Characterizing Dry Deposition of Mercury in Urban Runoff

Abstract

Stormwater runoff from urban surfaces often contains elevated levels of toxic metals. When discharged directly into water bodies, these pollutants degrade water quality and impact aquatic life and human health. In this study, the composition of impervious surface runoff and associated rainfall was investigated for several storm events at an urban site in Orlando, Florida. Total mercury in runoff consisted of 58% particulate and 42% filtered forms. Concentration comparisons at the start and end of runoff events indicate that about 85% of particulate total mercury and 93% of particulate methylmercury were removed from the surface before runoff ended. Filtered mercury concentrations showed less than 50% reduction of both total and methylmercury from first flush to final flush. Direct comparison between rainfall and runoff at this urban site indicates dry deposition accounted for 22% of total inorganic mercury in runoff.

Mercury and Methylmercury Dynamics in a Coastal Plain Watershed, New Jersey, USA

“…Our finding of high particulate Hg in streams in urban settings is consistent with results of previous studies of Hg in streams that drain urban areas (Hurley et al 1998;Mason and Sullivan 1998;Lyons et al 2006), and sediment loads in the GEHR were shown to have increased with increasing development (Fusillo 1981). In mainstem surface water in the city of Berlin (sites 1 and 2), the concentrations of UTHg (20.2 and 63.3 ng/L) and UMeHg (0.35 and 2.94 ng/L) were similar to average concentrations found in urban runoff at a site in Florida, USA (Fulkerson et al 2007).…”

Critical review of heavy metal pollution of traffic area runoff: Occurrence, influencing factors, and partitioning

“…For all metal analyses except those for total concentrations, the holding time is essential by having a critical effect on pH and on the fractionation of metals. Runoff samples were held for less than 1 h (Dean et al, 2005;Fulkerson et al, 2007), for 2-3 h (Barbosa and Hvitved-Jacobsen, 1999), for 7 h (Lau et al, 2009) or for a maximum of 24 h (Stotz, 1987;Stotz and Krauth, 1994;Booth and Leavitt, 1999;Brattebo and Booth, 2003;Flint and Davis, 2007;Moores et al, 2010;Lee et al, 2011;Nason et al, 2012;Borne et al, 2013) before delivery to a laboratory and beginning of preparation. Other studies stated the holding time as "immediately" or did not specify it properly.…”

Cardiorespiratory responses to graded hypoxia in the neotropical fish matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus) and traíra (Hoplias malabaricus) after waterborne or trophic exposure to inorganic mercury

“…Mercury has drawn global attention due to its ability to contaminate entire water streams from remote trace level inputs that bioaccumulate through the food chain (Fulkerson et al, 2007).…”