Metal Contamination in ADK Lake Sediments

This dataset contains sediment core data from four lakes in the Adirondack Preserve, northeastern United States, collected to reconstruct historical and recent trends in metal deposition. Sediment cores were analyzed for a suite of metals, including lead (Pb), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe). Metal extractions were conducted using ultra-pure nitric acid (HNO₃) to isolate weakly bound fractions associated with clays, carbonates, and oxides, indicative of anthropogenic influences. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used for quantitative analysis.