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<p>Over the past decades, there has been growing interest in understanding how trace metal contamination has evolved over time and the impact of pre-industrial activities on this trend. Although Italy has a long history of human settlement and major metal mining, studies on historical contamination remain limited. To address this gap, three sediment cores spanning up to the last 10,000&#xa0;years were analyzed: Lake Ledro (Trento, Norhern Italy, 10,000 calibrated years before present (cal. yr. BP)), Lake Lungo (Rieti, Central Italy, 2700&#xa0;cal. yr. BP) and the Pantano Grande saltmarsh (Messina, Southern Italy, 3700&#xa0;cal. yr. BP). This study investigates the temporal variability of major and trace elements, with a focus on potentially toxic elements such as lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), through statistical and compositional multivariate analysis. The main objectives were to evaluate potential pollution legacies from human impact, and to estimate site-specific natural background values for the selected areas. Results indicate that each sediment core recorded anthropogenic impacts at different points in time, according to the local history of each site. In general, Pb downcore distributions showed notable shifts at specific depths linked to local environmental changes mainly driven by human activity. Therefore, no similar Pb and Hg patterns emerged across the sites, except for a general increasing trend towards the upper (and more recent) portions of the cores, reflecting the well-documented impact of population growth and intensified human activities on trace metal dispersion. This study enriches the Mediterranean dataset for pollution reconstruction, providing a robust reference for future assessments and contributing to improved environmental management in the context of intensifying anthropogenic and natural pressures.</p>

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Lead and mercury variability in three Italian lakes spanning the last 10,000 years: trends and relation with anthropic factors

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月1日

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  • Francesca Pasquetti,
  • Benoît Caron,
  • Julie Noel,
  • Michel Magny,
  • Scott A. Mensing,
  • Gianluca Piovesan,
  • Monica Bini,
  • Giovanni Zanchetta

摘要

Over the past decades, there has been growing interest in understanding how trace metal contamination has evolved over time and the impact of pre-industrial activities on this trend. Although Italy has a long history of human settlement and major metal mining, studies on historical contamination remain limited. To address this gap, three sediment cores spanning up to the last 10,000 years were analyzed: Lake Ledro (Trento, Norhern Italy, 10,000 calibrated years before present (cal. yr. BP)), Lake Lungo (Rieti, Central Italy, 2700 cal. yr. BP) and the Pantano Grande saltmarsh (Messina, Southern Italy, 3700 cal. yr. BP). This study investigates the temporal variability of major and trace elements, with a focus on potentially toxic elements such as lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), through statistical and compositional multivariate analysis. The main objectives were to evaluate potential pollution legacies from human impact, and to estimate site-specific natural background values for the selected areas. Results indicate that each sediment core recorded anthropogenic impacts at different points in time, according to the local history of each site. In general, Pb downcore distributions showed notable shifts at specific depths linked to local environmental changes mainly driven by human activity. Therefore, no similar Pb and Hg patterns emerged across the sites, except for a general increasing trend towards the upper (and more recent) portions of the cores, reflecting the well-documented impact of population growth and intensified human activities on trace metal dispersion. This study enriches the Mediterranean dataset for pollution reconstruction, providing a robust reference for future assessments and contributing to improved environmental management in the context of intensifying anthropogenic and natural pressures.