Strengthening potential of recent peat dating.

This study concerned high-resolution age reconstructions of modern organic deposits collected from peatlands distributed in Central Europe. The main focus was on Pb radioisotope as a fundamental geochronometer along with C and Pu radioisotopes used for dating verification. In addition to simple classical models such as CF/CS or CF, the new approach formulated upon the Plum method was implemented. Examined peat profiles with usually poorly defined equilibrium depth revealed a high complexity manifested by vertical variability of both Pb activity concentration and bulk density. The performance of dating models required prior slight corrections, which led to reliable and accurate chronologies for most of the profiles, representing various peatland types (bogs, poor fens and fens). Moreover, the age series of different Pb models were highly consistent for a given core. The Pb inventory and flux assessment exhibited maxima (SE, 1σ) of 8450 (90) Bq m and 280 (20) Bq m y, respectively, reflecting an elevated level of Rn exhalation in the Sudetes region. No statistically significant regularities were found in the geographical distribution of Pb fluxes or accumulation rates.