Detection and calibration of anthropogenic lead emission in coastal sediments of China during the past 250 years

Abstract

The historical fluctuation of lead (Pb) content in coastal sediments of China and its link with human activities have been extensively studied. However, the determined Pb profiles from even the same regions could contradict each other, likely due to the fact that different methods are used in detecting anthropogenic Pb emission. In the present study, we analyzed grain size distribution and Pb levels in three sediment cores from Chinese coastal areas, and observed a significant enrichment of Pb in the sediment fraction of fine grain size. Based upon this observation, we normalized the Pb concentrations during the past 250 years by fine grain size content. The normalized Pb profiles showed consistent, increasing trends in the three cores and a remarkable rise after the Industrial Revolution. The regional characteristics in the normalized Pb profiles of Chinese offshore sediments are consistent with those of terrestrial sediments. This new normalization method is robust and cost-effective for studying anthropogenic Pb emissions in coastal sediments.