Publication Date:
2022-01-27
Description:
Shallow marginal seas have been highly influenced by human activities since several hundred years. Especially near – shore environments were affected by the input of anthropogenic pollutants like heavy metals. Coastal cities rapidly expanded and greater shipyards were established during late 19th and early 20th century. This in turn, led to an elevated input of heavy metals into the coastal systems and to significant pollution of the environment. Heavy metals cause deleterious effects on biota because of their toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation. Therefore, it is vitally important to assess past spatial and temporal distribution patterns and to compare those with recent pollution in order to evaluate contemporary emission reduction measures.
An emerging paleo-tool is the heavy metal incorporation into foraminiferal shells calcite, which offers monitoring of anthropogenic footprints on the environmental system. Heavy metal records in foraminiferal tests along two sediment cores from the Baltic and the North Sea track pollution events of local (e.g. shipyard, ironworks and metallurgy) and global (e.g. market cycles) origin. We analysed the heavy metal concentrations in tests of Ammonia aomoriensis or Elphidium excavatum (Mn, Zn, Cd Cu etc.) by laser ablation ICP – MS measurements. These metals reveal the pollution history of Baltic and North Sea during the last 500 years.
Type:
Conference or Workshop Item
,
NonPeerReviewed
Format:
text
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