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First recorded presence of anthropogenic fly-ash particles in coral skeletons
Summary
Researchers discovered fly-ash particles, tiny residues from burning fossil fuels in industrial processes, embedded within coral skeletons in the Mediterranean for the first time. The particles appeared in coral layers corresponding to a period of heavy industrial activity from the late 1950s to early 1990s. The finding demonstrates that corals can serve as natural records of industrial pollution, similar to how tree rings or ice cores track environmental changes.
Fly-ash particles formed during industrial fossil-fuel combustion show a globally observed rapid increase in concentration within natural archives post-1950 and have been proposed as a marker for the Anthropocene Epoch. Here, we present the first record of fly-ash particles incorporated into coral skeletons. Particles are present in Mediterranean corals between CE 1957 and 1992 at concentrations of 8-30 g-1 coral, mirroring the period of increased industrial activity in the area, and corroborating with spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) records globally. The findings have important implications for the use of SCPs as markers in natural archives. With the exception of microplastics, this is the first evidence of particulate contamination in corals collected from natural environments. Further research is needed to understand incorporation pathways into coral skeletons, any subsequent ecotoxicological impact of contaminants, and the influence on overall coral health globally.