Abstract
ABSTRACTIn urban environments, diachronic evolution of water quality can be reconstructed using geochemical analysis of urban secondary carbonate deposits (USCDs), from urban underground structures, similar to speleothems from natural caves. The use of the radiocarbon bomb peak to build their precise chronology was recently tested in two Paris-area urban sites (France). In this study, new samples from contrasted environments in the Paris region were sampled in order to test the sites’ effects on the radiocarbon signal recorded: under wood, under a fountain, in underground aqueducts, in the south and north of Paris. We compared the post-bomb atmospheric radiocarbon record with the one measured at the top of USCDs, and estimated the dead carbon proportion (DCP), between 0 and 40%. USCDs fed by water with a rapid transfer through thin soil (Versailles fountain) had the lowest DCP (14C very close to atmospheric one). Highest DCP were found for USCD from deep underground quarry under urban wood, and intermediate ones for USCDs fed by the waters of perched aquifers. These data support the use of radiocarbon as chronometer for USCDs in contrasted urban contexts, and show that it can be used to determine carbon transport and sources, an important parameter for pollution reconstruction.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
