Sedimentary record of heavy metal pollution in Lake Erie

Vertical transport of heavy metals by settling particles in Lake Zurich

“…Although many studies have shown lake sediments to be a sink for heavy metals (Nriagu et al 1979;Imboden et al 1980;Salomons and Fijrstner 1984), few have addressed the transport mechanisms. Little is known about the processes governing the solute metal concentrations and about the nature of the solid phases by which metals are removed from the water column.…”

“…Little is known about the processes governing the solute metal concentrations and about the nature of the solid phases by which metals are removed from the water column. The sediment record shows that heavy metal inputs to lakes have increased over the last decades (Nriagu et al 1979;Imboden et al 1980); how these increased inputs have affected concentrations in the water column remains uncertain, as does the question of whether increased inputs may be balanced by increased removal. Baccini (1984) studied the effect of increased metal inputs on the biota of a lake and the feedback mechanisms by which the biota controls metal concentrations.…”

Stratigraphical studies on Lake Iidesjärvi sediments. Part II. Geological and mineralogical characteristics of the sedimentary sequence

“…Anthropogenic enrichment of heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn is clearly seen in the uppermost part (from 20 to 1 cm) of the shorter core (Figs 7 and 8), which was sampled for analysis with a denser sample interval than the longer one. The contents of Cu, Pb and Zn during the pollution development of Lake Iidesjärvi coincide more closely with those from heavily industrialized areas of southern Lake Michigan (Leland et al 1973) and Lake Erie (Nriagu et al 1979) than with those from Kuopio (Salminen 1976 and 1979) and Quebec (Ouellet and Jones 1982). The primary cause of anthropogenic enrichment of Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn is industrial development around Tampere since the beginning of this century, especially since the 1950s.…”

Preface

“…Guy 1964;Holeman 1968;Dietrich and Dunne 1978;Bogen 1980). In the same time period, other studies demonstrated the usefulness of tracers, first radionuclides (Perkins et al 1966;Ritchie and McHenry 1975), and later heavy metals (Wolfenden and Lewin 1978;Nriagu et al 1979), for identifying the sources of sediment and for tracking sediment through river systems. In the 1970s, concerns about deteriorating water quality extended the research interest to sediment transport in catchments, as sediment was considered itself as a contaminant and its role as a carrier for other contaminants, such as metals and nutrients, was increasingly acknowledged (Stall 1972;Williams 1975;Karr and Schlosser 1978).…”