Anoxic conditions within reservoirs related to thermal
stratification
and oxygen depletion lead to methylmercury (MeHg) production, a key
process governing the uptake of mercury in aquatic food webs. Once
formed within a reservoir, the timing and magnitude of the biological
uptake of MeHg and the relative importance of MeHg export in water
versus biological compartments remain poorly understood. We examined
the relations between the reservoir stratification state, anoxia,
and the concentrations and export loads of MeHg in aqueous and biological
compartments at the outflow locations of two reservoirs of the Hells
Canyon Complex (Snake River, Idaho-Oregon). Results show that (1)
MeHg concentrations in filter-passing water, zooplankton, suspended
particles, and detritus increased in response to reservoir destratification;
(2) zooplankton MeHg strongly correlated with MeHg in filter-passing
water during destratification; (3) reservoir anoxia appeared to be
a key control on MeHg export; and (4) biological MeHg, primarily in
zooplankton, accounted for only 5% of total MeHg export from the reservoirs
(the remainder being aqueous compartments). These results improve
our understanding of the role of biological incorporation of MeHg
and the subsequent downstream release from seasonally stratified reservoirs
and demonstrate that in-reservoir physical processes strongly influence
MeHg incorporation at the base of the aquatic food web.
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