Possible sources and origins of lead in present-day East Antarctic snow

New data obtained in our laboratory on the lead content of Victoria Land Antarctic snow (Hercules Neve) confirm the decreasing trend for the 1980s, as already observed in previous preliminary studies carried out at other sites. Comparison of the lead content trend in the snow of the Atlantic and Pacific sectors of East Antarctica with trends in the consumption of lead in gasoline in the different countries of the Southern Hemisphere show different clear relationships for the two areas. In particular, the location of the two concentration maxima of lead in the snow of the Atlantic and Pacific sectors, makes it possible to distinguish the geographical areas in which aerosols reaching Antarctica originate.