1
|
Dai L, Zhang B, Liao X, Wang L, Zhang Q, Tian S, Liang T, O'Connor D, Rinklebe J. Catchment land use effect on mercury concentrations in lake sediments: A high-resolution study of Qinghai Lake. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170260. [PMID: 38253105 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) contamination in aquatic environments presents a significant ecological and human health concern. This study explored the relationship between catchment land use and Hg concentrations within Qinghai Lake sediment, the largest lake in China, situated on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The study entailed detailed mapping of Hg sediment concentrations and a subsequent environmental risk assessment. Considering the complex nature of the plateau landform and surface vegetation, the study area was delineated at a 100 km radius centered on Qinghai Lake, which was divided into 30 sectors to quantify relationships between land use and the sediment Hg concentration. The results revealed a mean sediment Hg concentration of 29.91 μg/kg, which was elevated above the background level. Kendall's correlation analysis revealed significant but weak associations between sediment Hg concentrations and three land use types: grassland (rangeland and trees) (rs = 0.27, p < 0.05), crops (rs = -0.37, p < 0.05), and bare ground (rs = -0.25, p < 0.1), suggesting that growing areas of grassland correlated with higher Hg levels in the lake sediment, in contrast to bare ground or crops area, which correlated with lower Hg concentrations. Multiple linear regression models also observed weak negative relationships between bare ground and crops with sediment Hg concentration. This research methodology enhances our understanding of the impact of land use on Hg accumulation in lake sediments and underscores the need for integrated watershed management strategies to mitigate Hg pollution in Qinghai Lake.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Dai
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Beijing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau, Beijing 100161, China
| | - Xiaoyong Liao
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Lingqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shuhan Tian
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China
| | - Tao Liang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - David O'Connor
- School of Real Estate and Land Management, Royal Agricultural University, Stroud Rd, Cirencester GL7 6JS, United Kingdom
| | - Jörg Rinklebe
- University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Senila M, Levei EA, Frentiu T, Mihali C, Angyus SB. Assessment of mercury bioavailability in garden soils around a former nonferrous metal mining area using DGT, accumulation in vegetables, and implications for health risk. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1554. [PMID: 38036722 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12144-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic, non-essential element for living organisms, frequently present in high concentrations in soils from industrial areas. The total, dissolved, and labile Hg concentrations in garden soils and their accumulation in edible vegetables (onion, garlic, lettuce, and parsley) grown on contaminated soils in localities situated a former mining area were evaluated. The labile Hg fraction was estimated by diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT). The soil-to-vegetable transfer factors, as well as the health risk by exposure to Hg, were calculated based on the labile Hg concentration in soil. The total Hg concentration in soil varied widely (0.11-3.77 mg kg-1), Hg in soil solution ranged between 2.14 and 20.2 μg L-1 and labile Hg between 1.13 and 18.6 μg L-1. About 36-96% (84% on average) of the Hg concentration in soil solution was found in labile form. Multivariate analysis revealed significant correlations between the labile Hg concentration in soil and Hg accumulated in vegetables. The hazard indices showed that, although the study area is affected by legacy pollution, exposure to soil and consumption of locally grown vegetables do not pose health risks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marin Senila
- INCDO INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Donath 67, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - Erika Andrea Levei
- INCDO INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Donath 67, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Tiberiu Frentiu
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Arany Janos 11, 400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristina Mihali
- Faculty of Sciences, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Baia Mare, Victoriei 76, 430122, Baia-Mare, Romania
| | - Simion Bogdan Angyus
- INCDO INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Donath 67, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Arany Janos 11, 400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li C, Jiskra M, Nilsson MB, Osterwalder S, Zhu W, Mauquoy D, Skyllberg U, Enrico M, Peng H, Song Y, Björn E, Bishop K. Mercury deposition and redox transformation processes in peatland constrained by mercury stable isotopes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7389. [PMID: 37968321 PMCID: PMC10652010 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43164-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Peatland vegetation takes up mercury (Hg) from the atmosphere, typically contributing to net production and export of neurotoxic methyl-Hg to downstream ecosystems. Chemical reduction processes can slow down methyl-Hg production by releasing Hg from peat back to the atmosphere. The extent of these processes remains, however, unclear. Here we present results from a comprehensive study covering concentrations and isotopic signatures of Hg in an open boreal peatland system to identify post-depositional Hg redox transformation processes. Isotope mass balances suggest photoreduction of HgII is the predominant process by which 30% of annually deposited Hg is emitted back to the atmosphere. Isotopic analyses indicate that above the water table, dark abiotic oxidation decreases peat soil gaseous Hg0 concentrations. Below the water table, supersaturation of gaseous Hg is likely created more by direct photoreduction of rainfall rather than by reduction and release of Hg from the peat soil. Identification and quantification of these light-driven and dark redox processes advance our understanding of the fate of Hg in peatlands, including the potential for mobilization and methylation of HgII.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chuxian Li
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Martin Jiskra
- Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mats B Nilsson
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Wei Zhu
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Dmitri Mauquoy
- School Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Ulf Skyllberg
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Maxime Enrico
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, TotalEnergies, LFCR, IPREM, Pau, France
| | - Haijun Peng
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Yu Song
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Erik Björn
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Kevin Bishop
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Xia Y, Liu Y, Liu C, Gao T, Yin R, Qi M, Wu H. Lake Sediment Archive Reveals a Distinct Response to Anthropogenic Pb and Zn Deposition with Historical Periods: Pb-Zn Isotope Evidence. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:15184-15192. [PMID: 37723101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities release large quantities of heavy metals into the atmosphere. In China, the input of these heavy metals through local and trans-boundary atmospheric deposition is poorly understood. To assess this issue, herein, we use Pb and Zn isotopes to constrain the sources of Pb and Zn in a 210Pb-dated sediment core collected from the enclosed lake in South China. We observed a progressive shift toward higher 208Pb/206Pb and Pb fluxes (0.79-4.02 μg·cm-2·a-1) from 1850 to 1950 and a consistent decrease in δ66ZnIRMM (as low as -0.097 ± 0.030‰) coupled with an increase in Pb (1.74-3.36 μg·cm-2·a-1) and Zn (8.07-10.44 μg·cm-2·a-1) fluxes after 1980. These distinguished isotopic signals and flux variations reveal the presence of trans-boundary Pb since 1900, with the addition of local industrial Pb and Zn pollution after 1980. Up to 72.3% of Pb deposited at our site can be attributed to long-distance transportation from previously industrialized countries, resulting in a noteworthy legacy of Pb in China since 1900. Despite the phasing out of leaded gasoline, Chinese gasoline still contributes an average of 20.9%. The contribution of China's mining and smelting activities to Pb has increased steadily since 1980 and remained stable at an average of 25.1% since 2000.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yafei Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Yuhui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
| | - Chengshuai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Science, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, P. R. China
| | - Ting Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
| | - Runsheng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
| | - Meng Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Hongchen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 99, West Lincheng Road, Guiyang 550081, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yang W, Zhang J, Hua P, Krebs P. Investigating non-point pollution mitigation strategies in response to changing environments: A cross-regional study in China and Germany. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 244:120432. [PMID: 37549547 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and urbanization have altered regional hydro-environments. Yet, the impact of future changes on the pollution risk and associated mitigation strategies requires further exploration. This study proposed a hydraulic and water-quality modeling framework, to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of pollution risk mitigation by low impact development (LID) strategies under future Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) scenarios. Results demonstrated that the LID strategies exhibited an effective performance of pollutant removal in the current hydro-environment, with the removal rates ranging from 33% to 56%. In future climate and urbanization scenarios, the LID performance declined and turned to be uncertain as the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased, with the removal rates ranging from 12% to 59%. Scenario analysis suggested that the LID performance was enhanced by a maximum of 73% through the diversified implementation of LID practices, and the performance uncertainty was reduced by a maximum of 67% through the increased LID deployment. In addition, comparative analysis revealed that the LID strategies in a well-developed region (Dresden, Germany) were more resilient in response to changing environments, while the LID strategy in a high-growth region (Chaohu, China) exhibited a better pollutant removal performance under low-GHG scenarios. The methods and findings in this study could provide additional insights into sustainable water quality management in response to climate change and urbanization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Yang
- Institute of Urban and Industrial Water Management, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden 01062, Germany
| | - Jin Zhang
- The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China.
