Zinc isotopic signatures in eight lake sediment cores from across the United States
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Abstract
Zinc is an important trace element pollutant in urban environments; however, the extent of Zn contamination and the sources of urban Zn pollution are often unclear. We measured Zn concentrations and isotopes in sediment cores collected from eight lakes or reservoirs across the United States. We paired these data with historical records of land use within each watershed to calculate a mean Zn concentration and δ66Zn for natural (less than 5% urban land use; 123 ± 21.7 mg/kg; +0.33 ± 0.08‰, n = 6 lakes) and urban (greater than 70% urban land use; 389 ± 200 mg/kg; +0.14 ± 0.07‰, n = 3 lakes) lake sediments. The relation between Zn concentration data and Zn isotope data allows us to create a mixing model between two end members: natural and urban. The δ66Zn of the urban end-member is consistent with Zn pollution from vehicle-related sources (tire wear and emissions). Application of this model to samples collected from lakes recording periods ranging from 5 to 70% urban land use in their surrounding watersheds indicates that the lakes and reservoirs were affected by large amounts of Zn from urban sources.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Zinc isotopic signatures in eight lake sediment cores from across the United States |
| Series title | Environmental Science and Technology |
| DOI | 10.1021/es5036893 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | ACS Publications |
| Contributing office(s) | Texas Water Science Center |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 132 |
| Last page | 140 |
| Country | United States |
| Other Geospatial | conterminous United States |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |