TY - JOUR
T1 - Attribution of sources to metal accumulation in an alpine tarn, the Snowy Mountains, Australia
AU - Stromsoe, Nicola
AU - Callow, J. Nikolaus
AU - McGowan, Hamish A.
AU - Marx, Samuel K.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - This study analyses 1800 years of heavy metal accumulation in a remote alpine lake experiencing long-range atmospheric contamination and additional inputs of Ag from cloud seeding. In comparison to previous work undertaken on peats, lake sediments show limited post-industrial metal enrichment with enrichment factors of Ag: 1.3, Pb: 1.3, Zn: 1.1, Cu: 1.2 compared to Ag: 2.2, Pb: 3.3, Zn: 2.1, Cu: 4.1 for peat. We show this to be the result of substantial fluvial lithogenic flux of metals (92-97% of total metal flux) to the lake. Total annual metal flux to the lake ranges from: Ag: 4-12 ng/cm2/yr to Zn: 3 383-11 313 ng/cm2/yr. As a result, any contribution of cloud seeding to additional enrichment of Ag in lake sediments is considered negligible. Results show that metal enrichment is not necessarily ubiquitous through a landscape. This has implications for predicting the impacts of atmospheric metal pollution to complex environmental systems.
AB - This study analyses 1800 years of heavy metal accumulation in a remote alpine lake experiencing long-range atmospheric contamination and additional inputs of Ag from cloud seeding. In comparison to previous work undertaken on peats, lake sediments show limited post-industrial metal enrichment with enrichment factors of Ag: 1.3, Pb: 1.3, Zn: 1.1, Cu: 1.2 compared to Ag: 2.2, Pb: 3.3, Zn: 2.1, Cu: 4.1 for peat. We show this to be the result of substantial fluvial lithogenic flux of metals (92-97% of total metal flux) to the lake. Total annual metal flux to the lake ranges from: Ag: 4-12 ng/cm2/yr to Zn: 3 383-11 313 ng/cm2/yr. As a result, any contribution of cloud seeding to additional enrichment of Ag in lake sediments is considered negligible. Results show that metal enrichment is not necessarily ubiquitous through a landscape. This has implications for predicting the impacts of atmospheric metal pollution to complex environmental systems.
KW - Atmospheric pollution
KW - Cloud seeding
KW - Lakes
KW - Metals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880274357&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.051
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.051
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84880274357
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 181
SP - 133
EP - 143
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
ER -