Peat bogs as archives of local ore mining and smelting activities over the centuries: A case study of Miasteczko Śląskie (Upper Silesia, Poland)

Magiera, Tadeusz; Szuszkiewicz, Maria Magdalena; Michczyński, Adam; Chróst, Leszek; Szuszkiewicz, Μ.

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2020.105063

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Metal ore deposits and intensive mining and smelting have resulted in high metal contents, mainly zinc, lead, cadmium, and thallium in environment and living organisms, exceeding many times concentrations allowable by law regulations in Poland (i.e. Rozporządzenie Ministra Środowiska 2002 ; Sowa and Skalski 2019 ; Magiera et al 2021 ). The climate in the Upper Silesia (southern Poland) is temperate, with ca.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant nests as a microbial hot spots in a long-term heavy metal-contaminated soils

Klimek

Poliwka-Modliborek

Grześ

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Interactions between soil fauna and soil microorganisms are not fully recognized, especially in extreme environments, such as long-term metal-polluted soils. The purpose of the study was to assess how the presence of Lasius niger ants affected soil microbial characteristics in a long-term metal-polluted area (Upper Silesia in Poland). Paired soil samples were taken from bulk soil and from ant nests and analysed for a range of soil physicochemical properties, including metal content (zinc, cadmium, and lead). Microbial analysis included soil microbial activity (soil respiration rate), microbial biomass (substrate-induced respiration rate), and bacteria catabolic properties (Biolog® ECO plates). Soil collected from ant nests was drier and was characterized by a lower content of organic matter, carbon and nitrogen contents, and also lower metal content than bulk soil. Soil microbial respiration rate was positively related to soil pH (p = 0.01) and negatively to water-soluble metal content, integrated into TIws index (p = 0.01). Soil microbial biomass was negatively related to TIws index (p = 0.04). Neither soil microbial activity and biomass nor bacteria catabolic activity and diversity indices differed between bulk soil and ant nests. Taken together, ant activity reduced soil contamination by metals in a microscale which support microbial community activity and biomass but did not affect Biolog® culturable bacteria.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant nests as a microbial hot spots in a long-term heavy metal-contaminated soils

Klimek

Poliwka-Modliborek

Grześ

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…Peatlands can record the history of environmental pollution, as they reflect human activities fairly accurately and also play a vital role in the global carbon cycle [ 1 , 2 ]. Since the Second Industrial Revolution, human activities have affected the balance of terrestrial ecosystems, often causing severe damage to sensitive and fragile peatlands in middle and high latitudes [ 3 ]. Due to natural disasters (erosion and fire) and strong anthropogenic disturbances (drainage, reclamation, overgrazing, and infrastructure construction), peatlands worldwide are shrinking in size and are being degraded in function, becoming a carbon source in the context of climate change [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Anthropogenic Sources of Heavy Metals in Alpine Peatlands over the Past 150 Years: Examples from Typical Peatlands in Altay Mountains, Northwest China

Luo

Wen

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Alpine mountain peatlands are valuable archives of climatic and anthropogenic impact. However, the impacts of human activities on the Altay peatlands are poorly documented. Therefore, studying heavy metal (HM) concentrations, evaluating HM pollution levels, and identifying the sources in the Altay Mountain peatlands are crucial for revealing the intensity of human activities. The present study was performed on two peatland profiles: Jiadengyu (JDY) and Heihu (HH). The contents of HM and 210Pb and 137Cs dating technologies were used to construct a profile of anthropogenic pollutant distributions in the peatlands. Furthermore, the enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) of selected HMs were used to evaluate the risk assessment of HMs. The association of metals and assignment of their probable sources were examined using principal component analysis (PCA) and a positive matrix factorization model (PMF). The results showed that the concentrations of elements Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, and As were at high levels in the two peatlands of the Altay Mountains, while the elements Hg and Cd were in low concentrations. Moreover, the concentrations of Cu, Cd, Hg, and Sb were higher than the background values of local element and posed a high environmental risk to the ecosystem. Combined with the results of the chronology, the peatland records indicated considerable growth in HMs concentrations from 1970 to 1990 related to recent anthropogenic activities. Additionally, the main sources of HMs are mining activities, domestic waste, and traffic sources in the two peatlands. Due to the environmental protection policies implemented since 2010, the natural processes have been the primary origin of HMs in peatlands, while emissions of industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste were still fundamental sources. The results of this study describe the sedimentary features of HMs in alpine mountains, and the data provide an essential theoretical basis for the evolutionary process through the characteristics of HM deposition.

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“…The investigation of radionuclides offers insightful knowledge required to understand previous environmental events and climatic changes [2]. In tandem with palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic records, peatlands provide information about the anthropogenic pressures associated with the deposition of a variety of air contaminants [3]. The latter variable contains valuable information on the changes in climatic conditions in the region and incoming contamination, which can be obtained via absolute dating, such as dating with excess 210 Pb [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of 210Pb Age Models of Peat Cores Derived from the Arkhangelsk Region

Yakovlev,

Kudryavtseva,

Orlov

2023

Applied Sciences

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Dating young peatlands using the 210Pb dating procedure is a challenging task. The traditional 210Pb age models assume an exponential decline in radioactivity in line with depth in the peat profile. Lead exhibits considerable migratory capacity in Arctic peatlands; hence, to perform precise peat dating, existing models should be enhanced to remove the effects of migration. Independent isotope chronometers, such as 137Cs, can verify this. The Monte Carlo method and IP-CRS were utilised, together with several CA, CF/CS, PF, and CF models, to analyse the peat core samples acquired in the Arkhangelsk region. Data analysis revealed that the height partitioning of 137Cs and 210Pb is associated with physical characteristics, like the peat ash and the bulk density of the bog. Comparison between the natural activity of 210Pb in the peat and the radioactivity of 137Cs measured at depths of 19–21 cm in relation to the global fallout in 1963 indicated that the CF/CS, CF, and IP-CRS models (1965, 1962 and 1964, respectively) gave the closest age to the reference point given. IP-CRS was found to be the preferred model of these three options, as it gave a rather closer correlation with the 137Cs activity specific to the reference layer, allowing the error. The core dating of 210Pb showed an age of 1963 for a depth of 17–19 cm, which was in agreement with the reference horizon 137Cs and ash content, thus validating the accuracy and sufficiency of the selected model turf profile chronology. The maximum content of man-made radioisotopes in the peatlands corresponded to the formulation of the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. The rates of accumulation of peat and atmospheric flux of 210Pb are in good agreement with the values available for the bogs of Northern Europe and those previously estimated by the authors in the subarctic region of European Russia. Although the problems of the complex migration-related distribution of 210Pb in the peat layer were considered, the dating methods used were effective in our study and can be adapted in following studies to perform the age determination of different peat deposits.

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Peat bogs as archives of local ore mining and smelting activities over the centuries: A case study of Miasteczko Śląskie (Upper Silesia, Poland)

Cited by 12 publications

References 52 publications

Ant nests as a microbial hot spots in a long-term heavy metal-contaminated soils

Ant nests as a microbial hot spots in a long-term heavy metal-contaminated soils

Identifying Anthropogenic Sources of Heavy Metals in Alpine Peatlands over the Past 150 Years: Examples from Typical Peatlands in Altay Mountains, Northwest China

Comparison of 210Pb Age Models of Peat Cores Derived from the Arkhangelsk Region

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