Table_2_Monitoring Impacts of Urbanisation and Industrialisation on Air Quality in the Anthropocene Using Urban Pond Sediments.pdf

The release of toxic atmospheric pollutants since the Industrial Revolution is a major global challenge, driving climate change and damaging human health. Spatial health inequalities highlight the need to explore air pollution in different localities throughout the Anthropocene. Air quality monitoring programmes are spatially and temporally limited. We show how suitable urban sediment archives provide site specific records of long-term particulate matter (PM) releases, in cities and urban landscapes, that are or have been subjected to high pollution levels. High-resolution PM records spanning from the mid-20th century were reconstructed from an urban pond in Chongqing, southwest China, one of the fastest growing Chinese urban centres in the late 20th century. Temporal variations in pollution proxies including geomagnetic, geochemical and spheroidal carbonaceous particle trends correspond to key phases of industrial and urban developments, that are representative of the locality. Observed increases in air pollution proxies post-1960 coincide with the location of military-related industries to Chongqing and industrial intensification. Post-1997 pollution mirrors rapid urbanisation that occurred following the designation of Chongqing as a government-controlled municipality at this time and reveals a steadily increasing pollution trend to present day (2015). In comparison to Chongqing, an atmospheric depositional history was constructed from an urban pond in the Merseyside region of northwest England that has experienced a legacy of contamination since the early 19th century. In northwest England, changing characteristics of pollution are related to the establishment of localised, modern industries, power generation, urban sprawl, increased combustion-derived pollution post-1990 and effective pollution legislations. Whereas a reduction in air pollution has occurred post-2000 in Merseyside, in Chongqing, however, air pollution has continued to increase in spite of national efforts in pollution control. These urban sediments reveal the changing nature of air pollution in different urban landscapes, allowing us to assess air quality impacts of progressive industrial activity, increased road and air travel, urban expansion and the efficacy of pollution controls. It appears that air pollution remains an inevitable consequence of global industrialisation. It is therefore crucial to understand pollution histories in densely populated urban regions to determine environmental burdens of pollution on health over generational timescales.

自工业革命以来，有毒大气污染物的排放是一项重大全球挑战，它推动气候变化并损害人类健康。空间健康不平等问题凸显了在人类世（Anthropocene）时期探索不同地区空气污染状况的必要性。当前的空气质量监测项目在空间和时间维度上均存在局限性。本研究表明，合适的城市沉积物档案能够为城市及城市景观中的长期颗粒物（particulate matter, PM）排放提供特定区域的记录，这些区域当前或历史上曾处于高污染水平。研究从中国西南部重庆市的一处城市池塘重建了20世纪中期以来的高分辨率颗粒物记录，重庆是20世纪后期中国发展最快的城市中心之一。包括地磁、地球化学以及球形碳质颗粒（spheroidal carbonaceous particle）在内的污染代用指标的时间变化，与该地区具有代表性的工业和城市发展关键阶段相吻合。1960年后观测到的污染代用指标上升，与重庆落户的军工相关产业以及产业集约化进程相一致。1997年后的污染状况反映了重庆在同年被设立为中央直辖市后出现的快速城市化进程，并呈现出直至2015年的持续污染上升趋势。与重庆相比，研究从英格兰西北部默西塞德郡（Merseyside）的一处城市池塘构建了大气沉积历史，该区域自19世纪早期以来便存在污染遗留问题。在英格兰西北部，污染特征的变化与本地化现代产业的建立、发电、城市扩张、1990年后燃烧源污染加剧以及有效的污染立法相关。尽管2000年后默西塞德郡的空气污染有所降低，但重庆即便在国家出台污染管控措施的情况下，空气污染仍在持续加剧。这些城市沉积物揭示了不同城市景观中空气污染的变化特征，使我们能够评估渐进式工业活动、道路与航空出行增加、城市扩张以及污染管控措施的成效对空气质量的影响。目前看来，空气污染仍是全球工业化进程中不可避免的产物。因此，深入了解人口稠密城市地区的污染历史，对于在代际时间尺度上确定污染对健康的环境负担至关重要。