کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4432136 1619905 2009 10 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Methyl mercury production and loss in Arctic soil
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری علوم محیط زیست شیمی زیست محیطی
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Methyl mercury production and loss in Arctic soil
چکیده انگلیسی

Mercury has been found in polar bears and other top predators in the Arctic at concentrations that pose a risk to the indigenous population, however, the means by which this occurs is uncertain. There has been extensive research on the atmospheric cycling of mercury but little is known about mercury cycling in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine whether wet sedge meadow soils within the Truelove Lowlands, Devon Island, NT, Canada (75° 33′N, 84° 40′N) were acting as sources or sinks for methylmercury (MeHg). Over the course of an Arctic summer, MeHg concentrations and other biophysical characteristics were measured at four wet sedge meadows over a 19 day study period that commenced approximately 1 month after snowmelt. Soil MeHg concentrations declined during the study period, indicating a net loss of MeHg over the summer. The dominant ligand in solution appeared to be dissolved organic matter, little sulfide was detected, and it would seem that most of the mercury was unavailable for methylation during the summer sampling period. In soil microcosms, spiked with 5.0 nmol g− 1 (1 µg g− 1) HgCl2, the soil did methylate mercury suggesting that there is the potential for mercury methylation. We also noted significant spatial variability in MeHg concentrations between catenas that could not be explained by other biophysical parameters, which are known to affect methylation. Given our data and previous geochemical data collected from suprapermafrost groundwater during snowmelt, it seems likely that methylation may occur during the spring melt period in the arctic. Furthermore the geochemical variability of the melt water may lead to the spatial variability observed in MeHg concentrations in this study.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Science of The Total Environment - Volume 407, Issue 5, 15 February 2009, Pages 1691–1700
نویسندگان
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