Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Runsheng Yin, Di Chen, Xin Pan, Changzhou Deng, Liemeng Chen, Xieyan Song, Songyue Yu, Chuanwei Zhu, Xun Wei, Yue Xu, Xinbin Feng, Joel D. Blum, Bernd Lehmann
Summary: This study demonstrates distinct mass-independent mercury isotope fractionation in global basalts, revealing mantle Hg isotope heterogeneity and the large-scale translithospheric Hg recycling through plate tectonics.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas Pelletier, John Chetelat, Michael J. Palmer, Jesse C. Vermaire
Summary: The study showed that over the past 2000 years, lake sediments and peat archives in the subarctic taiga ecoregions have recorded different responses to changing metal pollution emissions from the atmosphere and catchments. Anthropogenic mercury and lead contamination in lakes and peatlands has been increasing rapidly since the mid-19th century, with contributions from long-range aerosol transport and local mining activities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mengyao Liang, Enfeng Liu, Xiaoyu Wang, Qinghui Zhang, Jinling Xu, Ming Ji, Enlou Zhang
Summary: Trace metal (loid) contamination in the atmosphere in North China, a global contamination hotspot, has been monitored but there is a gap in understanding its long-term patterns. Historical trends of atmospheric contamination in North China over the past ~500 years were studied using sediment cores from two subalpine lakes. Mercury contamination has continuously increased since the late 1800s, while arsenic, lead, and cadmium contamination lagged behind in one lake compared to the other.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Noah A. Stanton, Neil F. Tandon
Summary: Models with comprehensive tropospheric chemistry have typically been run with prescribed sea surface temperatures, limiting their ability to generate climate responses to atmospheric forcings. However, in recent years, fully coupled models with comprehensive tropospheric chemistry have been developed, providing an opportunity to study the global climate effects of comprehensive tropospheric chemistry.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paola Gravina, Bartolomeo Sebastiani, Federica Bruschi, Chiara Petroselli, Beatrice Moroni, Roberta Selvaggi, Enzo Goretti, Matteo Pallottini, Alessandro Ludovisi, David Cappelletti
Summary: This study investigates anthropogenic contamination in Trasimeno lake in Central Italy and quantifies the level of contaminant enrichment. By analyzing sediment cores, a geochemical baseline for the lake was established to determine trace element enrichment factors. The study identified five groups of elements, one natural and four anthropogenic, and revealed the impact of industrial activities during World War II and recent human activities on the lake.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shuo-Nan Ma, Hai-Jun Wang, Hong-Zhu Wang, Miao Zhang, Yan Li, Shi-Jun Bian, Xiao-Min Liang, Martin Sondergaard, Erik Jeppesen
Summary: The experiment demonstrated that high nitrate concentrations have a dual effect on phosphorus release from sediments, with no impact on net phosphorus release at high nitrate levels, but significant release when nitrate addition is terminated. This indicates a dose-dependent effect of nitrate loading on stimulating phosphorus release, especially at concentrations exceeding 5-7 mg L-1.
