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Gerson JR, Szponar N, Zambrano AA, Bergquist B, Broadbent E, Driscoll CT, Erkenswick G, Evers DC, Fernandez LE, Hsu-Kim H, Inga G, Lansdale KN, Marchese MJ, Martinez A, Moore C, Pan WK, Purizaca RP, Sánchez V, Silman M, Ury EA, Vega C, Watsa M, Bernhardt ES. Amazon forests capture high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining. Nat Commun 2022; 13:559. [PMID: 35091543 PMCID: PMC8799693 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27997-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Mercury emissions from artisanal and small-scale gold mining throughout the Global South exceed coal combustion as the largest global source of mercury. We examined mercury deposition and storage in an area of the Peruvian Amazon heavily impacted by artisanal gold mining. Intact forests in the Peruvian Amazon near gold mining receive extremely high inputs of mercury and experience elevated total mercury and methylmercury in the atmosphere, canopy foliage, and soils. Here we show for the first time that an intact forest canopy near artisanal gold mining intercepts large amounts of particulate and gaseous mercury, at a rate proportional with total leaf area. We document substantial mercury accumulation in soils, biomass, and resident songbirds in some of the Amazon's most protected and biodiverse areas, raising important questions about how mercury pollution may constrain modern and future conservation efforts in these tropical ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline R Gerson
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - Natalie Szponar
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B1, Canada
| | | | - Bridget Bergquist
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B1, Canada
| | - Eben Broadbent
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Charles T Driscoll
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Gideon Erkenswick
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Field Projects International, Escondido, CA, 92029, USA
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Luis E Fernandez
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
- Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - Heileen Hsu-Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Giancarlo Inga
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
| | - Kelsey N Lansdale
- Environmental Science Program, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Melissa J Marchese
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Ari Martinez
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 90840, USA
| | - Caroline Moore
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
| | - William K Pan
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | | | - Victor Sánchez
- Instituto de Investigación en Ecología y Conservación (IIECOO), La Libertad, Peru
| | - Miles Silman
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
- Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - Emily A Ury
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Claudia Vega
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Peru
- Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - Mrinalini Watsa
- Field Projects International, Escondido, CA, 92029, USA
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
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