oa A 600-Years Pollution History Reconstruction using Lake Sediments from Bad Waldsee, Southern Germany

Laminated sediments of Lake Stadtsee, located next to the town of Bad Waldsee, provide a unique archive of socio-economic and environmental history since medieval times. In this study, we explored the compositional patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including dimethyl-phenanthrene isomers (DMP), as well as the sedimentary charcoal record, as indicators of variations in both natural and anthropogenic fire activity from 1200 to 1800 AD.The variations in PAH concentrations during pre-industrial times correspond to known changes in local, regional, and continental anthropogenic activities. Perylene, predominantly a biologically generated compound (metabolic by-product), was the dominant PAH in pre-industrial times.

Heavy metal analyses are currently in progress. First results show a similar pollution pattern pointing to a strong linkage to the town’s historical economic evolution i.e. primary crafts.