The atmospheric lead record preserved in lagoon sediments at a remote equatorial Pacific location: Palmyra Atoll, northern Line Islands

► Records deposition of atmospheric Pb in an isolated atoll lagoon (Palmyra Atoll). ► Correlation with North American Pb emissions on annual basis for past century. ► Data contrast with studies from deep-sea sediments, where Pb deposition delayed. ► New information on sedimentation rates for atoll lagoons and annual 210Pb flux.