Wan, D;
Yang, H;
Jin, Z;
Xue, B;
Song, L;
Mao, X;
Yang, J;
(2020)
Spatiotemporal trends of atmospheric Pb over the last century across inland China.
Science of The Total Environment
, 729
, Article 138399. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138399.
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Abstract
Sedimentary records from remote regions contain pollutants derived dominantly from atmospheric input, and thus have the potential to trace past atmospheric pollution history. Based on seventeen sediment records from relatively remote areas of China, atmospheric Pb pollution history during the last century was studied. These records suggest only occasionally slight pollution before ~1950 and display synchronous Pb enrichment processes since the 1950s, implying the start of widespread atmospheric Pb pollution in China. This corresponded well with the beginning of socio-economic development after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. However, owing to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, a roughly unchanged atmospheric Pb status was found in the 1960–70s except on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, where the atmospheric Pb still increased gradually caused by long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants from southwest Asia. In ~1980–2000, atmospheric Pb experienced the greatest increase, resulting from rapid development of extensive economy after the Reform and Opening-up in 1978. After ~2000, atmospheric Pb generally stopped increasing due to the phasing out of leaded gasoline, but it remained high, with the highest in Southwest China, medium in Northeast China, central North China and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and the lowest in the southeast Mongolia Plateau and West China. This study reveals spatio-temporal variations of atmospheric Pb in inland China under the influence of recent human activities, providing an important supplement for understanding global Pb pollution in the Anthropocene.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Spatiotemporal trends of atmospheric Pb over the last century across inland China |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138399 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138399 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Historical record, Sediment core, Heavy metal, Lead isotope, Atmospheric pollution, Anthropocene |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10096787 |
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