Baseline determination of the atmospheric Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic compositions in the Rhine valley, Vosges mountains (France) and the Central Swiss Alps

The Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of biomonitors (lichen, moss, bark) and soil litter from different regions in the Rhine valley, as well as of <0.45 μm particles separated out of ice of the Rhône and Oberaar glaciers and lichens from the Swiss Central Alps, have been determined in order to deduce the natural baseline of the atmospheric isotopic compositions of these regions, which are suggested to be close to the isotopic compositions of the corresponding basement rocks or soils at the same sites. 206Pb/207Pb and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios are positively correlated. Most polluted samples from traffic-rich urban environments have the least radiogenic Pb and Sr isotopic compositions with 206Pb/207Pb and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 1.11 and 0.7094, respectively. These ratios are very different from those of the atmospheric baseline for the Vosges mountains and the Rhine valley (206Pb/207Pb: 1.158–1.167; 87Sr/86Sr: 0.719–0.725; εNd: −7.5 to −10.1). However, this study indicates that the baseline of the atmospheric natural Pb and Sr isotopic compositions is affected by anthropogenic (traffic, industrial and urban) emissions even in remote areas. Lichen samples from below the Rhône and Oberaar glaciers reflect the baseline composition close to the Grimsel pass in the Central Swiss Alps (87Sr/86Sr: 0.714 − 0.716; εNd: −3.6 to −8.1). The 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios are highly variable (8ε units) and it is suggested that the variation of the 143Nd/144Nd is controlled by wet deposition and aerosols originating from the regional natural and industrial urban environments and from more distant regions like the Sahara in North Africa. The least anthropogenetically affected samples collected in remote areas have isotopic compositions closest to those of the corresponding granitoid basement rocks.