| | - Pei Hua
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, SCNU Environmental Research Institute, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Peter Krebs
- Institute of Urban and Industrial Water Management, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden 01062, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guerrero S, Schneider L. The global roots of pre-1900 legacy mercury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304059120. [PMID: 37487071 PMCID: PMC10400983 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304059120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
During the nineteenth century, a major change took place in the trade, production, and use of mercury that altered its nearly exclusive link to silver refining in the Hispanic New World. We track the global expansion of mercury markets in chronological detail from 1511 to 1900 using historical archives on production and trade, a detailed country-by-country accounting of the pool of anthropogenic mercury from which legacy mercury was ultimately generated. The nature and profile of pre-1900 legacy mercury extends beyond silver refining, mercury production, and gold extraction, and includes alternate sources (vermilion, felt, mercury fulminate) and new regions that were not major silver or gold producers (China, India, United Kingdom, France, among others), that accounted for approximately 50% of total mercury consumed in the nineteenth century. The nature of the pre-1900 mercury market requires a quantitative distinction between legacy mercury and historic anthropogenic mercury production and use, since the chemistry of its end-uses determines the pathways and timelines for its incorporation into the global biogeochemical cycle. We thus introduce the concept of a mercury source pool to account for total historic anthropogenic mercury within and outside this cycle. Together with a critical review of previous assumptions used to reconstruct the historical use and loss of mercury, a much lower level of emissions of pre-1900 legacy mercury is proposed. A coordinated effort across disciplines is needed, to complete a historically accurate scenario that can guide the multilateral policies adopted under the United Nations Minamata Convention to control mercury in the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saul Guerrero
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2601, Australia
| | - Larissa Schneider
- School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT2601, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wan D, Yang H, Jin Z, Song L, Ning D, Cheng L, Jiang Q. Two-century sediment records of atmospheric mercury variations in North China and their relations with regional and global emissions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:83834-83844. [PMID: 37349493 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28094-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Sedimentary mercury (Hg) records from remote areas are significant for revealing historical variations of regional Hg and understanding the influence of regional and global Hg emissions. In this study, sediment cores were retrieved from two subalpine lakes in Shanxi Province in North China and employed to reconstruct atmospheric Hg variations over the last two centuries. The two records show similar anthropogenic Hg fluxes and evolution trends, corresponding with that they were affected mainly by regional atmospheric Hg deposition. Before ~1950, the records show negligible Hg pollution signals. Atmospheric Hg in the region had increased rapidly since the 1950s, lagged more than a half-century compared to the global Hg. This indicates that they were seldom affected by Hg emissions dominated by Europe and North America after the industrial revolution. The Hg increases since the 1950s in the two records corresponded well with rapid industrial developments in and around Shanxi Province after the founding of the China, implying the dominant contribution of domestic Hg emissions. By comparing other Hg records, we find that widespread increases in atmospheric Hg in China likely occurred post ~1950. This study rouses to re-examine historical variations in atmospheric Hg at various settings, which is significant to understanding global Hg cycling in the industrial era.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dejun Wan
- School of Geographical Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226007, China.
- Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050061, China.
| | - Handong Yang
- Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Zhangdong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710075, China
| | - Lei Song
- Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050061, China
| | - Dongliang Ning
- School of Geographical Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226007, China
| | - Longjuan Cheng
- School of Geographical Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226007, China
| | - Qingfeng Jiang
- School of Geographical Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226007, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Astolfi ML, Massimi L, Rapa M, Plà RR, Jasan RC, Tudino MB, Canepari S, Conti ME. A multi-analytical approach to studying the chemical composition of typical carbon sink samples. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7971. [PMID: 37198446 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35180-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Peatlands in southern South America (Tierra del Fuego region, TdF) play a key role in the ecological dynamics of Patagonia. It is, therefore, necessary to increase our knowledge and awareness of their scientific and ecological value to ensure their conservation. This study aimed to assess the differences in the distribution and accumulation of elements in peat deposits and Sphagnum moss from the TdF. Chemical and morphological characterization of the samples was carried out using various analytical techniques, and total levels of 53 elements were determined. Furthermore, a chemometric differentiation based on the elemental content of peat and moss samples was performed. Some elements (Cs, Hf, K, Li, Mn, Na, Pb, Rb, Si, Sn, Ti and Zn) showed significantly higher contents in moss samples than in peat samples. In contrast, only Mo, S and Zr were significantly higher in peat samples than in moss samples. The results obtained highlight the ability of moss to accumulate elements and to act as a means to facilitate the entry of elements into peat samples. The valuable data obtained in this multi-methodological baseline survey can be used for more effective conservation of biodiversity and preservation of the ecosystem services of the TdF.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luisa Astolfi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- CIABC, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Massimi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Via Salaria, Km 29,300, Monterotondo St., 00015, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Rapa
- Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita Rosa Plà
- Departamento Química Nuclear, Gerencia Química Nuclear y Ciencias de la Salud (GAATN), Centro Atómico Ezeiza, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), Av. Presbítero J. González y Aragón 15 (CP B1802AYA), Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Raquel Clara Jasan
- Departamento Química Nuclear, Gerencia Química Nuclear y Ciencias de la Salud (GAATN), Centro Atómico Ezeiza, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), Av. Presbítero J. González y Aragón 15 (CP B1802AYA), Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mabel Beatriz Tudino
- INQUIMAE, Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvia Canepari
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Via Salaria, Km 29,300, Monterotondo St., 00015, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcelo Enrique Conti
- Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fisher JA, Schneider L, Fostier AH, Guerrero S, Guimarães JRD, Labuschagne C, Leaner JJ, Martin LG, Mason RP, Somerset V, Walters C. A synthesis of mercury research in the Southern Hemisphere, part 2: Anthropogenic perturbations. AMBIO 2023; 52:918-937. [PMID: 36952094 PMCID: PMC10073395 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01840-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination is a global concern requiring action at national scales. Scientific understanding and regulatory policies are underpinned by global extrapolation of Northern Hemisphere Hg data, despite historical, political, and socioeconomic differences between the hemispheres that impact Hg sources and sinks. In this paper, we explore the primary anthropogenic perturbations to Hg emission and mobilization processes that differ between hemispheres and synthesize current understanding of the implications for Hg cycling. In the Southern Hemisphere (SH), lower historical production of Hg and other metals implies lower present-day legacy emissions, but the extent of the difference remains uncertain. More use of fire and higher deforestation rates drive re-mobilization of terrestrial Hg, while also removing vegetation that would otherwise provide a sink for atmospheric Hg. Prevalent Hg use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a dominant source of Hg inputs to the environment in tropical regions. Meanwhile, coal-fired power stations continue to be a significant Hg emission source and industrial production of non-ferrous metals is a large and growing contributor. Major uncertainties remain, hindering scientific understanding and effective policy formulation, and we argue for an urgent need to prioritize research activities in under-sampled regions of the SH.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny A. Fisher
- Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Larissa Schneider
