Atmospheric lead and heavy metal pollution records from a Belgian peat bog spanning the last two millenia: Human impact on a regional to global scale

Abstract

Europe has been continuously polluted throughout the last two millennia. During the Roman Empire, these pollutions were mainly from ore extraction and smelting across Europe. Then, during the Middle Ages and the Early times of Industrial revolution (i.e. 1750), these pollutions extended to coal burning and combustion engine. Belgian ombrotrophic peat bogs have proved an effective archive of these pollutants and provide the opportunity to reconstruct the history of atmospheric deposition in NW Europe.The results of recent and past trace metal accumulation and Pb isotopes from a one-meter peat core (in the Misten peat bog) have been derived using XRF and Nu-plasma MC-ICP-MS. Combined with 14 C and 210 Pb dates these data have enabled us to trace fluxes in anthropogenic pollution back to original Roman times.

Deciphering human–climate interactions in an ombrotrophic peat record: REE, Nd and Pb isotope signatures of dust supplies over the last 2500years (Misten bog, Belgium)

“…The geological substratum is covered by postPaleozoic sediments (clays of alteration, continental and marine sands, loess -Bourgignon, 1953) with some occasional outcrops of Early Cambrian (Revinian) quartzites. In the last 10 years, some geochemical work has been carried out on selected sites from the Hautes Fagnes Plateau (Gaida et al, 1993(Gaida et al, , 1997Kempter, 1996;Renson et al, 2008) and in the Misten in particular (De Vleeschouwer et al, 2007, 2010Allan et al, 2013a). The selected Misten bog is produced by an accumulation of 8 m (estimated by a radar surface prospecting - Wastiaux and Schumacker, 2003) of Holocene peat (De Vleeschouwer et al, 2007).…”

“…In the last 10 years, some geochemical work has been carried out on selected sites from the Hautes Fagnes Plateau (Gaida et al, 1993(Gaida et al, , 1997Kempter, 1996;Renson et al, 2008) and in the Misten in particular (De Vleeschouwer et al, 2007, 2010Allan et al, 2013a). The selected Misten bog is produced by an accumulation of 8 m (estimated by a radar surface prospecting - Wastiaux and Schumacker, 2003) of Holocene peat (De Vleeschouwer et al, 2007). For this study, cores were taken in February 2008: the upper meter was retrieved with a TiWardenaar corer (Wardenaar, 1987) (core MIS-08-01W), whilst the next few meters were extracted with a Bielorussian corer (Belokopytov and Veresnevich, 1955) (core MIS-08-01b).…”

Anthropogenic impacts in North Poland over the last 1300years — A record of Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni and S in an ombrotrophic peat bog

“…Details about MC-ICP-MS tuning and calibration for this type of sample are reported in De Vleeschouwer et al (2007). As an internal isotopic standard, a Tl solution was added to each sample and standard to monitor and correct for mass dependent isotopic fractionation.…”

Impact of the physico-chemical properties of fen peat on the metal accumulation patterns in mires of Latvia

“…Constraints of usage of the corers of this type were taken into account following Zaccone et al (2012). A semi-cylindrical corer with a shutter was penetrated into peat deposits, twisted and recovered to display a full and undisturbed peat profile (Jowsey 1966;de Vleeschouwer et al 2007). For the survey, a model with a 0.50 m long sample chamber with the inner diameter of 0.07 m was used.…”