Article
Limnology
Marcel Schmiedeskamp, Leandra Stephanie Emilia Praetzel, David Bastviken, Klaus-Holger Knorr
Summary: This study found that two small shallow lakes in Central Europe are sources of CH4 emissions, mainly through ebullition. The spatial differences in CH4 fluxes are related to sediment C-content and quality, while the temporal variability is primarily correlated with sediment temperature and degree of drying. Whole-lake estimates are influenced by low water periods and warm summer months.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Xuezhen Zhang, Mengxin Bai, Zhixin Hao, Jingyun Zheng
Summary: The study suggests that the megadrought in North China and simultaneous hydroclimatic spatial pattern over the Northern Hemisphere may be underestimated in the CMIP5 climate prediction, which excludes external forcing.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruchi Bhattacharya, Simon G. M. Lin, Nandita B. Basu
Summary: This study analyzed lakes from multiple countries worldwide and found the linkages between the quantity and spatial patterns of phosphorus accumulation in lake sediments. The results showed that lakes in developed countries had higher sediment phosphorus concentrations during early agricultural intensification, while lakes in developing countries demonstrated a continuous increase. The sediment phosphorus accumulation was influenced by watershed disturbance patterns, anthropogenic drivers, and lake morphology, with shallow lakes experiencing long-term land-use disturbances showing the highest accumulation rates.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xavier Fain, Rachael H. Rhodes, Philip Place, Vasilii V. Petrenko, Kevin Fourteau, Nathan Chellman, Edward Crosier, Joseph R. McConnell, Edward J. Brook, Thomas Blunier, Michel Legrand, Jerome Chappellaz
Summary: This study presents high-resolution measurements of atmospheric CO mixing ratios from ice cores drilled in Greenland, providing a reconstruction of past CO levels from 1700 to 1957 CE. The results show a monotonous increase in CO from 1875 to 1957 CE, which is important for evaluating climate-chemistry models and understanding past CO sources.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Piyush Bhardwaj, Rajesh Kumar, Douglas A. Mitchell, Cynthia A. Randles, Nicole Downey, Doug Blewitt, Branko Kosovic
Summary: This study evaluates the effectiveness of current satellite observing systems in detecting methane point sources from typical oil and gas production facilities. The study uses a microscale model to generate a high-resolution methane concentration dataset. The results show that increasing the pixel resolution enhances the detectability of plumes, but changes in emission rates at the surface have minimal impact on the retrieved methane column.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangwei Li, Ruihong Yu, Jun Wang, Heyang Sun, Changwei Lu, Xinyu Liu, Xiaohui Ren, Shuai Zhuang, Zhiwei Guo, Xixi Lu
Summary: This study investigated greenhouse gas emissions from sediment in a saline lake, revealing that sediment is the main source of CO2 and CH4 in the water column. The findings suggest that controlling eutrophication and salinization of lakes could be an effective strategy for reducing carbon emissions from lakes. However, further research is needed to establish more conclusive results.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Luke M. Western, Martin K. Vollmer, Paul B. Krummel, Karina E. Adcock, Paul J. Fraser, Christina M. Harth, Ray L. Langenfelds, Stephen A. Montzka, Jens Muehle, Simon O'Doherty, David E. Oram, Stefan Reimann, Matt Rigby, Isaac Vimont, Ray F. Weiss, Dickon Young, Johannes C. Laube
Summary: Despite the ban on production, the levels of five chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere increased between 2010 and 2020, probably due to by-products of hydrofluorocarbon production. This contradicts the goals of the Montreal Protocol to phase out these substances.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nafees Ahmad, Satinder Pal Singh
Summary: In this study, sediment from the Upper Lake in Bhopal was analyzed to provide a century-long record of heavy metal pollution in Central India. The results suggest that atmospheric deposition is the main source of heavy metal influx into the lake. Although the overall metal pollution has remained insignificant throughout the core history, minor pollution of zinc, cadmium, and lead emerged in the early-1980s. The study highlights the contemporaneous emergence of zinc, cadmium, and lead pollution in Central India with multiple lacustrine sediment records from China.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sofia L. D'Ambrosio, John A. Harrison
Summary: This article provides a critical review of methods used to estimate the diffusive flux of CH4 from lake sediments, including incubation, benthic chambers, and modeling approaches. The limitations and advantages of each method are discussed, along with published comparisons between different methods. The article also highlights the need for the development and application of new methods to advance understanding of lake CH4 fluxes.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caitlyn Donadt, Colin A. Cooke, Jennifer A. Graydon, Mark S. Poesch