- College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Coombs Bld 9 Fellows Rd, Acton, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Anne-Hélène Fostier
- Instituto de Química/Unicamp, Rua Josué de Castro, s/n – Cidade Universitária, Campinas, SP 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Saul Guerrero
- College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Coombs Bld 9 Fellows Rd, Acton, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Jean Remy Davée Guimarães
- Lab. de Traçadores, Instituto de Biofísica, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902 Brazil
| | - Casper Labuschagne
- South African Weather Service c/o CSIR Environmentek, 11 Jan Cilliers Street, Stellenbosch, 7599 South Africa
| | - Joy J. Leaner
- Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Western Cape Government, Property Building, 1 Dorp Street, Cape Town, 8001 Western Cape South Africa
| | - Lynwill G. Martin
- South African Weather Service c/o CSIR Environmentek, 11 Jan Cilliers Street, Stellenbosch, 7599 South Africa
- Atmospheric Chemistry Research Group, Chemical Resource Beneficiation, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520 South Africa
| | - Robert P. Mason
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340 USA
| | - Vernon Somerset
- Department of Chemistry, CPUT, CPUT Bellville Campus, Bellville, 7535 Western Cape South Africa
| | - Chavon Walters
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 11 Jan Cilliers Street, Stellenbosch, 7599 South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Yang H, Macario-González L, Cohuo S, Whitmore TJ, Salgado J, Peréz L, Schwalb A, Rose NL, Holmes J, Riedinger-Whitmore MA, Hoelzmann P, O’Dea A. Mercury Pollution History in Tropical and Subtropical American Lakes: Multiple Impacts and the Possible Relationship with Climate Change. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:3680-3690. [PMID: 36802450 PMCID: PMC9996825 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Sediment cores obtained from 11 tropical and subtropical American lakes revealed that local human activities significantly increased mercury (Hg) inputs and pollution levels. Remote lakes also have been contaminated by anthropogenic Hg through atmospheric depositions. Long-term sediment-core profiles revealed an approximately 3-fold increase in Hg fluxes to sediments from c. 1850 to 2000. Generalized additive models indicate that c. 3-fold increases in Hg fluxes also occurred since 2000 in the remote sites, while Hg emissions from anthropogenic sources have remained relatively stable. The tropical and subtropical Americas are vulnerable to extreme weather events. Air temperatures in this region have shown a marked increase since the 1990s, and extreme weather events arising from climate change have increased. When comparing Hg fluxes to recent (1950-2016) climatic changes, results show marked increases in Hg fluxes to sediments during dry periods. The Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) time series indicate a tendency toward more extreme drier conditions across the study region since the mid-1990s, suggesting that instabilities in catchment surfaces caused by climate change are responsible for the elevated Hg flux rates. Drier conditions since c. 2000 appear to be promoting Hg fluxes from catchments to lakes, a process that will likely be exacerbated under future climate-change scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Handong Yang
- Environmental
Change Research Centre, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, U.K.
| | - Laura Macario-González
- Institut
für Geosysteme und Bioindikation, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
- Tecnológico
Nacional de México−I. T. de la Zona Maya, Carretera Chetumal-Escárcega
Km 21.5, Ejido Juan Sarabia, 77965 Juan Sarabia, Quintana
Roo, Mexico
| | - Sergio Cohuo
- Institut
für Geosysteme und Bioindikation, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
- Tecnológico
Nacional de México−I. T. Chetumal, Av. Insurgentes 330, Chetumal 77013, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Thomas J. Whitmore
- University
of South Florida, 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, United States
| | - Jorge Salgado
- Environmental
Change Research Centre, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, U.K.
- Programa
de Ingeniería Civil, Grupo de Infraestructura y Desarrollo
Sostenible, Universidad Católica
de Colombia, Bogotá 111311, Colombia
- School
of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K.
- Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Liseth Peréz
- Institut
für Geosysteme und Bioindikation, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Antje Schwalb
- Institut
für Geosysteme und Bioindikation, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Neil L. Rose
- Environmental
Change Research Centre, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, U.K.
| | - Jonathan Holmes
- Environmental
Change Research Centre, University College
London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, U.K.
| | | | - Philipp Hoelzmann
- Institut
für Geographische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteser Strasse 74-100, D-12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Aaron O’Dea
- Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa 0843-03092, Panama
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Peng H, Rong Y, Chen D, Sun R, Huang J, Ding H, Olid C, Yan H. Anthropogenic activity and millennial climate variability affect Holocene mercury deposition of an alpine wetland near the largest mercury mine in China. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 316:137855. [PMID: 36642145 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a potentially toxic element that can be transported globally through the atmosphere, once deposited in the environment, has strong bioaccumulation and extreme toxicity in food webs, especially in wetland ecosystems. Anthropogenic Hg emissions have enhanced Hg deposition by 3-5 times since the industrial revolution, and the mining and smelting of Hg ore are important emission sources. However, the dynamics in Hg deposition around the largest Hg mine in China before the industrial revolution and their driving forces remain poorly explored. Here we reconstruct the atmospheric Hg depositional fluxes (named here Hg influx (Hginflux)) during the Holocene using a 450-cm alpine wetland sediment core taken from the Jiulongchi wetland, which is only 65 km to the Wanshan Mercury Mine. Our record shows an abrupt rapid increase in Hg concentration since 2500 cal yr BP, suggesting that Hg mining in southwest China may have started before the establishment of the Qin dynasty. Two major Hginflux peaks were found during the periods 10,000-6000 and 6000 - 3800 cal yr BP, with an increase in Hg deposition by a factor of 4-8. These two peaks are also found in other terrestrial archives from several sites across the Northern Hemisphere. We speculate that critical millennial-scale climate changes, i.e., the Holocene Climatic Optimum (HCO) and the Mid-Holocene Transition (MHT), were the potential triggers of these two Hginflux peaks. This study highlights the importance of climatic variability and local Hg mining in controlling atmospheric Hg deposition during the Holocene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China.
| | - Yimeng Rong
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Di Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ruiyang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hanwei Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Carolina Olid
- UB-Geomodels Research Institute, Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Haiyu Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Álvarez-Fernández N, Martínez Cortizas A, López-Costas O. Structural equation modelling of mercury intra-skeletal variability on archaeological human remains. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158015. [PMID: 35970463 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Archaeological burial environments are useful archives to investigate the long-term trends and the behaviour of mercury. In order to understand the relationship between mercury, skeletons and soil, we applied Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to a detailed, multisampling (n = 73 bone samples +37 soil samples) design of two archaeological graves dating to the 6th to 7th centuries CE (A Lanzada site, NW Spain). Mercury content was assessed using a DMA-80, and data about bone structure and the grave soil/sediments were obtained using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. The theoretical model is supported by proxies of bone structure, grave soil/sediments, and location of the bone within the skeleton. The general model explained 61 % of mercury variance. Additionally, Partial Least Square - Prediction Oriented Segmentation (PLS-POS) was also used to check for segmentation in the dataset. POS revealed two group of samples depending on the bone phase (hydroxyapatite or collagen) controlling the Hg content, and the corresponding models explained 86 % and 76 % of Hg variance, respectively. The results suggest that mercury behaviour in the graves is complex, and that mercury concentrations were influenced by i) the ante-mortem status of the bone matrix, related to the weight of each bone phase; ii) post-mortem evolution of bone crystallinity, where bone loses mercury with increasing alteration; and iii) the proximity of the skeletal pieces to mercury target organs, as decomposition and collapse of the thoracic and abdominal soft tissues causes a secondary mercury enrichment in bones from the body trunk during early post-mortem. Skeletons provide a source of mercury to the soil whereas soil/sediments contribute little to skeletal mercury content.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Álvarez-Fernández
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 16782, Spain; Boscalia Technologies S.L., Spain.
