Modelling Pb, Zn and As transfer from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems during the ice-free season in three Pyrenean catchments

Long-range atmospheric trace element contamination affecting natural systems has occurred since early historical times in the Northern Hemisphere. In relatively remote sites, soils are the largest reservoir of these airborne contaminants. Trace elements stored in soils can later be remobilised and thus soils are a potential delayed, long-lasting source of contamination for the aquatic ecosystems. Here we measured the atmospheric deposition and in-lake fluxes in order to model the transfer of Pb, Zn and As from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems during the snow- and ice-free season in three mountain catchments in the Central Pyrenees. According to the model, there was a net export of Pb and As from the catchments. We postulate that accumulated anthropogenic Pb contamination and the weathering of As-rich rocks are the most likely sources. In contrast, Zn was largely retained in the catchment. For Pb and As, the terrestrial inputs were > 91% and for Zn were ~ 71% of the total inputs to the lakes. Nearly all Pb entering the lakes was retained in the sediments whereas 5–38% of As and Zn was lost through the outflow. We were unable to adjust the model for Zn for one of the lakes. The uptake by macrophytes could be a considerable sink for Zn, which was not considered in our transport model.