Pervasive Arctic lead pollution suggests substantial growth in medieval silver production modulated by plague, climate, and conflict

Joseph R. McConnell (), Nathan J. Chellman, Andrew I. Wilson, Andreas Stohl, Monica M. Arienzo, Sabine Eckhardt, Diedrich Fritzsche, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Thomas Opel, Philip F. Place and Jørgen Peder Steffensen
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Joseph R. McConnell: Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512
Nathan J. Chellman: Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512
Andrew I. Wilson: Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3LU, United Kingdom; Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2PG, United Kingdom
Andreas Stohl: Department of Atmospheric and Climate Research, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, N-2027 Kjeller, Norway
Monica M. Arienzo: Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512
Sabine Eckhardt: Department of Atmospheric and Climate Research, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, N-2027 Kjeller, Norway
Diedrich Fritzsche: Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Sepp Kipfstuhl: Glaciology, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
Thomas Opel: Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Philip F. Place: Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
Jørgen Peder Steffensen: Centre for Ice and Climate, University of Copenhagen, DK-1017 Copenhagen, Denmark

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019, vol. 116, issue 30, 14910-14915

Abstract: Lead pollution in Arctic ice reflects large-scale historical changes in midlatitude industrial activities such as ancient lead/silver production and recent fossil fuel burning. Here we used measurements in a broad array of 13 accurately dated ice cores from Greenland and Severnaya Zemlya to document spatial and temporal changes in Arctic lead pollution from 200 BCE to 2010 CE, with interpretation focused on 500 to 2010 CE. Atmospheric transport modeling indicates that Arctic lead pollution was primarily from European emissions before the 19th-century Industrial Revolution. Temporal variability was surprisingly similar across the large swath of the Arctic represented by the array, with 250- to 300-fold increases in lead pollution observed from the Early Middle Ages to the 1970s industrial peak. Superimposed on these exponential changes were pronounced, multiannual to multidecadal variations, marked by increases coincident with exploitation of new mining regions, improved technologies, and periods of economic prosperity; and decreases coincident with climate disruptions, famines, major wars, and plagues. Results suggest substantial overall growth in lead/silver mining and smelting emissions—and so silver production—from the Early through High Middle Ages, particularly in northern Europe, with lower growth during the Late Middle Ages into the Early Modern Period. Near the end of the second plague pandemic (1348 to ∼1700 CE), lead pollution increased sharply through the Industrial Revolution. North American and European pollution abatement policies have reduced Arctic lead pollution by >80% since the 1970s, but recent levels remain ∼60-fold higher than at the start of the Middle Ages.

Keywords: ice core; lead pollution; Arctic; plague; Middle Ages (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:116:y:2019:p:14910-14915

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