African humid periods triggered the reactivation of a large river system in Western Sahara.

The Sahara experienced several humid episodes during the late Quaternary, associated with the development of vast fluvial networks and enhanced freshwater delivery to the surrounding ocean margins. In particular, marine sediment records off Western Sahara indicate deposition of river-borne material at those times, implying sustained fluvial discharges along the West African margin. Today, however, no major river exists in this area; therefore, the origin of these sediments remains unclear.

Environmental impact of early Basque mining and smelting recorded in a high ash minerogenic peat deposit.

More than four metres of core, covering almost 5000 years of deposition, were collected in a high ash minerogenic peat deposit located in the High Aldudes valley (Basque country), an area well known for its mineral abundance, exploited from Roman Times at least. Although minerogenic peatlands are not generally considered as the best archives to reconstruct past atmospheric metal deposition history, lead isotopic geochemistry demonstrates the integrity of the Pb record at least within the three upper meters; that is to say over the last four millennia. Zn, Cd and Cu may have been widely redistributed either by biological cycling, advective groundwater movements, or diffusional processes.

Influence of atmospheric pollution on the lead content of wines.

Over the last century, the atmospheric fallout of anthropogenic lead has evolved with time, as a function of the chronological variability of transient lead inputs from both industrial and gasoline origins. This variability has been mostly documented over North America and northern Europe. In this study we used ICP-MS for the determination of lead isotope ratios and showed that a series of French wines followed the evolution of the environmental lead record over the last century.