusiecka, D., Gledhill, M., Milne, A., Achterberg, E. P., Annett, A. L., Atkinson, S., Birchill, A., Karstensen, J., Lohan, M., Mariez, C., Middag, R., Rolison, J. M., Tanhua, T., Ussher, S. and Connelly, D.
(2018)
Anthropogenic signatures of lead in the northeast Atlantic.
Geophysical Research Letters, 45 (6), .
(doi:10.1002/2017GL076825).
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities have resulted in enhanced lead (Pb) emissions to the environment over the past century, mainly through the combustion of leaded gasoline. Here we present the first combined dissolved (DPb), labile (LpPb), and particulate (PPb) Pb data set from the Northeast Atlantic (Celtic Sea) since the phasing out of leaded gasoline in Europe. Concentrations of DPb in surface waters have decreased by fourfold over the last four decades. We demonstrate that anthropogenic Pb is transported from the Mediterranean Sea over long distances (>2,500 km). Benthic DPb fluxes exceeded the atmospheric Pb flux in the region, indicating the importance of sediments as a contemporary Pb source. A strong positive correlation between DPb, PPb, and LpPb indicates a dynamic equilibrium between the phases and the potential for particles to "buffer" the DPb pool. This study provides insights into Pb biogeochemical cycling and demonstrates the potential of Pb in constraining ocean circulation patterns.
Text
Rusiecka_et_al-2018-Geophysical_Research_Letters
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 27 February 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 March 2018
Published date: 28 March 2018
Keywords:
Celtic Sea, Lead, MOW, Particles, Sediments, Trace metals
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 419800
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/419800
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 06f2e8ac-a33d-414f-aaf5-9ec1b490fd41
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 20 Apr 2018 16:30
Last modified: 26 Jul 2022 01:53
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
D. Rusiecka
Author:
M. Gledhill
Author:
A. Milne
Author:
S. Atkinson
Author:
A. Birchill
Author:
J. Karstensen
Author:
C. Mariez
Author:
R. Middag
Author:
J. M. Rolison
Author:
T. Tanhua
Author:
S. Ussher
Author:
D. Connelly
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
