Kathleen Carpenter
- Born
- Unknown
Kathleen Carpenter was a Welsh ecologist in the early 20th century. Her research showed how lead mining was affecting fish species in surrounding rivers by draining through the soil.
Working in the department of zoology at the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, Carpenter studied the freshwater ecosystems of Welsh rivers, and was especially interested in the effects of pollution on fish populations. She also set in place a classification system for river flow. Usually there is a distinct change from the river source down the river and Carpenter’s classification of these stages was based upon the types of fish species present at each stage of the river.
From 1919-1923 Carpenter studied the fauna and flora in the rivers polluted by lead mining. She found that both lead grit, which could interfere with the gills of fish, and lead salts which are soluble in water, were responsible for the low abundance of fish and algae present. Her findings were published in the Annals of Applied Biology journal.
In years following this discovery, she also found that fish were being killed by the soluble salts of lead, even at extremely low concentrations. In fact, it was not through lead poisoning that they were dying from as the metal did not actually penetrate the body. Rather, the lead ions were interacting with the fishes’ natural mucus and creating a film over the gills and skin, effectively causing death through suffocation.
Carpenter’s findings also showed that smaller fish were affected and died faster than large fish, and that the effect of the lead was greater as temperatures increased.