| | - Antonio Martínez Cortizas
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 16782, Spain; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Olalla López-Costas
- EcoPast (GI-1553), CRETUS, Area of Archaeology, Department of History, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain; Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University, Wallenberglaboratoriet, SE-10691, Sweden; Laboratorio de Antropología Física, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18012, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Neupane B, Bao K, Chen M, Thapa P, Meadows ME. The timing and magnitude of anthropogenic mercury pollution: A 200-year record from multi-lake sediment cores in northeast China. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136803. [PMID: 36223823 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The recent substantial expansion of human activities in northeast (NE) China has resulted in increased emission of environmental pollutants. Longer-term records of such environmental pollutants provide a benchmark against which it is possible to evaluate the nature, extent and timing of anthropogenic environmental changes. Based on measurements of mercury (Hg) concentrations and accumulation rates in 11 lake sediment cores from the Songnen Plain in NE China, we here present a reconstruction of the historical deposition of Hg as an indicator of the changing scale of human impact. The results demonstrate an increasing trend of Hg concentration, concurrent with elevated anthropogenic emissions, beginning from the early 1900s, accelerating through the mid-1950s and slightly decreasing from the late 1990s onwards. The increase in anthropogenic Hg coincides with the reform and opening up of China, which precipitated social and economic transformation, and rapid industrial and economic growth. Measurements of the Hg enrichment factor in all the cores enables identification of the anthropogenic contribution to Hg accumulation. The geoaccumulation index indicates that the lakes are in general moderately polluted by Hg. The historical trend of Hg accumulation rate parallels the temporal progression of biomass burning and fossil fuel consumption in the region. The findings elucidate the extent of anthropogenic pollution in the Anthropocene and underline the importance of identifying Hg sources to reduce emissions and guide the implementation of effective mitigation strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bigyan Neupane
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Institute of Fundamental Research and Studies (InFeRS), Kathmandu, 44600, Nepal
| | - Kunshan Bao
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Minqi Chen
- School of Geography, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Poonam Thapa
- Xiaoliang Research Station of Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Michael E Meadows
- School of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China; Department of Environmental & Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Taylor VF, Landis JD, Janssen SE. Tracing the sources and depositional history of mercury to coastal northeastern U.S. lakes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2022; 24:1805-1820. [PMID: 36065894 DOI: 10.1039/d2em00214k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) deposition was reconstructed in sediment cores from lakes in two coastal U.S. National Parks: Acadia National Park (ANP) and Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS), to fill an important spatial gap in Hg deposition records and to explore changing sources of Hg and processes affecting Hg accumulation in these coastal sites. Recent Hg deposition chronology was assessed using (1) a newly developed lead-210 (210Pb) based sediment age model which employs 7Be to constrain deposition and sediment mixing of 210Pb-excess, (2) coinciding Pb flux and isotope ratios (206Pb/207Pb), and (3) Hg isotope ratios and their response to changes in Hg flux. At both sites, Hg flux increased substantially from pre-1850 levels, with accumulation in ANP peaking in the 1970s, whereas in CCNS, Hg levels were highest in recent sediments. Negative values of δ202Hg and Δ199Hg indicated terrestrially-derived Hg was a major constituent of Hg flux to Sargent Mountain Pond, ANP, although recent decreases in Hg flux were in agreement with precipitation Hg records, indicating a rapid watershed response. By contrast, δ202Hg and Δ199Hg profiles in Long Pond, CNNS reflect direct Hg deposition, but disturbances in the sedimentary record were indicated by bomb fallout radionuclide inventories and by peaks in both Pb and Hg isotope depth profiles. These cores provided poor reconstructions of atmospheric deposition and reveal responses that are decoupled from emissions reduction due to complex post-depositional redistribution of atmospheric metals including Hg. The application of multiple tracers of Hg deposition provide insight into the sources and pathways governing Hg accumulation in these lakes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vivien F Taylor
- Department of Earth Science, 6105 Fairchild Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
| | - Joshua D Landis
- Department of Earth Science, 6105 Fairchild Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
| | - Sarah E Janssen
- U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Lab, 1 Gifford Pinchot Dr, Madison, WI 53726, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Yu Y, Li Z, Liu Y, Wang F, Liu Y, Zhao J, Li Y, Gao Y, Zhu N. Roles of plant-associated microorganisms in regulating the fate of Hg in croplands: A perspective on potential pathways in maintaining sustainable agriculture. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 834:155204. [PMID: 35421489 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In heavy metal-contaminated croplands, plant-associated microorganisms play important roles in the adaptation of crops to heavy metals. Plant-associated microbes can interact with Hg and stimulate plant resistance to Hg toxicity, which is crucial for impeding Hg accumulation along the food chain. The roles of rhizosphere microorganisms for the improvement of plant growth and Hg resistance have drawn great research attention. However, the interactions among plant-endophyte-Hg have been neglected although they might be important for in vivo Hg detoxification. In this study, we systematically summarized 1) the roles of plant-associated microorganisms in Hg detoxification and plant growth, 2) Hg methylation and demethylation driven by plant-associated microbes, 3) the relationships between plant-associated microbes and Hg biogeochemical cycling. The possible mechanisms underlying crop-endophyte-Hg interactions were discussed, although limited studies on this aspect are available to date. The challenges and perspectives of plant-endophytes in dampening Hg phytotoxicity and controlling Hg accumulation in croplands were proposed on the basis of the present knowledge. Taken together, this work provides evidence for further understanding the interactions between soil-plant-endophyte-Hg systems and as well as new interpretations and perspectives into regulating the fate of Hg in croplands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yu
- School of Grain Science and Technology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, Jiangsu, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Zhanming Li
- School of Grain Science and Technology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, Jiangsu, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China.
| | - Yonghua Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, & CAS-HKU Joint Laboratory of Metallomics on Health and Environment, & Beijing Metallomics Facility, & National Consortium for Excellence in Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030000, Shanxi, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yurong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jiating Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, & CAS-HKU Joint Laboratory of Metallomics on Health and Environment, & Beijing Metallomics Facility, & National Consortium for Excellence in Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yufeng Li
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, & CAS-HKU Joint Laboratory of Metallomics on Health and Environment, & Beijing Metallomics Facility, & National Consortium for Excellence in Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuxi Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, & CAS-HKU Joint Laboratory of Metallomics on Health and Environment, & Beijing Metallomics Facility, & National Consortium for Excellence in Metallomics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Nali Zhu
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Zhang T, Tian G, Hu X, Liu B, Guo Y, Zhang L, Bian B. Analysis of mercury emissions and cycles in typical industrial city clusters: a case study in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:56760-56771. [PMID: 35347603 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19878-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
China's Suzhou (SZ), Wuxi (WX), and Changzhou (CZ) (collectively referred to as the SXC area) have developed economies and advanced industrial production, which are typical industrial city clusters. To analyze the Hg flow characteristics, we quantified the Hg emissions and circulation according to six categories (including industrial production, agricultural livestock, vehicle exhaust, solid waste, atmospheric deposition, and runoff). The results showed that the Hg emission from coal accounting for 40.99% of the total circulation. The amount of Hg circulating in SZ is obviously higher than those in WX and CZ, accounting for 47.88% of the total regional emissions. The Hg pollution in SXC area represent an optimistic level. Except that the Hg concentration in the soil in WX is slightly higher than the first-level soil quality standard, the water and atmosphere in the three cities and the soil in SZ and CZ all meet the highest national standards. The study provides in-depth statistics on the Hg cycle characteristics of typical industrial urban agglomerations. It is beneficial to the management of Hg and provides a basis for the implementation of different schemes in different stages of production and emission, so as to effectively prevent the occurrence of serious heavy metal poisoning hazards. This research idea is widely used and can be applied to other regions and other heavy metal elements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
| | - Ganpei Tian
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiuren Hu
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Liu
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingying Guo
