Ice-Core Based Assessment of Historical Anthropogenic Heavy Metal (Cd, Cu, Sb, Zn) Emissions in the Soviet Union

• DOI: 10.1021/es404861n
• Publication Date: 2014-02-10T13:08:19Z
• Authors: Anja Eichler; Leonhard Tobler; Stella Eyrikh; Natalia Malygina; Tatyana Papina; Margit Schwikowski
• Keywords: Ice core

The development of strategies and policies aiming at the reduction environmental exposure to air pollution requires assessment historical emissions. Although anthropogenic emissions from extended territory Soviet Union (SU) considerably influenced concentrations heavy metals in Northern Hemisphere, Pb is only metal with long-term emission estimates for this region available, whereas selected other single values exist. Here we present first study assessing Cd, Cu, Sb, Zn SU during period 1935–1991 based on ice-core concentration records Belukha glacier Siberian Altai data 12 regions year 1980. We show that primarily emitted production Ust-Kamenogorsk (East Kazakhstan) dominated emission. (Cu) increased between 1935 1970s (1980s) due expanded non-ferrous production. Emissions four beginning 1990s were as low 1950s, which attribute economic downturn industry, changes technology an increasing recovery ores, replacement coal oil by gas, control.