Biological Mercury Hotspots in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada

Evers, David C.; Han, Young J.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Kamman, Neil C.; Goodale, M. Wing; Lambert, Kathleen F.; Holsen, Thomas M.; Chen, Celia Y.; Clair, Thomas A.; Bütler, Thomas

doi:10.1641/b570107

Cited by 300 publications

(294 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…However, just as THg newly deposited to uplands is sequestered by soils and vegetation and only slowly (over years) released to surface waters , atmospheric MeHg inputs to the forest floor are unlikely to enter streamwater rapidly and without transformation. Rather, there is ample evidence that watershed processes exert a stronger control than atmospheric deposition on MeHg concentrations in water and accumulation in fish Evers et al, 2007;Munthe et al, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

Shanley

Mast

Campbell

et al. 2008

Environmental Pollution

101

108

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Martin M., "Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach" (2008 High-flow sampling reveals strong contrasts in total mercury and methylmercury cycling in five diverse USA watersheds. AbstractThe small watershed approach is well-suited but underutilized in mercury research. We applied the small watershed approach to investigate total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) dynamics in streamwater at the five diverse forested headwater catchments of the US Geological Survey Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) program. At all sites, baseflow THg was generally less than 1 ng L À1 and MeHg was less than 0.2 ng L À1. THg and MeHg concentrations increased with streamflow, so export was primarily episodic. At three sites, THg and MeHg concentration and export were dominated by the particulate fraction in association with POC at high flows, with maximum THg (MeHg) concentrations of 94 (2.56) ng L À1 at Sleepers River, Vermont; 112 (0.75) ng L À1 at Rio Icacos, Puerto Rico; and 55 (0.80) ng L À1at Panola Mt., Georgia. Filtered (<0.7 mm) THg increased more modestly with flow in association with the hydrophobic acid fraction (HPOA) of DOC, with maximum filtered THg concentrations near 5 ng L À1 at both Sleepers and Icacos. At Andrews Creek, Colorado, THg export was also episodic but was dominated by filtered THg, as POC concentrations were low. MeHg typically tracked THg so that each site had a fairly constant MeHg/THg ratio, which ranged from near zero at Andrews to 15% at the low-relief, groundwater-dominated Allequash Creek, Wisconsin. Allequash was the only site with filtered MeHg consistently above detection, and the filtered fraction dominated both THg and MeHg. Relative to inputs in wet deposition, watershed retention of THg (minus any subsequent volatilization) was 96.6% at Allequash, 60% at Sleepers, and 83% at Andrews. Icacos had a net export of THg, possibly due to historic gold mining or frequent disturbance from landslides. Quantification and interpretation of Hg dynamics was facilitated by the small watershed approach with emphasis on event sampling.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

Shanley

Mast

Campbell

et al. 2008

Environmental Pollution

101

108

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“…Factors controlling the biomagnification of MeHg and resulting concentrations occurring in apex predators are highly variable as evidenced by the occurrence of biological hotspots (i.e., "a location on the landscape that, compared to the surrounding landscape, is characterized by elevated concentrations of Hg in biota that exceed established human or wildlife health criteria" (Evers et al 2007). These factors include variability in mass loading of inorganic Hg, environmental conditions affecting biogeochemistry and net methylation rates, and the bioavailability of both inorganic and resulting organic forms (Evers et al 2007;Chen et al 2012;Heyes et al 2006;Hollweg et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These factors include variability in mass loading of inorganic Hg, environmental conditions affecting biogeochemistry and net methylation rates, and the bioavailability of both inorganic and resulting organic forms (Evers et al 2007;Chen et al 2012;Heyes et al 2006;Hollweg et al 2010). Additionally, differences in community productivity and structure are thought to influence the degree of biomagnification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury Biomagnification Through a Coral Reef Ecosystem

Rumbold¹,

Lienhardt²,

Parsons³

2018

Preprint

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Total mercury (Hg) and stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon were determined in the muscle tissue of 50 species of fishes and invertebrates collected at two sites along the Florida reef tract from April 2012 -December 2013. The objective was to test the hypothesis that high biodiversity in coral reefs leading to complex food webs with increased lateral links reduces biomagnification. However, Hg levels ranged as high 6.84 mg/kg. Interestingly, it was not highest in great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), considered the top predatory fish, but instead in small porkfish (±95% confidence interval) to 0.201 ±0.07. These TMS were also within the ranges of slopes reported for food webs in other ecosystems; thus, biomagnification of Hg in muscle tissue was not reduced in the system.

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“…It is one of the major mechanisms, other than dry deposition, that transports mercury to land and aquatic surfaces where it may be converted to methyl mercury compounds. Methyl mercury is readily absorbed by fish and wildlife and becomes increasingly concentrated higher up the food chain [Evers et al, 2007;Wyn et al, 2010]. It is therefore crucial to identify and quantify the sources and atmospheric processes affecting mercury wet deposition in order to mitigate methyl mercury in the ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative contributions of gaseous oxidized mercury and fine and coarse particle‐bound mercury to mercury wet deposition at nine monitoring sites in North America

Cheng¹,

Zhang²,

Mao

2015

JGR Atmospheres

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Relative contributions to mercury wet deposition by gaseous oxidized mercury (%GOM) and fine and coarse particle-bound mercury (%FPBM and %CPBM) were estimated making use of monitored FPBM air concentration and mercury wet deposition at nine North American locations. Scavenging ratios of particulate inorganic ions (K + and Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and Na + ) were used as a surrogate for those of FPBM and CPBM, respectively. FPBM and CPBM were estimated to contribute 8-36% and 5-27%, respectively, depending on the location, to total wet deposition. The rest of the 39-87% was attributed to the contribution of GOM. The average %GOM, %FPBM and %CPBM among all locations were 65%, 17%, and 18%, respectively. The relative distributions of %GOM, %FPBM, and %CPBM were influenced by Hg(II) gas-particle partitioning, urban site characteristics, and precipitation type. At the regional scale, %GOM dominated over %FPBM and %CPBM. However, the sum of FPBM and CPBM contributed to nearly half of the total Hg wet deposition in urban areas, which was greater than other site categories and is attributed to higher FPBM air concentrations. At four locations, %FPBM exceeded %GOM during winter in contrast to summer, suggesting the efficient snow scavenging of aerosols. The results from this study are useful in improving mercury transport models since most of these models do not estimate CPBM, but frequently use monitored mercury wet deposition data for model evaluation.

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Biological Mercury Hotspots in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada

Cited by 300 publications

References 47 publications

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

Mercury Biomagnification Through a Coral Reef Ecosystem

Relative contributions of gaseous oxidized mercury and fine and coarse particle‐bound mercury to mercury wet deposition at nine monitoring sites in North America

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