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
| | - Limin Zhang
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China
- Green Economy Development Institute, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Bo Bian
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Nováková T, Navrátil T, Schütze M, Rohovec J, Matoušková Š, Hošek M, Matys Grygar T. Reconstructing atmospheric Hg levels near the oldest chemical factory in central Europe using a tree ring archive. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 304:119215. [PMID: 35358634 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Chemical Factory in Marktredwitz (CFM) is known as the oldest chemical factory in Germany (1778-1985), and from the beginning of the 20th century focused primarily on the production of mercury (Hg) compounds. Due to extensive pollution, together with employee health issues, the CFM was shut in 1985 by a government order and remediation works proceeded from 1986 to 1993. In this study, tree ring archives of European Larch (Larix decidua Mill.) were used to reconstruct changes of air Hg levels near the CFM. Mercury concentrations in larch boles decreased from 80.6 μg kg-1 at a distance of 0.34 km-3.4 μg kg-1 at a distance of 16 km. The temporal trend of atmospheric Hg emissions from the CFM reconstructed from the tree ring archives showed two main peaks. The first was in the 1920s, with a maximum tree ring Hg concentration 249.1 ± 43.9 μg kg-1 coinciding with when the factory had a worldwide monopoly on the production of Hg-based seed dressing fungicide. The second peak in the 1970s, with a maximum tree ring Hg concentration of 116.4 ± 6.3 μg kg-1, was associated with a peak in the general usage and production of Hg chemicals and goods. We used the tree ring record to reconstruct past atmospheric Hg levels using a simple model of Hg distribution between the larch tree rings and atmosphere. The precision of the tree ring model was checked against the results of air Hg measurements during the CFM remediation 30 years ago. According to the tree ring archives, the highest air Hg concentrations in the 1920s in Marktredwitz were over 70 ng m-3. Current air Hg levels of 1.18 ng m-3, assessed in the city of Marktredwitz, indicate the lowest air Hg in the past 150 years, underscoring the effective remediation of the CFM premises 30 years ago.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Nováková
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Navrátil
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Schütze
- Institut für Geoökologie, AG Umweltgeochemie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19C, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jan Rohovec
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Matoušková
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Hošek
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 250 01, Řež, Czech Republic; Faculty of Environment, J.E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Pasteurova 3632/15, 400 96, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Matys Grygar
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 250 01, Řež, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Liang M, Liu E, Wang X, Zhang Q, Xu J, Ji M, Zhang E. Historical trends in atmospheric metal(loid) contamination in North China over the past half-millennium reconstructed from subalpine lake sediment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 304:119195. [PMID: 35339617 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Trace metal (loid) contamination in the atmosphere is widely monitored, but there is a gap in understanding its long-term patterns, especially in North China, which is currently a global contamination hotspot mainly caused by heavy industry emissions and coal combustion. Herein, historical trends of atmospheric As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn contamination in North China over the past ∼500 years are comparatively studied with sediment cores from two subalpine lakes (Gonghai and Muhai). Arsenic, Pb, Cd and Hg were main pollutants according to Pb isotopes and enrichment factors. Mercury contamination has increased continuously since the late 1800s and increasing As, Pb and Cd contamination started in the 1950s in Gonghai. In contrast, the contamination in Muhai lagged two decades for As, Cd and Pb and a half-century for Hg behind that in Gonghai, although the trends were similar. This contamination lag was attributed to the low sensitivity of Muhai sediment to early weak atmospheric metal contamination under 2.1-fold higher detrital sedimentation. As, Pb and Cd contamination has intensified since the 1980s, and the metals showed similar sedimentary fluxes in the cores. However, sedimentary fluxes of Hg contamination were 3.4-fold higher in Gonghai than in Muhai due to combination with organic matter. No obvious Cr, Cu and Ni contamination in the cores was mainly because of the low atmospheric deposition from anthropogenic sources relative to detrital input, although some of their atmospheric emissions were higher than those of As, Cd and Hg. Atmospheric As, Pb and Cd contamination was mainly from domestic sources of coal combustion and nonferrous smelting. Mercury contamination was mainly from global and Asian sources in the first half of the 20th century, and domestic emissions gradually dominated Hg contamination after the mid-1900s.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengyao Liang
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan, 250358, PR China; College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, PR China
| | - Enfeng Liu
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan, 250358, PR China.
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan, 250358, PR China
| | - Qinghui Zhang
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan, 250358, PR China
| | - Jinling Xu
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan, 250358, PR China
| | - Ming Ji
- School of Chemistry, Biology and Environment, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, 653100, PR China
| | - Enlou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Sun R, Hintelmann H, Wiklund JA, Evans MS, Muir D, Kirk JL. Mercury Isotope Variations in Lake Sediment Cores in Response to Direct Mercury Emissions from Non-Ferrous Metal Smelters and Legacy Mercury Remobilization. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:8266-8277. [PMID: 35616385 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nature archives record atmospheric mercury (Hg) depositions from directly emitted Hg and re-emitted legacy Hg. Tracing the legacy versus newly deposited Hg is still, however, challenging. Here, we measured Hg isotope compositions in three dated sediment cores at different distances from the Flin Flon smelter, the largest Canadian Hg sources to the atmosphere during the 1930s-2000s. During the smelter's operative period, Hg isotope compositions showed limited variations in the near-field lake (<10 km) sediments but were rather variable in middle- (20-75 km) and far-field lake (∼800 km) sediments. Only the post-2000 sediments in middle/far-field lakes showed significantly negative Hg isotope shifts, while sediments from the 1970s-1990s had Hg isotope values resembling those of near-field lake post-1930 sediments. We suggest that the smelter's peak Hg emissions during the 1970s-1990s, which coincided with the deployment of a super stack in the mid-1970s, largely increased the long-range dispersion of smelter plumes. For the top post-2000 sediments, the fugitive dust from ore tailings and terrestrial legacy Hg re-emissions dominated Hg deposition in near-field lakes and middle/far-field lakes, respectively. Our study demonstrates that legacy Hg remobilization now exports substantial amounts of Hg to ecosystems, highlighting the need for aggressive remediation measures of Hg-contaminated sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Sun
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Water Quality Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Holger Hintelmann
- Water Quality Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Johan A Wiklund
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada
| | - Marlene S Evans
- Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Derek Muir
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada
| | - Jane L Kirk
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Pelletier N, Chételat J, Sinon S, Vermaire JC. Wildfires trigger multi-decadal increases in sedimentation rate and metal loading to subarctic montane lakes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153738. [PMID: 35151741 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated how two large wildfires affected the sedimentation rate and accumulation of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) in sediment of four subarctic montane lakes in the Yukon, Canada. The wildfires occurred 60 and 20 years (1958, 1998) before sediment collection in 2018. Site-specific fire exposure was inferred from the charcoal accumulation histories in the lake sediments and the burned catchment area was determined from historical fire maps. The two major wildfires caused a two to five-fold increase in sedimentation rates and a two to eight-fold increase in sediment metal accumulation rates in Little Fox Lake. The mass accumulation rates of metals in Little Fox Lake sediment increased by a maximum of 2.7-4.7 mg Pb m-2 yr-1, 19-29 μg Hg m-2 yr-1 and 37-114 μg Cd m-2 yr-1 following wildfires. Modelling using elemental ratios of lithogenic sources suggested a large proportion of the Pb and Hg accumulating in post-fire sediment was from remobilized legacy anthropogenic pollution. In contrast, Cd fluxes were consistent with variation in catchment weathering. Impacts of wildfires were visible but more muted in the sediment of Little Braeburn Lake, whereas Fox Lake and Grayling Lake sediments showed little to no wildfire impact and served as a reference for external (long-range) metal deposition. Major changes to lake sediment geochemistry in Little Fox Lake were caused by the lack of vegetation and soil recovery in the catchment following the severe 1998 fire. Wildfire impacts were persistent in the lake more than 20 years after the last fire, with no sign of a return to pre-fire Pb, Hg, and Cd accumulation rates. This study shows that wildfires in northern montane catchments can significantly increase the rate of metal accumulation in affected lakes, thereby impeding recovery from reductions in anthropogenic air emissions of these metals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Pelletier
- Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - John Chételat
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada.
