Atmospheric mercury deposited in a peat bog, the Jeseníky Mountains, Czech Republic

• The mercury contents in studied peat cores showed a significant variability.
• The depth profiles evinced a decline of mercury content with local maxima.
• Analytical procedure for speciation of deposited atmospheric mercury was suggested.

Peat bogs represent archives of mercury content in the atmosphere. This research is aimed at a homogeneity study of mercury content in peat layers. A small-scale peat bog in the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic was selected for this purpose. This locality evinces the parameters of a natural mountain bog. Additionally, the bog is influenced by ground water.Nine peat cores were collected from three sampling sites at the bog. The mercury contents at particular depths of the studied cores showed significant variability even within each sampling site. The depth profiles evinced a general decline in mercury content in lower peat layers with local maxima. In addition, an analytical procedure for the determination of three mercury forms contained in the peat was used. Mercury bound to humic substances was determined by sequential extraction, and the content of Hg0 was determined using thermal desorption. The residual mercury fraction was defined as the mercury incorporated in the organic matrix of the peat. Thus, the depth profiles of peat layers do not lose their information about mercury behavior despite the hydrological conditions of the locality.

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