M. Roxana Sierra-Hernández, Franco Marcantonio, Elizabeth M. Griffith, Lonnie G. Thompson
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Tibetan Plateau glaciers, among the world’s most remote and pristine places, provide water to millions and play a vital environmental role. We measured the lead isotopic composition in a dusty ice core from the Guliya ice cap in northwest Tibet, from approximately 36 thousand years Before Present (Stone Age) to 2015, to determine the onset and sources of anthropogenic lead. Despite the dust-laden nature of the core, a clear change in the lead isotope signature to below Stone Age levels started in 1949 followed by a rapid decrease in 1960 and an even more rapid decrease in 1974 indicating the first emergence of anthropogenic lead. Accurate isotopic lead measurements allowed us to better, and more sensitively, quantify sources using a Bayesian mixing model. Chinese gasoline was the primary anthropogenic source surpassing natural contributions in the 2000s until 2007 when emissions from leaded gasoline decreased and those from coal and lead-zinc ores increased. Emissions from Chinese gasoline was the primary source of lead from 1974 to 2007 reaching the Tibetan plateau glaciated regions, while emissions from coal and ores were the primary sources after 2007, according to analysis of lead isotopes of ice cores from the Guliya ice cap, and Bayesian models.
期刊介绍:
Communications Earth & Environment is an open access journal from Nature Portfolio publishing high-quality research, reviews and commentary in all areas of the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences. Research papers published by the journal represent significant advances that bring new insight to a specialized area in Earth science, planetary science or environmental science.
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