| | - Sarah Sinon
- Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Jesse C Vermaire
- Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Xu Y, Wang X, Cui G, Li K, Liu Y, Li B, Yao Z. Source apportionment and ecological and health risk mapping of soil heavy metals based on PMF, SOM, and GIS methods in Hulan River Watershed, Northeastern China. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:181. [PMID: 35157146 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09826-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metals in agricultural soils not only affect the food security and soil security, but also endanger the human health through the food chain. Based on the incorporation of index analysis, positive matrix factorization (PMF), self-organizing map (SOM), and geostatistical methods, this research performed the assessment of source apportionment and ecological and health risks of soil heavy metals in Hulan River Watershed, Northeastern China. According to the Pollution Load Index (PLI), 83.08% of the soil samples were slightly or mildly polluted, and 1.54% of the soil samples were severely polluted. The ecological risk index (EI) showed that about 80.77% and 60.77% of the soil samples were beyond the low risk level for Hg and Cd, respectively. In this research, the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk indices for children were higher than adult males and adult females. Four potential sources were revealed based on the PMF and SOM analysis including atmospheric deposition and industrial emission; transportation source; agricultural source; and a combination of agricultural, industrial, and natural sources. Considerable and high ecological risk from Hg existed in the area close to the coal steam-electric plant, and considerable and high ecological risk from Cd existed in the Hulan River estuary area. The eastern part of the study area experienced higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for adults and children than the western part of the study area. The source apportionment and ecological and health risk mapping provide important role in reducing pollution sources. Zonal pollution control and soil restoration measures should be performed in the areas with high ecological and health risks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Xu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Xianxia Wang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Guannan Cui
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Ke Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Yanfeng Liu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Bin Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Zhiliang Yao
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China.
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China.
- Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Integrated Resource Utilization of China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Cooke CA, Curtis JH, Kenney WF, Drevnick P, Siegel PE. Caribbean Lead and Mercury Pollution Archived in a Crater Lake. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:1736-1742. [PMID: 35034441 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Lead and mercury have long histories of anthropogenic use and release to the environment extending into preindustrial times. Yet, the timing, magnitude, and persistence of preindustrial emissions remain enigmatic, especially for mercury. Here, we quantify tropical lead and mercury deposition over the past ∼3000 years using a well-dated sediment core from a small crater lake (Lake Antoine, Grenada). Preindustrial increases in lead and mercury concentrations can be explained by varying inputs of watershed mineral and organic matter, which in turn reflect climate-driven changes in the lake level. We find no evidence that preindustrial lead and mercury use raised deposition rates in this remote ecosystem, and our results underscore the need to carefully evaluate common normalization approaches for changing lithogenic inputs and sedimentation rates. Industrial-era lead and mercury accumulation rates in Lake Antoine have been accelerated by land use and land cover change within the crater rim, yet global industrial pollution remains evident. After correcting for watershed inputs, we find that recent atmospheric lead and mercury deposition rates averaged 2925 and 24 μg/m2/y, respectively, which are in close agreement with monitoring data. Our results challenge recent assessments suggesting preindustrial mercury use raised atmospheric deposition rates globally, highlighting the unique nature of 20th Century industrial pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colin A Cooke
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada
- Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 5C6, Canada
| | - Jason H Curtis
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - William F Kenney
- Land Use and Environmental Change Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Paul Drevnick
- Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2K8, Canada
| | - Peter E Siegel
- Department of Anthropology, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey 07043, United States
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Li J, Jin Y, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Su H. Detecting Pb 2+by a 'turn-on' fluorescence sensor based on DNA functionalized magnetic nanocomposites. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 33:075603. [PMID: 34399416 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac1dd3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sensitive and selective detection of the lead ion (Pb2+) plays an important role in terms of both human health and environmental protection, as the heavy metal is fairly ubiquitous and highly toxic. The highly stable fluorescence biosensor is composed of Fe3O4@TiO2core-shell nanocomposites, functionalized with a carboxyl fluorescein labeled DNA. The morphology, physical and chemical properties of the sensing nanomaterials were studied by transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray powder diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometer. UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the fluorescein functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. The performance of Pb2+detection displayed an excellent linearity (R2 = 0.995) in the range of 10-10to 5 × 10-9ppm with a detection limit of 10-10ppm, based on the optimization of the fabrication process and aptamers' specification. The fluorescence biosensor has an accurate response, excellent recoveries and high adsorbent capacities. It was successfully applied for the determination of Pb2+in contaminated water and serum samples; the detection of limit in both media were 10-10ppm. These features ensure the potential use of aptamer functionalized magnetic nanocomposites as a new class of non-toxic biocompatible sensors for biological and environmental applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), 15 BeiSanhuan East Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Jin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), 15 BeiSanhuan East Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaoqiang Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), 15 BeiSanhuan East Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yilin Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), 15 BeiSanhuan East Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Haijia Su
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), 15 BeiSanhuan East Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Álvarez-Fernández N, Martínez Cortizas A, García-López Z, López-Costas O. Approaching mercury distribution in burial environment using PLS-R modelling. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21231. [PMID: 34707177 PMCID: PMC8551184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00768-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mercury environmental cycle and toxicology have been widely researched. Given the long history of mercury pollution, researching mercury trends in the past can help to understand its behaviour in the present. Archaeological skeletons have been found to be useful sources of information regarding mercury loads in the past. In our study we applied a soil multi-sampling approach in two burials dated to the 5th to 6th centuries AD. PLRS modelling was used to elucidate the factors controlling mercury distribution. The model explains 72% of mercury variance and suggests that mercury accumulation in the burial soils is the result of complex interactions. The decomposition of the bodies not only was the primary source of mercury to the soil but also responsible for the pedogenetic transformation of the sediments and the formation of soil components with the ability to retain mercury. The amount of soft tissues and bone mass also resulted in differences between burials, indicating that the skeletons were a primary/secondary source of mercury to the soil (i.e. temporary sink). Within burial variability seems to depend on the proximity of the soil to the thoracic area, where the main mercury target organs were located. We also conclude that, in coarse textured soils, as the ones studied in this investigation, the finer fraction (i.e. silt + clay) should be analysed, as it is the most reactive and the one with the higher potential to provide information on metal cycling and incipient soil processes. Finally, our study stresses the need to characterise the burial soil environment in order to fully understand the role of the interactions between soil and skeleton in mercury cycling in burial contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zaira García-López
- CRETUS, EcoPast (GI-1553), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago, Spain
| | - Olalla López-Costas
- EcoPast (GI-1553), CRETUS, Archaeology Department of History, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago, Spain.,Archaeological Research Laboratory, Wallenberglaboratoriet, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.,Laboratorio de Antropología Física, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18012, Granada, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Martínez Cortizas A, Horák-Terra I, Pérez-Rodríguez M, Bindler R, Cooke CA, Kylander M. Structural equation modeling of long-term controls on mercury and bromine accumulation in Pinheiro mire (Minas Gerais, Brazil). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 757:143940. [PMID: 33321335 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The application of statistical modeling is still infrequent in mercury research in peat, despite the ongoing debate on the weight of the diverse factors (climate, peat decomposition, vegetation changes, etc.) that may affect mercury accumulation. One of the few exceptions is the Hg record of Pinheiro mire (souheast Brazil). Previous studies on this mire modeled mercury using principal components regression and partial least squares. These methods assume independence between factors, which is seldom the case in natural systems, thus hampering the identification of mediating effects and interactions. To overcome these limitations, in this reserach we use structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to model mercury and bromine peat records - bromine has been used in some investigations to normalize mercury accumuation. The mercury model explained 83% of the variance and suggested a complex control: increased peat decomposition, dust deposition and humid climates enhanced mercury accumulation, while increased mineral fluxes resulted in a decrease in mercury accumulation. The bromine model explained 90% of the variation in concentrations: increased dust deposition and peat decomposition promoted bromine accumulation, while time (i.e. peat age) promoted bromine depletion. Thus, although mercury and bromine are both organically bound elements with relevant atmospheric cycles the weights of the factors involved in their accumulation differed significantly. Our results suggest caution when using bromine to normalize mercury accumulation. PLS-SEM results indicate a large time dependence of peat decomposition, catchment mineral fluxes, long-term climate change, and atmospheric deposition; while atmospheric dust, mineral fluxes and peat decomposition showed high to moderate climate dependency. In particular, they also point to a relevant role of autogenic processes (i.e. the build up and expansion of the mire within the catchment), which controlled local mineral fluxes; an aspect that has seldom been considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Martínez Cortizas
