Articles | Volume 17, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3679-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3679-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
30 Jul 2025
Data description article |
| 30 Jul 2025
| 30 Jul 2025
Mapping the global distribution of lead and its isotopes in seawater with explainable machine learning
Arianna Olivelli
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
now at: the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400, Ostend, Belgium
Rossella Arcucci
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
Mark Rehkämper
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
Tina van de Flierdt
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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Short summary
In this study, we use machine learning models to produce the first global maps of Pb concentrations and isotope compositions in the ocean. In line with observations, we find that (i) the surface Indian Ocean has the highest levels of pollution, (ii) pollution from previous decades is sinking in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and (iii) waters carrying Pb pollution are spreading from the Southern Ocean throughout the Southern Hemisphere at intermediate depths.
In this study, we use machine learning models to produce the first global maps of Pb...
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