Use of Stable Isotopes to Identify Sources of Mercury in Sediments: A Review and Uncertainty Analysis

Bessinger, Brad

doi:10.1080/15275922.2014.930939

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This is supported by the studies that showed consistency in the levels and temporal trends in mercury in lake sediment cores, which have been collected at the same location in different periods (Percival & Outridge, 2013; Rydberg et al., 2008). A recent modeling study of mercury isotopes within a lake system also simulated small to negligible δ 202 Hg changes in mercury input sources in the sediment during water column and diagenetic processes (Bessinger, 2014). From a temporal perspective, if changes in atmospheric and water column processes were significant enough to cause positive temporal trends in δ 202 Hg, THg concentrations in the sediments would decrease, which is not what we observed.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Mercury Isotope Baselines and Anthropogenic Influences in Lake Sediment Cores

Lee

Kwon

Yin

et al. 2021

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Mercury is a globally distributed atmospheric pollutant, which travels long distances in the form of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg 0 ). Gaseous Hg 0 is removed from the atmosphere via the foliar uptake (Demers et al., 2013;Zhou et al., 2021) or via oxidation to Hg 2+ , which is readily deposited to the biosphere following sorption to particles (Hg P ) and/or precipitation (Selin, 2009). Since industrialization, anthropogenic activities alone have increased mercury emission by a factor of approximately 5 (Streets et al., 2017). Increased mercury loading to aquatic ecosystems can enhance microbial production of monomethylmercury (MeHg) (Benoit et al., 2003;Lindberg et al., 2007), which is a bioaccumulative toxin in food webs (Mergler et al., 2007). Humans are primarily exposed to MeHg via the consumption of fishery products (Sunderland, 2007).In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MC), a multilateral agreement to mitigate anthropogenic mercury emissions and human health from mercury pollution, has entered into force (UNEP, 2019). As a part of the MC, provisions have been established for a global monitoring program and a convention effectiveness evaluation (Article 19, 22) to understand spatiotemporal changes in mercury levels as well as its sources, processes, and fate in various environmental media. Since then, numerous studies have assessed temporal trends of mercury in diverse atmospheric samples (Hg 0 , Hg 2+ , Hg P , precipitation) (Cheng et al., 2017;Dommergue et al., 2016) and biota (fish, bird eggs, polar bear) (Blukacz-Richards et al., 2017;Lee et al., 2016;McKinney et al., 2017) to gather insights on the changes in emissions, deposition, and ecosystem fate of mercury. Natural archives of sediment, peat, and ice cores have also been used to quantify long-term changes in the deposition of various atmospheric mercury species (Engstrom et al., 2014;Enrico

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Mercury Isotope Baselines and Anthropogenic Influences in Lake Sediment Cores

Lee

Kwon

Yin

et al. 2021

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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“…The use of Hg stable isotope ratios coupled with improvements in analytical methods have facilitated the identification of sources and processes of Hg in the environment. , In the OTCs experiments, the ratios of Me 202 Hg to Me 199 Hg in soil ranged from 1.66 to 1.82, with average 1.74 ± 0.0400. No difference in Me 202 Hg to Me 199 Hg ratios was evident in soil during the growing season among the reference and three DMe 199 Hg treatments (Figure A–C).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism of Accumulation of Methylmercury in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a Mercury Mining Area

Wang

Sun

Driscoll

et al. 2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Rice consumption is the primary pathway for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure at inland mercury (Hg) mining areas of China. The sources and processes of formation and translocation for MeHg in rice plant are complex and remain largely unknown. In this study, rice ( Oryza sativa L.) was exposed to isotopically labeled dimethylmercury (DMeHg) in field experiments using open top chambers to explore the response of MeHg accumulation in rice tissues to different levels of DMeHg in air. Rice leaves assimilated DMeHg from air, which was subsequently largely stored in aboveground tissues, including the rice grain, with only a small amount reaching the root. Combining these experimental results with field investigations of DMeHg concentrations in air beneath the rice canopy in a Hg mining area, we estimate that 15.5%, 10.8%, and 8.50% MeHg in the brown rice, the leaf, and the upper stalk, respectively, could be derived from atmospheric sources of DMeHg, while 99.5% of MeHg in rice root originated from the rice soil-water system. These findings help refine the mechanism of MeHg accumulation in rice that, in addition to soil, a fraction of MeHg in rice plants can be derived from DMeHg emissions from flooded rice paddies in Hg mining areas.

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“…61−64 The most likely reason for the observed Hg isotopic composition is the stronger influence of anthropogenic Hg at lower altitudes, as Hg directly emitted from anthropogenic sources has been shown with Δ 199 Hg ∼ 0. 20,24,56,65 Recent studies have suggested a sharp decrease in the anthropogenic Hg contribution from low to high altitudes of the eastern TP. 10 As shown in Figure S2, higher population densities occur at the low altitude sites of the study area and therefore have a greater influence of anthropogenic Hg emissions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Mercury Isotopes To Understand Mercury Accumulation in the Montane Forest Floor of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Wang

Luo

Yin

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

115

126

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Mercury accumulation in montane forested areas plays an important role in global Hg cycling. In this study, we measured stable Hg isotopes in soil and litter samples to understand Hg accumulation on the forest floor along the eastern fringe of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The low atmospheric Hg inputs lead to the small Hg pool size (23 ± 9 mg m in 0-60 cm soil horizon), up to 1 order of magnitude lower than those found at sites in Southwest China, North America, and Europe. The slightly negative ΔHg (-0.12 to -0.05‰) in the litter at low elevations (3100 to 3600 m) suggests an influence of local anthropogenic emissions, whereas the more significant negative ΔHg (-0.38 to -0.15‰) at high elevations (3700 to 4300 m) indicates impact from long-range transport. Hg input from litter is more important than wet deposition to Hg accumulation on the forest floor, as evidenced by the negative ΔHg found in the surface soil samples. Correlation analyses of ΔHg versus total carbon and leaf area index suggest that litter biomass production is a predominant factor in atmospheric Hg inputs to the forest floor. Precipitation and temperature show indirect effects on Hg accumulation by influencing litter biomass production in the eastern TP.

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Use of Stable Isotopes to Identify Sources of Mercury in Sediments: A Review and Uncertainty Analysis

Cited by 13 publications

References 70 publications

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Mercury Isotope Baselines and Anthropogenic Influences in Lake Sediment Cores

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Mercury Isotope Baselines and Anthropogenic Influences in Lake Sediment Cores

Mechanism of Accumulation of Methylmercury in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a Mercury Mining Area

Using Mercury Isotopes To Understand Mercury Accumulation in the Montane Forest Floor of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau

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