- Ecopast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Ingrid Horák-Terra
- Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Unaí, Brazil
| | - Marta Pérez-Rodríguez
- Institut für Geoökologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Richard Bindler
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Umea, Umea, Sweden
| | - Colin A Cooke
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Malin Kylander
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Gómez-Armesto A, Méndez-López M, Pontevedra-Pombal X, García-Rodeja E, Alonso-Vega F, Arias-Estévez M, Nóvoa-Muñoz JC. Soil properties influencing Hg vertical pattern in temperate forest podzols. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 193:110552. [PMID: 33271140 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mercury content of twelve podzols from NW Spain was studied to elucidate the main soil properties involved in the Hg accumulation of these soils. The highest average Hg concentrations (HgT) were found in the Bh and Bs horizons (64 and 105 μg kg-1), whereas the lowest occurred in the E horizons (15 μg kg-1). Moderate values of HgT were obtained for the A and C horizons (38 and 52 μg kg-1). The Hg enrichment factors revealed that the predominant origin of Hg in these soils is the atmosphere instead of the parent material. As it was shown by the PCA performed (which explained 82% of the variance of the data), the main soil characteristics involved in the pedogenetic processes of the studied podzols are organic matter and Al and Fe compounds. The stepwise linear regressions made described between 54% and 84% of the predicted Hg depending on the soil horizon. Besides a complex ensemble of biogeochemical reactions involved in the balance between input and outputs of Hg, the most influencing variable in the A horizons was organic C, moderate stability Al-humus complexes in the E horizons, Fe-humus complexes and pHw in the Bh horizons, Al-humus compounds in the Bs horizons and crystalline Al and Fe compounds in the C horizons. Therefore, Hg is mobilized from the A and E horizons bound to dissolved organic matter and precipitated in the illuvial horizons due to the saturation of the organic matter with metals. The immobilization of Hg in the subsuperficial horizons of podzols leads to different environmental benefits derived from the removal of Hg from the A horizons, more exposed to climate-induced and land use/cover changes that could potentially modify the dynamics of Hg in those superficial horizons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antía Gómez-Armesto
- Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia Do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain; Environmental Technology and Assessment Laboratory. Campus da Auga - Campus of Ourense. University of Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain.
| | - Melissa Méndez-López
- Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia Do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain; Environmental Technology and Assessment Laboratory. Campus da Auga - Campus of Ourense. University of Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain
| | - Xabier Pontevedra-Pombal
- Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15872, Spain
| | - Eduardo García-Rodeja
- Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15872, Spain
| | - Flora Alonso-Vega
- Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia Do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain; Environmental Technology and Assessment Laboratory. Campus da Auga - Campus of Ourense. University of Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain
| | - Manuel Arias-Estévez
- Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia Do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain; Environmental Technology and Assessment Laboratory. Campus da Auga - Campus of Ourense. University of Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Nóvoa-Muñoz
- Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencia Do Solo, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain; Environmental Technology and Assessment Laboratory. Campus da Auga - Campus of Ourense. University of Vigo, Ourense, 32004, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Corella JP, Sierra MJ, Garralón A, Millán R, Rodríguez-Alonso J, Mata MP, de Vera AV, Moreno A, González-Sampériz P, Duval B, Amouroux D, Vivez P, Cuevas CA, Adame JA, Wilhelm B, Saiz-Lopez A, Valero-Garcés BL. Recent and historical pollution legacy in high altitude Lake Marboré (Central Pyrenees): A record of mining and smelting since pre-Roman times in the Iberian Peninsula. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 751:141557. [PMID: 32882549 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We have analyzed potential harmful trace elements (PHTE; Pb, Hg, Zn, As and Cu) on sediment cores retrieved from lake Marboré (LM) (2612 m a.s.l, 42°41'N; 0° 2'E). PHTE variability allowed us to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of trace metal pollutants fluxes over the last 3000 years in the Central Pyrenees. A statistical treatment of the dataset (PCA) enabled us to discern the depositional processes of PHTE, that reach the lake via direct atmospheric deposition. Indeed, the location of LM above the atmospheric boundary layer makes this lake an exceptional site to record the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants in the free troposphere. Air masses back-trajectories analyses enabled us to understand the transport pathways of atmospheric pollutants while lead isotopic analyses contributed to evaluate the source areas of metal pollution in SW Europe during the Late Holocene. PHTE variability, shows a clear agreement with the main exploitation phases of metal resources in Southern Europe during the Pre-Industrial Period. We observed an abrupt lead enrichment from 20 to 375 yrs CE mostly associated to silver and lead mining and smelting practices in Southern Iberia during the Roman Empire. This geochemical data suggests that regional atmospheric metal pollution during the Roman times rivalled the Industrial Period. PHTE also increased during the High and Late Middle Ages (10-15th centuries) associated to a reactivation of mining and metallurgy activities in high altitude Pyrenean mining sites during climate amelioration phases. Atmospheric mercury deposition in the Lake Marboré record mostly reflects global emissions, particularly from Almadén mines (central Spain) and slightly fluctuates during the last three millennia with a significant increase during the last five centuries. Our findings reveal a strong mining-related pollution legacy in alpine lakes and watersheds that needs to be considered in management plans for mountain ecosystems as global warming and human pressure effects may contribute to their future degradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J P Corella
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, IGE, 38000 Grenoble, France; CIEMAT - Environmental Department (DMA), Avenida Complutense 40, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M J Sierra
- CIEMAT - Environmental Department (DMA), Avenida Complutense 40, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - A Garralón
- CIEMAT - Environmental Department (DMA), Avenida Complutense 40, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - R Millán
- CIEMAT - Environmental Department (DMA), Avenida Complutense 40, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - J Rodríguez-Alonso
- CIEMAT - Environmental Department (DMA), Avenida Complutense 40, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - M P Mata
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Rios Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain
| | - A Vicente de Vera
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, CSIC, Avda Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - A Moreno
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, CSIC, Avda Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - P González-Sampériz
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, CSIC, Avda Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - B Duval
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour l'Environnement et les matériaux, Pau, France, 64000 Pau, France
| | - D Amouroux
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour l'Environnement et les matériaux, Pau, France, 64000 Pau, France
| | - P Vivez
- Centro de Estudios de Sobrarbe, Sociedad Española para la Defensa del Patrimonio Geológico Y Minero, Plaza España, 22340 Boltaña, Huesca, Spain
| | - C A Cuevas
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - J A Adame
- Atmospheric Sounding Station, El Arenosillo Observatory, Atmospheric Research and Instrumentation Branch, National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Mazagón, Huelva, Spain
| | - B Wilhelm
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, IGE, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - A Saiz-Lopez
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - B L Valero-Garcés
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, CSIC, Avda Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Carvalho F, Schulte L. Reconstruction of mining activities in the Western Alps during the past 2500 years from natural archives. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 750:141208. [PMID: 32846252 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The geochemical analysis of natural archives can improve our knowledge of past mining activities and their environmental imprint. The sedimentary records from the Hasli-Aare floodplain (Bernese Alps) over the last 2500 years were analysed for metals. Evidence of past mining contamination was obtained from the XRF analyses of iron, copper, zinc and lead. These results were analytically and statistically processed to produce a metal content index. Positive metal anomalies indicate four major pulses of contamination coinciding with the end of the Iron Age, from the end of the Roman Period to the Early Medieval Period, the Late Medieval Period, and the Modern Period. These pulses show good agreement with local historical sources of mining in the Hasli-Aare catchment, dating back to the beginning of the 15th century. Furthermore, they are in phase with anthropogenic pollution trends inferred from glacier ice cores, lake sediments and peat bogs across the Western Alps, most notably during the Roman, Late Medieval and Modern Periods. However, close comparison between these records can show some differences, suggesting local variations in mining activities and/or a lag in metal transfer. The reconstructed periods of anthropogenic metal pollution are located in their political, economic and social contexts and compared with the climate periods of central Europe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Carvalho
- FluvAlps Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, Spain.
