Fate of natural and anthropogenic particles in peat bogs
type: CreativeWork
description: Investigating atmospheric deposition over a scale of millennial period is crucial because humans are emitting more and more synthetic and natural compounds (i.e.: pollutants and/or dust) to the environment through the atmosphere. It is therefore necessary to determine the background deposition rate of these compounds, to assess their natural variations (ie.: temporal and/or spatial) and to understand the effects of the increased atmospheric depositions induced by humans on the environment. The primary aim of this work was to improve the understanding of the processes affecting the fate of anthropogenic and natural particles in peat bogs, to see which geochemical processes can affect the suitability and accuracy of peat bogs as archives of atmospheric deposition, and also the effects of these inputs on the bog ecosystem. To test whether peat bogs are accurate archives of Pb atmospheric deposition, Pb distribution was investigated in Kohlhütte Moor (KM), a bog in Southern Germany. Pb is a toxic element extensively dispersed by human activities (Chap.2.1). The atmospheric Pb record assessed using a peat core was compared with other archives, including a snow pack and previously studied Swiss peat cores (Chap.2.2). To this end, new improved methods both methodically (Chap.1.1) and analytically (Chap.1.2 and Chap.1.3) were developed. Also particular attention was given to age dating using 210Pb and 14C and the estimation of the Pb accumulation rate (AR) based on these ages. The most recent Pb AR in KM (2.5 mg m-2 y-1) is similar to that obtained from the snow pack on the bog surface (1 to 4 mg m-2 y-1). The isotopic composition of Pb was measured in both the modern and ancient peat samples as well as in the snow samples, and clearly shows that recent inputs are dominated by anthropogenic Pb. The chronology and isotopic composition of atmospheric Pb accumulation recorded by the peat from the Black Forest is similar to the chronologies reported earlier using peat cores fro…
abstract: Investigating atmospheric deposition over a scale of millennial period is crucial because humans are emitting more and more synthetic and natural compounds (i.e.: pollutants and/or dust) to the environment through the atmosphere. It is therefore necessary to determine the background deposition rate of these compounds, to assess their natural variations (ie.: temporal and/or spatial) and to understand the effects of the increased atmospheric depositions induced by humans on the environment. The primary aim of this work was to improve the understanding of the processes affecting the fate of anthropogenic and natural particles in peat bogs, to see which geochemical processes can affect the suitability and accuracy of peat bogs as archives of atmospheric deposition, and also the effects of these inputs on the bog ecosystem. To test whether peat bogs are accurate archives of Pb atmospheric deposition, Pb distribution was investigated in Kohlhütte Moor (KM), a bog in Southern Germany. Pb is a toxic element extensively dispersed by human activities (Chap.2.1). The atmospheric Pb record assessed using a peat core was compared with other archives, including a snow pack and previously studied Swiss peat cores (Chap.2.2). To this end, new improved methods both methodically (Chap.1.1) and analytically (Chap.1.2 and Chap.1.3) were developed. Also particular attention was given to age dating using 210Pb and 14C and the estimation of the Pb accumulation rate (AR) based on these ages. The most recent Pb AR in KM (2.5 mg m-2 y-1) is similar to that obtained from the snow pack on the bog surface (1 to 4 mg m-2 y-1). The isotopic composition of Pb was measured in both the modern and ancient peat samples as well as in the snow samples, and clearly shows that recent inputs are dominated by anthropogenic Pb. The chronology and isotopic composition of atmospheric Pb accumulation recorded by the peat from the Black Forest is similar to the chronologies reported earlier using peat cores fro…
author: Le Roux, Gaël
date published: 2005-05-09
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:30:04Z
provider: Universität Heidelberg
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Universität Heidelberg