History of Ancient Copper Smelting Pollution During Roman and Medieval Times Recorded in Greenland Ice

Hong, Sungmin; Candelone, Jean-Pierre; Patterson, Clair C.; Boutron, Claude F.

doi:10.1126/science.272.5259.246

Cited by 340 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Anthropogenic emissions of Cu into the atmosphere have sharply increased over the past century and are currently ∼10 times higher than natural emissions (11). This increase can partly explain the global decline in phytoplankton over the past 100 y (18).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, the bulk oceanic response to Cu aerosol deposition has only been assessed based on a coupled atmosphere-ocean model (10). This lack of direct evidence is in itself a cause for major concern because human activities have increased the amount of atmospheric aerosols and specifically those carrying Cu and other metals (11,12). The major input of anthropogenic Cu in the atmosphere is the metal industry, but fugitive emissions from urban agglomerations (e.g., due to the abrasion products of brake pads in vehicles) contribute significantly as well (13).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Copper aerosols inhibit phytoplankton growth in the Mediterranean Sea

Jordi

Basterretxea

Tovar-Sánchez

et al. 2012

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

125

103

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Aerosol deposition plays an important role in climate and biogeochemical cycles by supplying nutrients to the open ocean, in turn stimulating ocean productivity and carbon sequestration. Aerosol particles also contain elements such as copper (Cu) that are essential in trace amounts for phytoplankton physiology but that can be toxic at high concentrations. Although the toxicity of Cu associated with aerosols has been demonstrated in bioassay experiments, extrapolation of these laboratory results to natural conditions is not straightforward. This study provides observational evidence of the negative effect of aerosols containing high Cu concentrations on marine phytoplankton over a vast region of the western Mediterranean Sea. Direct aerosol measurements were combined with satellite observations, resulting in the detection of significant declines in phytoplankton biomass after atmospheric aerosol events characterized by high Cu concentrations. The declines were more evident during summer, when nanoflagellates predominate in the phytoplankton population and stratification and oligotrophic conditions prevail in the study region. Together with previous findings concerning atmospheric Cu deposition, these results demonstrate that the toxicity of Cu-rich aerosols can involve large areas of the world's oceans. Moreover, they highlight the present vulnerability of oceanic ecosystems to Cu-rich aerosols of anthropogenic origins. Because anthropogenic emissions are increasing, large-scale negative effects on marine ecosystems can be anticipated.atmospheric dust | trace metal

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Copper aerosols inhibit phytoplankton growth in the Mediterranean Sea

Jordi

Basterretxea

Tovar-Sánchez

et al. 2012

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

125

103

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“…Increases in the concentration of both lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) in ice cores recovered from Greenland (8,9) and of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), and bismuth (Bi) in ice cores from the Canadian Arctic (10,11) caused by anthropogenic activities as early as 500 B.C. have been noted.…”

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confidence: 99%

Widespread pollution of the South American atmosphere predates the industrial revolution by 240 y

Uglietti

Gabrielli

Cooke

et al. 2015

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

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In the Southern Hemisphere, evidence for preindustrial atmospheric pollution is restricted to a few geological archives of low temporal resolution that record trace element deposition originating from past mining and metallurgical operations in South America. Therefore, the timing and the spatial impact of these activities on the past atmosphere remain poorly constrained. Here we present an annually resolved ice core record (A.D. 793–1989) from the high-altitude drilling site of Quelccaya (Peru) that archives preindustrial and industrial variations in trace elements. During the precolonial period (i.e., pre-A.D. 1532), the deposition of trace elements was mainly dominated by the fallout of aeolian dust and of ash from occasional volcanic eruptions, indicating that metallurgic production during the Inca Empire (A.D. 1438−1532) had a negligible impact on the South American atmosphere. In contrast, a widespread anthropogenic signal is evident after around A.D. 1540, which corresponds with the beginning of colonial mining and metallurgy in Peru and Bolivia, ∼240 y before the Industrial Revolution. This shift was due to a major technological transition for silver extraction in South America (A.D. 1572), from lead-based smelting to mercury amalgamation, which precipitated a massive increase in mining activities. However, deposition of toxic trace metals during the Colonial era was still several factors lower than 20th century pollution that was unprecedented over the entirety of human history.

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“…As a consequence, industrial metals have been found accumulating in the remote-from-source locations such as Antarctica (Vallelonga et al, 2002) and Greenland (Hong et al, 1996). Typically, however, these studies have focussed on those parts of the landscape which receive high relative rates of atmospheric input such as peat mires Shotyk et al, 2002) and snow and ice McConnell and Edwards, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A landscape-scale approach to examining the fate of atmospherically derived industrial metals in the surficial environment

Stromsoe

Marx

McGowan

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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Industrial metals are now ubiquitous within the atmosphere and their deposition represents a potential source of contamination to surficial environments. Few studies, however, have examined the environmental fate of atmospheric industrial metals within different surface environments. In this study, patterns of accumulation of atmospherically transported industrial metals were investigated within the surface environments of the Snowy Mountains, Australia. Metals, including Pb, Sb, Cr and Mo, were enriched in aerosols collected in the Snowy Mountains by 3.5-50 times pre-industrial concentrations. In sedimentary environments (soils, lakes and reservoirs) metals showed varying degrees of enrichment. Differences were attributed to the relative degree of atmospheric input, metal sensitivity to enrichment, catchment area and metal behaviour following deposition. In settings where atmospheric deposition dominated (ombrotrophic peat mires in the upper parts of catchments), metal enrichment patterns most closely resembled those in collected aerosols. However, even in these environments significant dilution (by 5-7 times) occurred. The most sensitive industrial metals (those with the lowest natural concentration; Cd, Ag, Sb and Mo) were enriched throughout the studied environments. However, in alpine tarn-lakes no other metals were enriched, due to the dilution of pollutantmetals by catchment derived sediment. In reservoirs, which were located lower within catchments, industrial metals exhibited more complex patterns. Particle reactive metals (e.g. Pb) displayed little enrichment, implying that they were retained up catchment, whereas more soluble metals (e.g., Cu and Zn) showed evidence of concentration. These same metals (Cu and Zn) were depleted in soils, implying that they are preferentially transported through catchments. Enrichment of other metals (e.g. Cd) varied between reservoirs as a function of contributing catchment area. Overall this study showed that the fate of atmospherically derived metals is complex, and depends upon metal behaviour and geomorphic processes operating at landscape scales. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication DetailsStromsoe, N., Marx, S. K., McGowan, H. A., Callow, N., Heijnis, H. & Zawadzki, A. (2015). A landscape-scale approach to examining the fate of atmospherically derived industrial metals in the surficial environment. However, in alpine tarn-lakes no other metals were enriched, due to the dilution of pollutantmetals by catchment derived sediment. In reservoirs, which were located lower within catchments, industrial metals exhibited more complex patterns. Particle reactive metals (e.g. Pb) displayed little enrichment, implying they were retained up catchment, whereas more soluble metals (e.g., Cu and Zn) showed evidence of concentration. These same metals (Cu and Zn) were depleted in soils, implying they are preferentially transported through catchments. Enrichment of other metals (e.g. Cd) varied between reservoirs as a funct...

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History of Ancient Copper Smelting Pollution During Roman and Medieval Times Recorded in Greenland Ice

Cited by 340 publications

References 12 publications

Copper aerosols inhibit phytoplankton growth in the Mediterranean Sea

Copper aerosols inhibit phytoplankton growth in the Mediterranean Sea

Widespread pollution of the South American atmosphere predates the industrial revolution by 240 y

A landscape-scale approach to examining the fate of atmospherically derived industrial metals in the surficial environment

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