Yang, H; Shilland, E; Appleby, P; Rose, N; Battarbee, R; (2018) Legacy Lead Stored in Catchments Is the Dominant Source for Lakes in the UK: Evidence from Atmospherically Derived 210Pb. Environmental Science and Technology , 52 (24) pp. 14070-14077. 10.1021/acs.est.8b04099.

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Abstract

There has been a considerable reduction in anthropogenic lead (Pb) emission to the atmosphere in recent decades. However, reduction in Pb inputs to many lakes does not match this as Pb stored in catchment upper soil layers, derived from previous deposition, has become an important source although it is difficult to assess quantitatively. This work uses atmospherically deposited 210Pb as tracer to track Pb movement and so is able, for first time to calculate the relative Pb inputs from direct atmospheric deposition and catchment sources to lakes in the UK directly. Within individual lake sites, ratios of 210Pb/Pb in the catchment terrestrial mosses were normally an order of magnitude higher than those in the catchment surface soils, trapped lake sediments and the surface sediments in the lake-bottom. The results suggest that the Pb isotope signatures in the mosses are close to or dominated by atmospheric depositions, and it is reasonable to use ratios of 210Pb/Pb in terrestrial mosses collected from the lake sites with high annual rainfall over 2000 mm to represent those in atmospheric depositions. It reveals that, after reduction in Pb emission, catchment Pb inputs now typically account for more than 95% of the total Pb entering the lakes.

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