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Arfstrom, C.; MacFarlane, Andrew; Jones, Ronald D.

doi:10.1023/a:1005214908516

Cited by 23 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 13 publications

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“…This implies that organic soils associated with wetland environments are expected to have the highest concentrations of Hg [133]. Therefore, it is logical that the peatlands of the Everglades, which is the largest wetland area in southern Florida, is the largest reservoir of accumulated Hg [92,[134][135][136][137]. There is a general paucity of Hg data on other wetland soil deposits in southern Florida for comparison to the Everglades Hg database [138].…”

Section: Atmospheric Deposition Of Hg In the Southern Florida Environ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Background and the Anthropogenic Enrichment of Mercury in the Southern Florida Environment: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health

Missimer,

MacDonald,

Tsegaye

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that is easily released into the atmosphere as a gas or a particulate. Since Hg has serious health impacts based on human exposure, it is a major concern where it accumulates. Southern Florida is a region of high Hg deposition in the United States. It has entered the southern Florida environment for over 56 MY. For the past 3000 to 8000 years, Hg has accumulated in the Everglades peatlands, where approximately 42.3 metric tons of Hg was deposited. The pre-industrial source of mercury that was deposited into the Everglades was from the atmosphere, consisting of combined Saharan dust and marine evasion. Drainage and the development of the Everglades for agriculture, and other mixed land uses have caused a 65.7% reduction in the quantity of peat, therefore releasing approximately 28 metric tons of Hg into the southern Florida environment over a period of approximately 133 years. Both natural and man-made fires have facilitated the Hg release. The current range in mercury release into the southern Florida environment lies between 994.9 and 1249 kg/yr. The largest source of Hg currently entering the Florida environment is from combined atmospheric sources, including Saharan dust, aerosols, sea spray, and ocean flux/evasion at 257.1–514.2 kg/yr. The remobilization of Hg from the Everglades peatlands and fires is approximately 215 kg/yr. Other large contributors include waste to energy incinerators (204.1 kg/yr), medical waste and crematory incinerators (159.7+ kg/yr), and cement plant stack discharge (150.6 kg/yr). Minor emissions include fuel emissions from motorized vehicles, gas emissions from landfills, asphalt plants, and possible others. No data are available on controlled fires in the Everglades in sugar farming, which is lumped with the overall peatland loss of Hg to the environment. Hg has impacted wildlife in southern Florida with recorded excess concentrations in fish, birds, and apex predators. This bioaccumulation of Hg in animals led to the adoption of regulations (total maximum loads) to reduce the impacts on wildlife and warnings were given to consumers to avoid the consumption of fish that are considered to be contaminated. The deposition of atmospheric Hg in southern Florida has not been studied sufficiently to ascertain where it has had the greatest impacts. Hg has been found to accumulate on willow tree leaves in a natural environment in one recent study. No significant studies of the potential impacts on human health have been conducted in southern Florida, which should be started based on the high rates of Hg fallout in rainfall and known recycling for organic sediments containing high concentrations of Hg.

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Section: Atmospheric Deposition Of Hg In the Southern Florida Environ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Background and the Anthropogenic Enrichment of Mercury in the Southern Florida Environment: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health

Missimer,

MacDonald,

Tsegaye

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Recent Changes in Soil Total Phosphorus in the Everglades: Water Conservation Area 3

Bruland

Osborne

Reddy

et al. 2006

Environ Monit Assess

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We assessed recent changes in the distribution of soil total phosphorus (TP) in Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3) of the Everglades. Soil cores were collected in 1992 and 2003 at 176 sites. To reflect hydrologic boundaries within the system, WCA-3 was divided into three zones (3AN, 3AS, and 3B). Total P was mapped on both a mass (TPm) and a volumetric basis (TPv) to determine if spatial distributions varied depending on the choice of units.Interpolated maps for both years showed that the highest levels of TPm were located in 3AN and in boundary areas of all zones that received surface water inputs of P from canals. Increases in TPm were greatest in central 3AN in an area adjacent to the Miami Canal that received inputs from a water control structure. Interpolated maps for TPv illustrated that a hotspot present in 1992 had disappeared by 2003. The highest levels of TPv in 2003 were located in northwestern 3AN, a region of WCA-3 that has been chronically overdrained and burned in 1999. From 1992 to 2003, increases in TPm were observed for 53% of the area of WCA-3, while only 16% of WCA-3 exhibited increases in TPv. In 1992, approximately 21% of WCA-3 had TPm concentrations in the 0-10 cm layer > 500 mg kg −1 , indicating P enrichment beyond historic levels. Eleven years later, 30% of the area of WCA-3 had TPm > 500 mg kg −1 . This indicated that during this period, the area of WCA-3 with enriched TPm concentrations increased about one % year −1 .

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Topographical Influences on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Mercury at the Catchment Scale

Gunda

Scanlon

2013

Water Air Soil Pollut

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Cited by 23 publications

References 13 publications

Natural Background and the Anthropogenic Enrichment of Mercury in the Southern Florida Environment: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health

Natural Background and the Anthropogenic Enrichment of Mercury in the Southern Florida Environment: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health

Recent Changes in Soil Total Phosphorus in the Everglades: Water Conservation Area 3

Topographical Influences on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Mercury at the Catchment Scale

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