| | - L Schulte
- FluvAlps Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Clackett SP, Porter TJ, Lehnherr I. The tree-ring mercury record of Klondike gold mining at Bear Creek, central Yukon. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 268:115777. [PMID: 33120147 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Use of elemental mercury (Hg0) to enhance placer gold recovery is an effective method dating back centuries, but is associated with significant atmospheric Hg0 losses. This method was widely used in the Canadian Klondike region during most of the 20th century when the mining industry experienced rapid growth. While the health risks associated with Hg0 pollution are now well understood, few studies have assessed the environmental legacy of Hg0 use in the Klondike. We used an annually resolved Picea glauca tree-ring Hg record (1864-2015) to reconstruct and evaluate changes in local atmospheric Hg0 concentrations associated with gold production at the Bear Creek mining camp. Major temporal trends in the record are consistent with the scale of Bear Creek operations and are distinct from background trends at an unimpacted control site. Tree-ring Hg concentration increased most rapidly from 1923 to 1930, a period when several major mining operations were consolidated at Bear Creek. The highest Hg concentrations, ∼2.5× greater than pre-mining era, occurred in the 1930s, coinciding with maximum gold production at this site. Post-World War II economic factors adversely affected the industry, causing declining tree-ring Hg concentrations from 1939 to 1966. Closure of the Bear Creek camp in 1966 coincided with the strongest tree-ring Hg decline, although a return to background levels did not occur until the 1990s, likely due to re-emission of legacy Hg0 from contaminated soils. Finally, a robust increase was observed over the last decade, similar to other tree-ring Hg records in N.W. Canada, which is linked to rising Hg0 emissions in Asia. The Bear Creek tree-ring Hg record provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of Klondike gold mining on the local environment at annual resolution and demonstrates great potential to use Picea tree rings to study past changes in atmospheric Hg0 from local and global emissions. MAIN FINDINGS: A 151-year long, annually resolved tree-ring Hg record was developed at a historic Klondike gold-mining site to investigate the influence of mining-related Hg0 emissions on the local atmosphere and environment. Compared to a control site, the tree-ring Hg record documents highly elevated atmospheric Hg0 concentrations during the period mining activities were ongoing at this site.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sydney P Clackett
- Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto - Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
| | - Trevor J Porter
- Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto - Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.
| | - Igor Lehnherr
- Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto - Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Gustin MS, Bank MS, Bishop K, Bowman K, Branfireun B, Chételat J, Eckley CS, Hammerschmidt CR, Lamborg C, Lyman S, Martínez-Cortizas A, Sommar J, Tsui MTK, Zhang T. Mercury biogeochemical cycling: A synthesis of recent scientific advances. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 737:139619. [PMID: 32783819 PMCID: PMC7430064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The focus of this paper is to briefly discuss the major advances in scientific thinking regarding: a) processes governing the fate and transport of mercury in the environment; b) advances in measurement methods; and c) how these advances in knowledge fit in within the context of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Details regarding the information summarized here can be found in the papers associated with this Virtual Special Issue of STOTEN.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mae Sexauer Gustin
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89439, USA.
| | - Michael S Bank
- Department of Contaminants and Biohazards, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01255, USA
| | - Kevin Bishop
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7050, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Katlin Bowman
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA; University of California Santa Cruz, Ocean Sciences Department, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Brian Branfireun
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environment and Sustainability, Western University, London, Canada
| | - John Chételat
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Chris S Eckley
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region-10, 1200 6th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Chad R Hammerschmidt
- Wright State University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Carl Lamborg
- University of California Santa Cruz, Ocean Sciences Department, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Seth Lyman
- Bingham Research Center, Utah State University, 320 N Aggie Blvd., Vernal, UT, USA
| | - Antonio Martínez-Cortizas
- EcoPast (GI-1553), Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jonas Sommar
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Martin Tsz-Ki Tsui
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
| | - Tong Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zaporski J, Jamison M, Zhang L, Gu B, Yang Z. Mercury methylation potential in a sand dune on Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 729:138879. [PMID: 32371207 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Lake Michigan hosts the largest freshwater sand dune system in the world and is economically important for the fishery industry and tourism. Due to industrial pollution and atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition, toxic levels of methylmercury (MeHg) have been found in the Lake biota, but little information is known regarding MeHg sources and Hg methylation potential in the shoreline sand dunes. We conducted anaerobic incubation experiments with beach sands collected from Ludington, Michigan, and examined the effects of organic carbon substrate addition, inorganic nitrogen, and mineral magnetite on Hg methylation. Despite nutrient poor and low-organic carbon conditions, appreciable Hg methylation activity coupled with carbon degradation was observed in the sands. Addition of acetate as a carbon source substantially increased MeHg production from 2 to 380 ng/kg sediment while acetate was rapidly degraded in the first 19 days of incubation. Ammonium addition showed little influence on carbon degradation or Hg methylation, whereas iron oxide addition (~1% dry weight) significantly inhibited both carbon degradation and MeHg production (by up to 90%), highlighting strongly coupled interactions between microbes, carbon substrates, and minerals. This research demonstrates the potential of microbial Hg methylation in the sand dunes, which may play a role in MeHg input and bioaccumulation in the Lake Michigan ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jared Zaporski
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Megan Jamison
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Lijie Zhang
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Baohua Gu
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
| | - Ziming Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Lepak RF, Janssen SE, Engstrom DR, Krabbenhoft DP, Tate MT, Yin R, Fitzgerald WF, Nagorski SA, Hurley JP. Resolving Atmospheric Mercury Loading and Source Trends from Isotopic Records of Remote North American Lake Sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:9325-9333. [PMID: 32597170 PMCID: PMC7781044 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The strongest evidence for anthropogenic alterations to the global mercury (Hg) cycle comes from historical records of mercury deposition preserved in lake sediments. Hg isotopes have added a new dimension to these sedimentary archives, promising additional insights into Hg source apportionment and biogeochemical processing. Presently, most interpretations of historical changes are constrained to a small number of locally contaminated ecosystems. Here, we describe changes in natural Hg isotope records from a suite of dated sediment cores collected from various remote lakes of North America. In nearly all cases, the rise in industrial-use Hg is accompanied by an increase in δ202Hg and Δ199Hg values. These trends can be attributed to large-scale industrial emission of Hg into the atmosphere and are consistent with positive Δ199Hg values measured in modern-day precipitation and modeled increases in δ202Hg values from global emission inventories. Despite similar temporal trends among cores, the baseline isotopic values vary considerably among the different study regions, likely attributable to differences in the fractionation produced in situ as well as differing amounts of atmospherically delivered Hg. Differences among the study lakes in precipitation and watershed size provide an empirical framework for evaluating Hg isotopic signatures and global Hg cycling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan F. Lepak
- Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 660 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
- corresponding author: Ryan Lepak, U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd, Duluth, MN 55804, USA –
| | - Sarah E. Janssen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
| | - Daniel R. Engstrom
- St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota, 16910 152nd St. N., Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047, USA
| | - David P. Krabbenhoft
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
| | - Michael T. Tate
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
| | - Runsheng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99 Lincheng West Road, Guanshanhu District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550081, China
| | | | - Sonia A. Nagorski
- University of Alaska Southeast, Department of Natural Sciences, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
| | - James P. Hurley
- Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 660 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center, 1975 Willow Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA
| |
Collapse
|