Fb Pyatt

Early-Holocene environments in the Wadi Faynan, Jordan

Evidence for early-Holocene environments in the Wadi Faynan in the rift-margin in souther Jordan is described. The early Holocene of Jordan is not well known and palynology, plant macrofossils and molluscs from Wadi Faynan provide evidence for a much more humid-forest-steppe and steppe-environment than the present stony desert and highly degraded steppe. The early-Holocene fluvial sediments in the Faynan catchment are predominantly fine-grained, epsilon crossbedded and highly fossiliferous. They provide convincing evidence for meandering perennial rivers before 6000 cal. BP. It is probable that this early-Holocene landscape was disrupted by the impact of early farmers and by climate change-the 8.1 ka event appears to be marked by desiccation. By the Chalcolithic, environmental degradation was well advanced.

A public health problem? : Aspects and implications of the ingestion of copper and lead contaminated food by Bedouin

Large metalliferous spoil and smelting tip sites, generated during the Nabatean, Roman and Byzantine periods, continue to exist in southern Jordan and still exert important effects on both plants and animals (including humans) inhabiting the area. Humans are exposed to both copper and lead pollution as a consequence of the inhalation and ingestion of heavy metals, which often involves significant bio‐accumulation through trophic levels. This paper explores aspects of an important source of severe dietary contamination which has potential public health implications in terms of effects on the health of exposed individuals.

Volcanic eruptions dry fogs and the european palaeoenvironmental record: Localised phenomena or Hemispheric impacts?

Abstract This paper addresses the climatic and environmental significance of historical records of dry fogs, particularly from Mediterranean sources, which have previously been interpreted as indicating the occurrence of large scale volcanic eruptions. A consideration of material presented here suggests that such descriptions may not indicate the presence of stratospheric aerosols emitted in massive volcanic eruptions, which may be capable of affecting hemispheric climate for several years. Such descriptions may instead record the concentration of volcanic gases in the lower atmosphere from relatively minor, climatically ineffective but environmentally significant, volcanic eruptions. The ‘mystery dust veil of AD 536’ is discussed in the light of this debate and the need for caution when estimating the magnitude of a volcanic event from associated historical records is stressed.

Acid Damage to Vegetation Following the Laki Fissure Eruption in 1783 - An Historical Review

Abstract Documentary evidence suggests that during the Laki fissure eruption, Iceland, in the summer of 1783, severe acid pollution of the atmosphere resulted in damage to crops and trees in eastern England and northern Germany; the acid pulses led to enhanced fish mortality in Scotland.

An air-pollution history of metallurgical innovation in iron- and steel-making: A geochemical archive of Sheffield

This paper explores the degree to which palaeoecological analyses can determine the history of metallurgical innovation and complex technological developments that took place in the iron- and steel industries of the City of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.A knowledge of the key scientific breakthroughs as well as documentary evidence of industrial growth and decline in Sheffield are used as base-line historical data with which to interpret the palaeoecological and geochemical evidence presented here as a result of investigations of peats and clays collected from the Tinsley Park Bog in the Lower Don Valley of Sheffield. These deposits were analysed for charcoal, pollen, mineral magnetic properties and some trace elements (Ti, V, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, and Pb). Metal concentrations (measured using AAS) were as high as 320 ppm Ni, 472 ppm Cu, 613 ppm Zn, and 827 ppm Pb. Compared to the typical concentrations found in crustal rocks, Ni is enriched in the peats and sediments by as much as a factor of 5 times, Cu and Zn by a factor of 10, and Pb by more than 60 times. The lowest concentrations of Cu, Ni, Zn and V were found in the basal peats of Tinsley Park Bog arguing against a natural geochemical source as the cause of the enrichments. The greatest Cu and Zn enrichments are found in the peats in the top 0.1 m of the bog, possibly an indication of a large Special Steels Plant which began production nearby in 1963. Below these levels in the peat, in contrast, Ni and V are relatively abundant. They are believed to reflect the manufacture of complex steels during the earlier part of the twentieth century. Lead is most abundant in samples from depths in the peat which are though to post-date the onset of coal utilisation at the nearby Rothervale Mine.Interpretation is hampered because at present there is no independent evidence of the antiquity of the peat deposits studied. Neither is there any clear understanding of the significance of the taphonomic processes which have influenced the geochemical and paleoecological records obtained from the deposits. Nevertheless, our present interpretation of the data presented here indicates that to a suprising extent, it is possible to detect in the peat monolith (i) evidence of the expansion and relative decline of the adjacent steel industry; (ii) the impact of this manufacturing economy and associated coal-mining upon the adjacent vegetation; and (iii) the introduction of trace elements in pure forms or as alloys, as steel-making processes developed through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Modern Bedouin exposures to copper contamination: an imperial legacy?

