Mercury Contamination in Forest and Freshwater Ecosystems in the Northeastern United States

Driscoll, Charles T.; Han, Young J.; Chen, Celia Y.; Evers, David C.; Lambert, Kathleen F.; Holsen, Thomas M.; Kamman, Neil C.; Munson, Ronald K.

doi:10.1641/b570106

Cited by 484 publications

(412 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Once deposited on the landscape, mercury can be converted into methylmercury by bacterial methylation under anaerobic conditions, particularly in wetland and aquatic environments (Driscoll et al 2007). Methylmercury is the most bioavailable and toxic form of mercury (Wiener et al 2003); consequently, many studies investigating mercury exposure in birds have focused on fish-eating species that obtain their food from wetland or aquatic environments (Wolfe et al 2007, Scheuhammer et al 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shorebirds may be particularly vulnerable to mercury exposure because they forage primarily on invertebrates in coastal and estuarine wetlands where mercury is likely to be more bioavailable (Driscoll et al 2007, Colwell 2010. In addition, they are long-distance migrants that visit many countries with poor pollution control practices, increasing their risk of contaminant exposure (Kunisue et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Mercury Exposure of the Declining Rusty Blackbird

et al. 2010

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Mercury Exposure of the Declining Rusty Blackbird

et al. 2010

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“…These studies demonstrated that high loadings of reactive S cause soil and surface water acidification (1, 2), base cation depletion in soils (3), changes to forest structure and function (4,5), and production and bioavailability of other elements, including methyl mercury (6,7). Whereas S deposition to and consequences for forested ecosystems are unintended, S is purposely applied in many agricultural ecosystems-sometimes as a fungicide, but more commonly as a pH regulator and vital plant nutrient (8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformations, transport, and potential unintended consequences of high sulfur inputs to Napa Valley vineyards

Hinckley

Matson

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Unintended anthropogenic deposition of sulfur (S) to forest ecosystems has a range of negative consequences, identified through decades of research. There has been far less study of purposeful S use in agricultural systems around the world, including the application of elemental sulfur (S 0 ) as a quick-reacting fungicide to prevent damage to crops. Here we report results from a three-year study of the transformations and flows of applied S 0 in soils, vegetation, and hydrologic export pathways of Napa Valley, CA vineyards, documenting that all applied S is lost from the vineyard ecosystem on an annual basis. We found that S 0 oxidizes rapidly to sulfate (SO 4 2− ) on the soil surface where it then accumulates over the course of the growing season. Leaf and grape tissues accounted for only 7-13% of applied S whereas dormant season cover crops accounted for 4-10% of applications. Soil S inventories were largely SO 4 2− and ester-bonded sulfates; they decreased from 1,623 AE 354 kg ha −1 during the dry growing season to 981AE 526 kg ha −1 (0-0.5 m) during the dormant wet season. Nearly all S applied to the vineyard soils is transported offsite in dissolved oxidized forms during dormant season rainstorms. Thus, the residence time of reactive S is brief in these systems, and largely driven by hydrology. Our results provide new insight into how S use in vineyards constitutes a substantial perturbation of the S cycle in Northern California winegrowing regions and points to the unintended consequences that agricultural S use may have at larger scales.sulfur cycling | sulfur isotopes | hydrologic response | preferential flow | irrigation

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“…Although Hg is released naturally into the atmosphere (e.g. volcano emissions), nearly two-thirds of emissions are attributed to direct or indirect anthropogenic causes (Driscoll et al 2007). Once Hg enters the atmosphere, it may circulate the globe over the course of its 1-year residence time (Schroeder and Munthe 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury affects the phylloplane fungal community of blueberry leaves to a lesser extent than plant age

2017

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Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal pollutant that is globally distributed due to atmospheric deposition to non-point source locations. Leaf surfaces directly sequester atmospheric Hg. Little is known of how phylloplane (leaf surface) fungi are influenced by Hg pollution. Through culture-based methodology, this study analysed fungal phylloplane community identity following a single-dose response to HgCl2 concentrations between 0 and 20 times ambient levels for New Jersey. Time passed following the Hg addition had a strong influence on the fungal phylloplane community, associated with natural successional changes. Mercury, however, did not significantly affect the phylloplane community identity. Notably, the control group was not significantly different than any of the Hg treatments. How the phylloplane functional group responds to Hg pollution has not been previously investigated and more research is needed to fully understand how Hg influences fungal phylloplane ecology.

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Mercury Contamination in Forest and Freshwater Ecosystems in the Northeastern United States

Cited by 484 publications

References 51 publications

Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Mercury Exposure of the Declining Rusty Blackbird

Geographic and Seasonal Variation in Mercury Exposure of the Declining Rusty Blackbird

Transformations, transport, and potential unintended consequences of high sulfur inputs to Napa Valley vineyards

Mercury affects the phylloplane fungal community of blueberry leaves to a lesser extent than plant age

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