Anthropogenic Disturbance of Element Cycles at the Earth’s Surface

Sen, Indra Sekhar; Peucker‐Ehrenbrink, Bernhard

doi:10.1021/es301261x

Cited by 168 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Since US coal production is about 10% of the global coal production, we estimate that the global V flux to the hydrosphere through effluent release is about 2.8 × 10 9 g V/y. Recent studies have indicated (88), except for V (this paper) and Hg (107,108). All data in 10 9 grams per year.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 73%

Global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium

Schlesinger

Klein

Vengosh

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

194

126

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Synthesizing published data, we provide a quantitative summary of the global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium (V), including both human-derived and natural fluxes. Through mining of V ores (130 × 10 9 g V/y) and extraction and combustion of fossil fuels (600 × 10 9 g V/y), humans are the predominant force in the geochemical cycle of V at Earth's surface. Human emissions of V to the atmosphere are now likely to exceed background emissions by as much as a factor of 1.7, and, presumably, we have altered the deposition of V from the atmosphere by a similar amount. Excessive V in air and water has potential, but poorly documented, consequences for human health. Much of the atmospheric flux probably derives from emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, but the magnitude of this flux depends on the type of fuel, with relatively low emissions from coal and higher contributions from heavy crude oils, tar sands bitumen, and petroleum coke. Increasing interest in petroleum derived from unconventional deposits is likely to lead to greater emissions of V to the atmosphere in the near future. Our analysis further suggests that the flux of V in rivers has been incremented by about 15% from human activities. Overall, the budget of dissolved V in the oceans is remarkably well balanced-with about 40 × 10 9 g V/y to 50 × 10 9 g V/y inputs and outputs, and a mean residence time for dissolved V in seawater of about 130,000 y with respect to inputs from rivers.vanadium | petroleum | geochemical cycle | aerosols | rock weathering V anadium (V) occurs in a wide range of earth materials and is a relatively abundant trace metal, with an average concentration in the upper continental crust (97 mg/kg) more than double those of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) (1). In modern society, the majority of V is used to improve the strength and corrosion resistance of steel; it is also of increasing strategic and technological interest as a specialty metal in electronics and batteries. V is an essential trace element in prokaryotic biochemistry, where it is found as an alternative to molybdenum in the molecular structure of nitrogenase, the enzyme of N fixation (2-4). It also appears in the structure of enzymes in the marine algae responsible for the formation of bromoform (5) and methyl bromide (6), which contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. Whether V is an essential trace element in higher plants and animals is unknown (7), with some evidence favoring an essential role in at least some higher organisms (e.g., refs. 8 and 9). Higher plants accumulate about 1 mg/kg in their tissues (10).The mean concentration of V in the continental crust is about 97 mg/kg (1, 11), and ∼20 × 10 9 g V/y enters biogeochemical cycles at Earth's surface through chemical weathering (12). V, which can exist in three common oxidation states, is largely found as the vanadate ion (H 2 VO 4 − ) in natural oxidized waters of near-neutral pH. The dissolved concentration in river water is about 0.7 μg/L, less than half of the concentration of ∼1.8 μg/L in seawa...

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 73%

Global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium

Schlesinger

Klein

Vengosh

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

194

126

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“…Human activities such as mining and construction activities can significantly disturb the natural flow of elements between major ecosystem reservoirs and alter the physical and chemical processes at the Earth's surface (Sen and Peucker-Ehrenbrink 2012). It is widely recognized that mining activities for rare earth ores have changed the environmental conditions, causing serious environmental problems such as permanent damages to ecosystems, severe soil erosion, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity (Salomons 1995;Aguilar et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anomalous abundance and redistribution patterns of rare earth elements in soils of a mining area in Inner Mongolia, China

Wang

Liang

2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The Bayan Obo Mine, the largest rare earth element (REE) deposit ever found in the world, has been mined for nearly 60 years for iron and rare earth elements. To assess the influences of mining activities on geochemical behavior of REEs in soils, 27 surface soil samples and three soil profile samples were collected from different directions in the vicinity of the mine area. The total concentrations of REEs in surface soils varied from 149.75 to 18,891.81 mg kg −1 with an average value of 1906.12 mg kg, which was apparently higher than the average values in China (181 mg kg). The order of the average concentrations of individual REEs in surface soils was similar to that in Bayan Obo ores, which confirmed that the concentration and distribution of REEs in the soils was influenced by the mining activities. The concentrations of single REE in the soil profiles showed a similar trend with depth with an increase at 0-25 cm section, then decreased and remained relatively stable in the deep part. The normalized curves inclined to the right side, showing the conspicuous fractionation between the light and heavy REEs, which supported by the North American Shale Composite (NASC) and Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS) normalized concentration ratios calculated for selected elements (La N /Yb N , La N / Sm N , Gd N /Yb N ). Slight positive Ce anomaly and negative Eu anomaly were also observed.

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“…Multiple human activities release contaminants to the biosphere, and those emissions have dramatically increased since the industrial revolution (Ng and Patterson 1982;Nriagu 1996;Sen and Peucker-Ehrenbrink 2012). Impacts of these emissions on the environment have been extensive, including elevated levels of trace elements in air, surface waters, and terrestrial and lacustrine sediments-both in industrialized and remote uninhabited locations, primarily via aeolian deposition (Nriagu and Pacyna 1988;Boutron et al 1995;Boyle et al 2005).…”

Section: Introduction Environmental Impacts Of Contaminant Emissionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remobilization of trace elements by forest fire in Patagonia, Chile

et al. 2015

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Temporal changes in the amounts of trace elements (As, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and their correlations with temporal changes in charcoal abundance in age-dated sediments collected from Lake Thompson in Patagonia, Chile, attest to the substantial pyrogenic remobilization of contaminants that occurred in Patagonia during the mid-1900s. This remobilization was concurrent with the extensive slash and burn period in the region during that period. The changes in concentrations of Co, Cu, and Ni in relation to charcoal abundance in the lacustrine sediments over time were small compared to those of As, Mn, Pb, and Zn. However, the relatively low enrichment factors of all those trace elements, normalized to Fe, indicate that they were predominantly derived from local, natural sources impacted by fires rather than industrial sources. The primarily local source of Pb in the sediments was corroborated by the temporal consistency of its isotopic ratios ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb: 208 Pb/ 206 Pb), which were similar to previously reported values for natural lead in Central and Southern Chile. However, the pyrogenic remobilization of both natural and industrial trace elements by forest fires in Chile and elsewhere is expected to rise as a consequence of climate change, which is projected to increase both the frequency and intensity of forest fires on a global scale.

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Anthropogenic Disturbance of Element Cycles at the Earth’s Surface

Abstract: 9The extent to which humans are modifying Earth's surface chemistry can be quantified by antimony, platinum, palladium, rhenium, rhodium and chromium currently exceed natural fluxes. 21For these elements mining is the major factor of anthropogenic influence, whereas petroleum

Cited by 168 publications

References 59 publications

Global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium

Global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium

Anomalous abundance and redistribution patterns of rare earth elements in soils of a mining area in Inner Mongolia, China

Remobilization of trace elements by forest fire in Patagonia, Chile

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