Summary: Bioaccumulation of mercury in freshwater fish is a complex process influenced by environmental and biological factors. While surface water mercury concentrations were high in the studied tributaries of the Red Deer River, patterns of fish THg concentrations varied by species. The study suggests that mercury poses a risk to piscivorous wildlife health in these streams, but bioaccumulation is not solely driven by environmental factors and commonly associated factors like body size and trophic level may not strongly influence mercury concentrations in these ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caitlyn Donadt, Colin A. Cooke, Jennifer A. Graydon, Mark S. Poesch
Summary: The study found that fish trace element concentrations in the Red Deer River are primarily influenced by biological factors rather than being restricted to areas with high surface water concentrations. Body size is positively correlated with trace element concentrations, and mercury biomagnifies while arsenic biodiminishes.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kasia J. Staniszewska, Colin A. Cooke, Alberto Reyes
Summary: The study identified two distinct sources of meltwater - one with long subglacial residence time containing dissolved carbonate-associated elements, and another with short subglacial residence time containing potential legacy trace elements and moderate concentrations of legacy nutrients. Trace element fluxes and yields were modeled using grab sampling results paired with correlated high-frequency conductivity or turbidity measurements, showing that mercury yield was comparable to or lower than yields from other glacial meltwater streams globally. Long-term discharge data suggests that future contaminant yields will increase until peak water is reached, but at present, glacial meltwater does not significantly augment downstream nutrient and trace element contaminant budgets.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Martinez Cortizas, Ingrid Horak-Terra, Marta Perez-Rodriguez, Richard Bindler, Colin A. Cooke, Malin Kylander
Summary: The study revealed a complex control process of mercury accumulation in peat, involving factors such as peat decomposition, dust deposition, and humid climates. Bromine can be used to normalize mercury accumulation, but the weights of the factors involved in their accumulation differ significantly.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jason M. E. Ahad, Hooshang Pakdel, Thibault Labarre, Colin A. Cooke, Paul R. Gammon, Martine M. Savard
Summary: Fugitive dust from surface mining is a major vector for airborne contaminants in Canada's Athabasca oil sands region. Compound-specific isotope analysis identified petcoke as the primary source of this dust, demonstrating the potential for accurate source apportionment in snowpack.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kirsten K. Smythe, Colin A. Cooke, Paul E. Drevnick, Robert J. Cornett, Jules M. Blais
Summary: The study found that alkylated polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in sediments from Cold Lake were elevated and increased with the onset of bitumen extraction in the area. The PAC sources to lake sediments were dominantly pyrogenic, likely from historic forest fires, but shifted to more petrogenic sources with expanding oil sands extraction at Cold Lake.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sarah L. Roberts, Jane L. Kirk, Derek C. G. Muir, Johan A. Wiklund, Marlene S. Evans, Amber Gleason, Allison Tam, Paul E. Drevnick, Ashu Dastoor, Andrei Ryjkov, Fan Yang, Xiaowa Wang, Greg Lawson, Martin Pilote, Jonathan Keating, Benjamin D. Barst, Jason M. E. Ahad, Colin A. Cooke
Summary: The study found that anthropogenic atmospheric Hg deposition in western Canada is showing a synchronous decreasing trend, while increasing in the east, with spatial patterns mainly driven by longitude and proximity to point sources. Recent sediment-derived Hg fluxes were consistent with wet deposition monitoring results, validating the reliability of the research method.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Colin A. Cooke, Jason H. Curtis, William F. Kenney, Paul Drevnick, Peter E. Siegel
Summary: Lead and mercury emissions and deposition have long histories extending into preindustrial times, but the timing, magnitude, and persistence of preindustrial emissions remain unclear. This study uses a well-dated sediment core from Lake Antoine, Grenada to assess the past 3000 years of tropical lead and mercury deposition. The results show that preindustrial increases in lead and mercury concentrations can be explained by variations in mineral and organic matter inputs from the watershed, reflecting climate-driven changes in the lake level. There is no evidence that preindustrial use of lead and mercury raised deposition rates in this remote ecosystem. Industrial-era accumulation rates in Lake Antoine have been accelerated by land use and land cover change within the crater rim, but global industrial pollution is still evident. After correcting for watershed inputs, recent atmospheric deposition rates of lead and mercury are in close agreement with monitoring data, challenging previous assessments that suggested preindustrial use of mercury raised atmospheric deposition rates globally.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Kasia J. Staniszewska, Alberto Reyes, Colin A. Cooke, Brooklyn S. Miller, Robin J. Woywitka
Summary: The impact of permafrost thaw on the fluxes of mercury, methylmercury, and lead in arctic watersheds is still unclear. Through studying the Old Crow River in arctic Canada, it was found that these trace elements were mainly associated with suspended sediment and mobilized during periods of high discharge. However, the widespread presence of thermokarst and thermokarst lakes in the watershed did not result in anomalous concentrations, fluxes, and yields of these trace metals.
