date: Tue Feb 10 11:48:02 2009 from: Phil Jones subject: Re: Icelandic sediment detection of atmospheric lead -- AAAS to: "Bruce Dorminey" Bruce, Thanks for the paper. I was on the HOLSMEER project, which is long finished, that provided the funds for this saltmarsh work in Iceland, as well as others in the UK, Ireland and Portugal. The two British Isles sites had much larger Pb concentrations in Roman times than the Icelandic one. I vaguely recall the Portuguese site having dating problems and probably not being old enough anyway. I think all it adds is that it is possible to detect the influence of early metal working - and its effect through the atmosphere and oceans in more distant parts. As the timing in Iceland agrees with Scottish and Irish sources (but much weaker), the Icelandic source is clearly from Europe - as opposed to being North American. Later in the 20th century, it is possible to see the introduction of lead in petrol and even its replacement with unleaded. Cheers Phil At 09:58 10/02/2009, you wrote: Dear Phil: I'm a science journalist doing a breaking news story for the AAAS' ScienceNOW news service here in the U.S., on the attached paper by Wil Marshall of the University of Plymouth's putative detection of 2000 year old atmospheric lead pollution from an Icelandic salt marsh. I wonder if you would kindly take a look at it and offer some comment on it's significance; its methodology. In other words, what importance is this to the history of climatology in regards to man-made pollution? How does it fit the pattern of what is already known and what does it add to the canon? Many thanks, Bruce Bruce Dorminey wikipedia: [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Dorminey book link: [2]http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Wanderers-Search-Planets-System/dp/0387950745/sr=1-1/qi d=1159268294/ref=sr_1_1/002-4521384-9880818?ie=UTF8&s=books tel: 1 206 529 7658 [3]brucedorminey@gmail.com Prof. Phil Jones Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090 School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784 University of East Anglia Norwich Email p.jones@uea.ac.uk NR4 7TJ UK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------