How reliable is the210Pb dating method? Old and new results from Switzerland

We present a historical overview of applications of210Pb dating in Switzerland with a special emphasis on the work performed at the University of Bern. It is demonstrated that the average specific activity of210Pb in the lower atmosphere is very constant and does not show seasonal variations. We then concentrate on new results from Lobsigensee, a very small lake, and on published and new data from Lake Zurich. Several210Pb profiles from these lakes show obvious disturbances and a disagreement of the resulting sedimentation rate when compared to that for the 23 years defined by137Cs peaks of 1986 (Chernobyl) and 1963 (bomb fallout).