Article
Ecology
Craig A. Emmerton, Paul E. Drevnick, Jessica A. Serbu, Colin A. Cooke, Jennifer A. Graydon, Megan Reichert, Marlene S. Evans, Mark E. McMaster
Summary: This study investigates the concentrations and yields of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in small tributaries and major transboundary rivers, and associates these patterns with THg concentrations in fish tissues. The results show that landscape conditions influence the changes of Hg in rivers and the concentrations of Hg in fish tissues. Site-specific monitoring of THg and MeHg concentrations in water and fish is crucial for assessing regional-level patterns in fish tissue concentrations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Byron A. Steinman, Nathan D. Stansell, Michael E. Mann, Colin A. Cooke, Mark B. Abbott, Mathias Vuille, Broxton W. Bird, Matthew S. Lachniet, Alejandro Fernandez
Summary: Uncertainty about the influence of anthropogenic radiative forcing on the position and strength of convective rainfall in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) inhibits our ability to project future tropical hydroclimate change in a warmer world. Paleoclimatic and modeling data inform on the timescales and mechanisms of ITCZ variability, yet a comprehensive, long-term perspective remains elusive. The study quantifies the evolution of neotropical hydroclimate over the past millennium and shows an interhemispheric pattern of precipitation antiphasing occurred on multicentury timescales in response to changes in natural radiative forcing. This reinforces the idea that ITCZ responses to external forcing are region specific, complicating projections of the tropical precipitation response to global warming.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Colin A. Cooke, Craig A. Emmerton, Yi Yi, Lucie Levesque, Nancy Glozier
Summary: The mining activities and wildfires in northeastern Alberta, Canada have increased the pollution of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in freshwater ecosystems. Through studying PACs in river water before and after the Fort McMurray wildfire, it was found that petrogenic PACs were the main source, while pyrogenic PACs mainly came from the wash-in of ash during short-term episodes of burned watersheds. This research provides new insights into the impacts of increasing wildfire frequency and severity in this industrialized region.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Colin A. Cooke, Paul E. Drevnick
Summary: Mountaintop removal coal mining has negative impacts on downstream ecosystems by delivering nutrients, ions, and heavy metals. This study shows that it also affects ecosystems downwind and releases polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs).
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mitchell L. Kay, Izabela Jasiak, Wynona H. Klemt, Johan A. Wiklund, Jelle A. Faber, Lauren A. MacDonald, James V. K. Telford, Cory A. M. Savage, Colin A. Cooke, Brent B. Wolfe, Roland I. Hall
Summary: Large-scale mining activities in northwestern Canada have led to enrichment of hazardous metals and metalloids. Studying sediment metal concentrations in lakes can provide valuable information for evaluating the risk of contaminant dispersal and should be included in environmental monitoring programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Jacob L. Bongers, Vanessa Muros, Colleen O'Shea, Juliana Gomez Mejia, Colin A. Cooke, Michelle Young, Hans Barnard
Summary: In the Chincha Valley of southern Peru, pigmented human remains and grave goods have been found in over 100 large mortuary structures from different periods. The study investigates 38 red pigment samples to determine their sources and how they were applied to human remains. It reveals that cinnabar and hematite-based pigments were mixed with water and applied to individuals of various demographics, contributing to social difference and group identity.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)