The Marano and Grado Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea) has been affected by mercury (Hg) contamination coming from two sources, mining activity and discharges from a chlor-alkali plant (CAP). Sediments and water contamination have been previously well characterised, but little is known about the atmospheric compartment, where Hg is easily emitted and can persist for a long time as gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). In this work, atmospheric GEM levels and its spatial distribution over the lagoon were monitored at several sites by means of both continuous discrete instrumental measurements over several months and the determination of Hg bioaccumulated in lichens (Xanthoria parietina L.). Average GEM levels varied from 1.80 ± 0.74 to 3.04 ± 0.66 ng m−3, whereas Hg in lichens ranged between 0.06 to 0.40 mg kg−1. In both cases, the highest values were found downwind of the CAP, but excluding this point, spatial patterns of Hg in the atmosphere and lichens reflected the concentration of this metal in the sediments of the lagoon, showing a decrease moving westward. These results could indicate that the lagoon acts as a secondary source of Hg into the atmosphere: future work is needed to characterise the quantity of releases and depositions at different environments inside the lagoon.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.