Abstract
Sediment cores were taken from the remote Sagamore and Woods Lakes in New York State's Adirondack acid lake region and analyzed for 3 to 7 ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Ag, Al, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Ph, Se, Sn, TI, V, and Zn. With the exception of perylene, all of the parental PAHs, e.g. those without sidechains, and several of the metals, Pb, As, and Cd, were found to be significantly increased in the sediments of both lakes compared to their natural integrated deposits (ng cm−2) and their background concentrations (μg g−1 or ng g−1 dry wt). Although the concentrations were generally much higher in Woods Lake, the total anthropogenic integrated depositions were about the same in both lakes for most of the metals and the 3 to 4 ring PAHs. The prime source of most of the 3 to 7 ring PAHs and trace elements measured is ascribed to anthropogenic combustion. Anthropogenically derived materials decreased in concentration with depth to baseline levels in sediment layers estimated by137Cs analyses to be ∼30 yr old, while biogenic or crustal derived species remained constant or fluctuated with core depth.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altshuller, A. P. and McBeam, G. A.: 1978, ‘The LRTAP (Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants) Problem in North America: A Preliminary Overview’, U.S. — Canada Research Consultation Group on the Long-Range Transport of Air Pollutants Report, Research Triangle Park, NC.
Braunstein, H. M., Copenhaver, E. D., and Pfuderer, H. A.: 1977, ‘Environmental, Health and Control Aspects of Coal Conversion an Overview’, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report No. ORNL FIS-95, Vol. 2.
Brown, R. A. and Staines, P. K.: 1978,Marine Pollut. Bull. 9, 162.
Burke, J. C.: 1968,Limnol. Oceanogr. 13, 714.
Cogbill, C. V.: 1976,Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 6, 407.
Eakins, J. K. and Morrison, R. T.: 1970, ‘A New Procedure for the Determination of Lead-210 in Lake and Marine Sediments’, Atomic Energy Research Establishment Report No. AERE-R-8475, Harwell, pp. 1–12.
EPA Report: 1979, ‘Acid Rain Research Summary'’, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Report No. EPA-600/8-79-028, Washington, D.C., pp. 1–23.
Galloway, J. N. and Likens, G. E.: 1979,Limnol. Oceanogr. 124, 427.
Galvin, P. J., Sampson, P. J., Coffy, P. E., and Romano, D.: 1978,Environ. Sci. Technol. 2, 580.
Galvin, P. J. and Cline, J. A.: 1978,Atmos. Environ. 12, 1163.
Geiger, W. and Schaffner, C.: 1978,Analytical Chem. 50, 243.
Heit, M.: 1977, ‘A Review Current Information on Some Ecological and Health Related Aspects of the Release of Trace Metals into the Environment Associated with the Combustion of Coal’, U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration Report No. HASL-320, New York.
Heit, M. and Burke, J. C.: 1977, ‘Sediment Sampling in Six Western Lakes’, U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration Report No. HASL-315, New York, pp. I-83 to I-91.
Heit, M. and Tan, Y. L.: 1979, ‘The Concentration of Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Surface Sediments of Some Fresh and Marine Waters of the U.S.’, U.S. Department of Energy Report No. EML-353, New York, pp. I-3 to I-39.
Heit, M., Tan, Y. L., Klusek, C. S., Volchok, H. L., and Burke, J. C.: 1980, ‘The Origin and Depositional History of Trace Elements and Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Two Remote Lakes in the Adirondack Acid Rain Region’, U.S. Department of Energy Report No. EML-381, New York, pp. I-75 to I-127.
Heit, M., Klusek, C., Volchok, H., and Burke, J. C.: 1981, ‘Time History of Trace Elements in Sediments from Standley Lake, CO’, Environ. Int., to be published.
Hendrey, G.: 1979, ‘Effects of Acidity on Primary Productivity in Lakes: Phytoplankton’, Brookhaven National Laboratory Report No. BNL-27210, Upton, NY.
Hendrey, G.: 1980, Private communication, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY.
Hites, R. A., Laflamme, R. E., and Farrington, J. W.: 1977,Science 198, 829.
Hutchinson, T. C. and Whitby, L. M.: 1974,Environ. Conservation 1, 123.
Laflamme, R. E. and Hites, R. A.: 1978,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 42, 289.
Likens, G. E., Wright, R. F., Galloway, J. N., and Butler, J. J.: 1979,Sci. Am. 241, 43.
Marleau, W.: 1980, Private Communication, Woods Lake, NY.
Müller, G., Grimmer, G., and Botinke, H.: 1977,Natürwissenschaften 64, 427.
National Academy of Sciences: 1972, Particulate Polycyclic Organic Matter, Washington, D.C
Natush, D. F. S.: 1978,Environ. Health Perspect. 22, 79.
Oldfield, F., Appleby, P. G. and Petit, D.: 1980,Ambio 9, 97.
Pearson, E. S. and Hartley, H. O.: 1954, ‘Biometrika Tables for Statisticians’, Vol. 1, Cambridge Univ. Press.
Ritchie, J. C., McHenry, J. R., and Gil, A. C.: 1973,Limnol. Oceanogr. 18, 254.
Robins, J. A. and Edgington, D. N.: 1977, ‘The Distribution of Selected Chemical Elements in the Sediments of Southern Lake Michigan’, Argonne National Laboratory Report No. ANL-76-88, Part III, pp. 65–74.
Smith, M. E. and Frankenberg, T. T.: 1975,J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 25, 595.
Tan, Y. L.: 1979,J. Chromatogr. 176, 319.
Thomas, F. W., Carpenter, S. B., and Cartrell, F. E.: 1963,J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 13, 198.
Vaughan, B. E., Abel, K. H., Cataldo, D. A., Hales, J. M., Hane, C. E., Rancitelli, L. A., Routson, R. C., Wildung, R. E., and Wolf, E. G.: 1975, ‘Review of Potential Impact on Health and Environmental Quality from Metals Entering the Environment as a Result of Coal Utilization’, A Battelle Energy Program Report, Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, WA.
Wakem, S. G., Schaffner, C., Giger, W., Boon, J. J., and Deleeuw, J. W.: 1979,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 43, 1141.
Wakem, S. G., Schaffner, C., and Giger, W.: 1980,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 44, 415.
Young, D. R. and Jan, T. K.: 1977,Mar. Pollut. Bull. 8, 109.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heit, M., Tan, Y., Klusek, C. et al. Anthropogenic trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in sediment cores from two lakes in the Adirondack acid lake region. Water Air Soil Pollut 15, 441–464 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279426
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279426