Anthropogenic osmium in rain and snow reveals global-scale atmospheric contamination

摘要: Abstract Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration ≈10 × 10−15 g g−1 (5.3 10−14 mol kg−1). The osmium isotope composition (187Os/188Os ratio) deep oceans 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (≈1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (≈0.13). Here, we show that 187Os/188Os ratios measured rain snow collected around world range 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar ores (≈0.2) are processed extract platinum other metals be used primarily automobile catalytic converters. Present-day surface seawater has ratio (≈0.95) waters, suggesting human activities have altered world's impacted global geochemical cycle osmium. contamination ocean particularly remarkable given few industrial uses. pollution may increase growing demand for platinum-based catalysts.