Chemical analysis of anthropogenic aerosol recorded in Tokyo Palace moat sediment and Greenland ice

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities after Industrial Revolution have had large impacts on earth environment. The same applies to atmospheric environments and aerosols in the atmosphere, and past aerosols records in ice or sediment cores. Therefore, analysis of these records is important for discussion about Anthropocene.In this study, we conducted research on chemical records of past aerosols using ice core from Greenland (SE-II ice core) and sediment core from the Tokyo Palace moat, and clarified how each chemical record reflected anthropogenic activities on various scales (global to local).Specifically, in the SE-II core, existence of large amounts of anthropogenic elements were confirmed by trace metal concentrations, and changes in Fe and Zn species were detected by XAFS. Ca species in SE-II core was also consistent with previous studies. From the Tokyo Palace moat sediment core, Zn isotope ratios were measured and proved that they reflected local human activities.