The exposure of a modern Bedouin population living in the deserts and mountains of southwestern Jordan, to metal contamination was assessed via the analysis of sediments, plants, livestock, and foodstuffs. Exposure to copper is demonstrated to be a potential hazard. The Bedouin are shown to be vulnerable to contamination via several pathways, the most serious of which are familiar in the industrialized environments of the developed world.

Archaeology and Desertification in the Wadi Faynan: the Fourth (1999) Season of the Wadi Faynan Landscape Survey

Abstract This report describes the fourth season of fieldwork by an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists and geographers working together to reconstruct the landscape history of the Wadi Faynan in southern Jordan. The particular focus of the project is the long-term history of inter-relationships between landscape and people, as a contribution to the study of processes of desertification and environmental degradation. The 1999 fieldwork contributed significantly towards the five objectives defined for the final two field seasons of the project in 1999 and 2000: to map the archaeology outside the ancient field systems flooring the wadi that have formed the principal focus of the archaeological survey in the previous seasons; to use ethnoarchaeological studies both to reconstruct modern and recent land use and also to yield archaeological signatures of land use to inform the analysis of the survey data; to complete the survey of ancient field systems and refine understanding of when and how they functioned; to complete the programme of geomorphological and palaeoecological fieldwork, and in particular to refine the chronology of climatic change and human impacts; and to complete the recording and classification of finds.

An appraisal of atmospheric pollution by aluminium fumes emanating from smelter works in Western Norway

Abstract Material including birch leaves, twigs, soil, and grass was collected from various sites around the Ovre Ardal aluminium smelter in Western Norway. Samples were analysed by means of electron probe X-ray microanalysis to ascertain the relative amounts of deposited aluminium. The prevailing wind together with the steep sided valleys controlled the fate of the pollutant, and material was found to sediment out from the atmosphere in lowland sites particularly to the north-east, north-west, and east of the industrial complex; most deposition occurred within several kilometers of the plant. Some effects of aluminium on plant surfaces are discussed.

Comparative Effectiveness of Tillandsia Usneoides L. and Parmotrema Praesorediosum (Nyl.) Hale as Bio-Indicators of Atmospheric Pollution in Louisiana (U.S.A.)

Samples of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia usneoides L. (Bromeliaceae) and the lichen Parmotrema praesorediosum (Nyl.) Hale, growing on bald cypress trees in southern Louisiana, were chemically examined by means of X-ray micro-probe analysis to determine their comparative elemental content. The plants were found to effectively bio-accumulate heavy metals and sulfur from the atmosphere; the accumulatory capacities and implications are discussed. Partitioning occurs within the plants of T. usneoides and consequently any analytical procedure should standardise on precisely which parts are to be analysed. The bio- accumulation of certain heavy metals such as manganese, nickel and cadmium increases with age of the T. usneoides.

Radon and 'King Solomon's Miners': Faynan Orefield, Jordanian Desert.

Concentrations of 222Rn were measured in ancient copper mines which exploited the Faynan Orefield in the South-Western Jordanian Desert. The concentrations of radon gas detected indicate that the ancient metal workers would have been exposed to a significant health risk and indicate that any future attempt to exploit the copper ores must deal with the hazard identified. Seasonal variations in radon concentrations are noted and these are linked to the ventilation of the mines. These modern data are used to explore the differential exposure to radon and the health of ancient mining communities.