Effects of urbanization on mercury deposition and accumulation in New England

Chalmers, Ann T.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Metre, Peter C. Van; Nilles, Mark A.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2014.05.003

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pinedo et al (2014) found that coastal metal pollution in surface sediments was closely linked with the presence of urban areas and river mouths in the Mediterranean Sea. Atmospheric deposition of Hg has been strongly correlated with proximity to urban areas in freshwater lakes and streams in the US (Chalmers et al 2014; Van Metre 2012), yet higher Hg loading to a system doesn't necessarily result in increased MeHg bioaccumulation in resident fauna. The Delaware River estuary formerly had numerous known sources of Hg contamination to the river including a chlor-alkali facility, an industrial wastewater treatment plant, a coal-fired power plant, and numerous industrial facilities (Church et al 2006), and the influence of legacy contamination as well as current sources are reflected in the sediments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chalmers et al (2014) suggest that rural environments are more conducive to methylation, whereas urban areas are often limited in methylation efficiency by ecosystem variables such as organic carbon or alkalinity, and in turn experience less relative bioaccumulation in resident fauna. The increase in marsh presence and concurrent increase in surface sediment %MeHg and particulate MeHg concentration, as well as particulate %MeHg in the less urbanized areas along the Delaware support this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chalmers et al 2014). Food web characteristics also relate to MeHg in fish tissue; higher concentrations of MeHg have been observed in pelagic feeding fauna and higher trophic level taxa have a higher percent of total Hg as MeHg (%MeHg) (Chen et al 2014; Chen et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Food web characteristics also relate to MeHg in fish tissue; higher concentrations of MeHg have been observed in pelagic feeding fauna and higher trophic level taxa have a higher percent of total Hg as MeHg (%MeHg) (Chen et al 2014; Chen et al 2009). In addition, urban development influences Hg distribution (Chalmers et al 2014; Sunderland et al 2012). Factors affecting production and trophic transfer of MeHg, such as sediment carbon concentration, particulate composition, and food chain length, can be related to water quality and ecosystem challenges that face urban waterways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Methylmercury Bioaccumulation in an Urban Estuary: Delaware River, USA

Buckman

Taylor

Broadley

et al. 2017

Estuaries and Coasts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial variation in mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in urban coastal watersheds reflects complex interactions between Hg sources, land use, and environmental gradients. We examined MeHg concentrations in fauna from the Delaware River estuary, and related these measurements to environmental parameters and human impacts on the waterway. The sampling sites followed a north to south gradient of increasing salinity, decreasing urban influence, and increasing marsh cover. Although mean total Hg in surface sediments (top 4cm) peaked in the urban estuarine turbidity maximum and generally decreased downstream, surface sediment MeHg concentrations showed no spatial patterns consistent with the examined environmental gradients, indicating urban influence on Hg loading to the sediment but not subsequent methylation. Surface water particulate MeHg concentration showed a positive correlation with marsh cover whereas dissolved MeHg concentrations were slightly elevated in the estuarine turbidity maximum region. Spatial patterns of MeHg bioaccumulation in resident fauna varied across taxa. Small fish showed increased MeHg concentrations in the more urban/industrial sites upstream, with concentrations generally decreasing farther downstream. Invertebrates either showed no clear spatial patterns in MeHg concentrations (blue crabs, fiddler crabs) or increasing concentrations further downstream (grass shrimp). Best-supported linear mixed models relating tissue concentration to environmental variables reflected these complex patterns, with species specific model results dominated by random site effects with a combination of particulate MeHg and landscape variables influencing bioaccumulation in some species. The data strengthen accumulating evidence that bioaccumulation in estuaries can be decoupled from sediment MeHg concentration, and that drivers of MeHg production and fate may vary within a small region.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Methylmercury Bioaccumulation in an Urban Estuary: Delaware River, USA

Buckman

Taylor

Broadley

et al. 2017

Estuaries and Coasts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The accumulation and retention of Hg in upland forest soils is an integral part of Hg biogeochemistry. Soils ultimately control Hg transport to downslope riparian areas, where it can be methylated to its most toxic form, methylmercury (Aastrup et al, 1991;Lorey and Driscoll, 1999;Schwesig and Matzner, 2001;Grigal, 2003;Driscoll et al, 2007;Demers et al, 2013;Chalmers et al, 2014). Birds, fish, mammals, amphibians, and invertebrates across the northeastern US are reported to have elevated Hg concentrations in their bodies Rimmer et al, 2010;Townsend and Driscoll, 2013;Richardson et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury in coniferous and deciduous upland forests in northern New England, USA: implications of climate change

Richardson

Friedland

2015

Biogeosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Climatic changes in the northeastern US are expected to cause coniferous stands to transition to deciduous stands over the next hundred years. Mercury (Hg) sequestration in forest soils may change as a result. In order to understand potential effects of such a transition, we studied aboveground vegetation and soils at paired coniferous and deciduous stands on eight mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire, USA. Organic horizons at coniferous stands accumulated more total Hg (THg; 42 ± 6 g ha−1) than deciduous stands (30 ± 4 g ha−1). Total Hg pools in the mineral horizons were similar for coniferous (46 ± 8 g ha−1) and deciduous stands (45 ± 7 g ha−1). Soil properties (C, % clay, and pH) explained 56 % of the variation in mineral soil Hg concentration when multiply regressed. Foliar and bole wood Hg concentrations were generally greater for coniferous species than deciduous species. Using allometric equations, we estimated that aboveground accumulation of Hg in foliage and woody biomass was similar between vegetation types but that coniferous stands have significantly smaller annual litterfall fluxes (0.03 g ha−1 yr−1) than deciduous stands (0.24 g ha−1 yr−1). We conclude that organic horizon Hg accumulation is influenced by vegetation type but mineral horizon Hg accumulation is primarily controlled by soil properties. Further investigations into the effect of vegetation type on volatilization, atmospheric deposition, and leaching rates are needed to constrain regional Hg cycling rates.

show abstract