Determination of Mercury Content in a Shallow Firn Core from Greenland by Isotope Dilution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Mann, Jacqueline L.; Long, Stephen E.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Kelly, William R.

doi:10.1007/s11270-005-7607-y

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…For Greenland, reported THg figures suggest sequestration rates varying between 0.1 and 0.6 mg m À2 year À1 . [277,278,282] A recent study [275] reported much higher THg concentrations (3-20 ng L À1 ), in snow and firn at Summit, Greenland, suggesting a considerably greater sequestration rate, but this study remains an exception. For Canadian Arctic ice caps the sequestration rate for THg appears to be in the order of 0.1 mg m À2 year À1 .…”

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 49%

“…For THg measured by cold vapour (CV) generation, published figures appear to vary within a narrow range of ,0.2 to ,5 ng L À1 in recent (,10-year old) firn layers. [17,18,20,252,[277][278][279][280][281][282] Data from older studies [283] that reported much higher levels in Greenland, for example, are probably suspect due to contamination issues. [284] Because the mean Hg levels in circumarctic glaciers are somewhat similar, geographic differences in sequestration rates are largely determined by net ice accumulation rates at these sites.…”

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 99%

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The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Douglas

Loseto²,

Macdonald³

et al. 2012

Environ. Chem.

124

147

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Environmental context. Mercury, in its methylated form, is a neurotoxin that biomagnifies in marine and terrestrial foodwebs leading to elevated levels in fish and fish-eating mammals worldwide, including at numerous Arctic locations. Elevated mercury concentrations in Arctic country foods present a significant exposure risk to Arctic people. We present a detailed review of the fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, taking into account the extreme seasonality of Arctic ecosystems and the unique processes associated with sea ice and Arctic hydrology.Abstract. This review is the result of a series of multidisciplinary meetings organised by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme as part of their 2011 Assessment 'Mercury in the Arctic'. This paper presents the state-of-the-art knowledge on the environmental fate of mercury following its entry into the Arctic by oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial pathways. Our focus is on the movement, transformation and bioaccumulation of Hg in aquatic (marine and fresh water) and terrestrial ecosystems. The processes most relevant to biological Hg uptake and the potential risk associated with Hg exposure in wildlife are emphasised. We present discussions of the chemical transformations of newly deposited or transported Hg in marine, fresh water and terrestrial environments and of the movement of Hg from air, soil and water environmental compartments into food webs. Methylation, a key process controlling the fate of Hg in most ecosystems, and the role of trophic processes in controlling Hg in higher order animals are also included. Case studies on Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) are presented as examples of the relationship between ecosystem trophic processes and biologic Hg levels. We examine whether atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) contribute to increased Hg levels in Arctic biota and provide information on the links between organic carbon and Hg speciation, dynamics and bioavailability. Long-term sequestration of Hg into non-biological archives is also addressed. The review concludes by identifying major knowledge gaps in our understanding, including:(1) the rates of Hg entry into marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the rates of inorganic and MeHg uptake by Arctic microbial and algal communities; (2) the bioavailable fraction of AMDE-related Hg and its rate of accumulation by biota and (3) the fresh water and marine MeHg cycle in the Arctic, especially the marine MeHg cycle.

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Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 49%

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Douglas

Loseto²,

Macdonald³

et al. 2012

Environ. Chem.

124

147

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Louis et al, 2005;Dommergue et al, 2007;Faïn et al, 2007;Johnson et al, 2008;Sherman et al, 2010) and in the dark (Lalonde et al, 2003;Ferrari et al, 2004bFerrari et al, , 2008Dommergue et al, 2007;Faïn et al, 2007;Mann et al, 2011). GEM is also oxidized within the snowpack in the presence of sunlight (Ferrari et al, 2004b;Poulain et al, 2004;Mann et al, 2005;Faïn et al, 2008) and in the dark (Poulain et al, 2004(Poulain et al, , 2007bFaïn et al, 2008). Furthermore, halides stabilize oxidized mercury within the snowpack (Lalonde et al, 2003;Ferrari et al, 2004b;Faïn et al, 2006Faïn et al, , 2008.…”

Section: Snowpack/meltwater Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Louis et al, 2005;Dommergue et al, 2007;Faïn et al, 2007;Johnson et al, 2008;Sherman et al, 2010). Prior to revolatilization, the produced GEM may be reoxidized (Lalonde et al, 2003;Ferrari et al, 2004b;Poulain et al, 2004Poulain et al, , 2007bMann et al, 2005;Lahoutifard et al, 2006;Lin et al, 2006;Dommergue et al, 2007;Faïn et al, 2006Faïn et al, , 2007Faïn et al, , 2008. Furthermore, halides stabilize oxidized mercury within the snowpack (Lalonde et al, 2003;Ferrari et al, 2004b;Faïn et al, 2006Faïn et al, , 2008Bartels-Rausch et al, 2011;Mann et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How relevant is the deposition of mercury onto snowpacks? – Part 2: A modeling study

Durnford¹,

Dastoor

Ryzhkov

et al. 2012

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. An unknown fraction of mercury that is deposited onto snowpacks is revolatilized to the atmosphere. Determining the revolatilized fraction is important since mercury that enters the snowpack meltwater may be converted to highly toxic bioaccumulating methylmercury. In this study, we present a new dynamic physically-based snowpack/meltwater model for mercury that is suitable for large-scale atmospheric models for mercury. It represents the primary physical and chemical processes that determine the fate of mercury deposited onto snowpacks. The snowpack/meltwater model was implemented in Environment Canada's atmospheric mercury model GRAHM. For the first time, observed snowpack-related mercury concentrations are used to evaluate and constrain an atmospheric mercury model. We find that simulated concentrations of mercury in both snowpacks and the atmosphere's surface layer agree closely with observations. The simulated concentration of mercury in both in the top 30 cm and the top 150 cm of the snowpack, averaged over 2005-2009, is predominantly below 6 ng L −1 over land south of 66.5°N but exceeds 18 ng L −1 over sea ice in extensive areas of the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay. The average simulated concentration of mercury in snowpack meltwater runoff tends to be higher on the Russian/European side (>20 ng L −1 ) of the Arctic Ocean than on the Canadian side (<10 ng L −1 ). The correlation coefficient between observed and simulated monthly mean atmospheric surface-level gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations increased significantly with the inclusion of the new snowpack/meltwater model at two of the three stations (midlatitude, subarctic) studied and remained constant at the third (arctic). Oceanic emissions are postulated to produce the observed summertime maximum in concentrations of surface-level atmospheric GEM at Alert in the Canadian Arctic and to generate the summertime volatility observed in these concentrations at both Alert and Kuujjuarapik on subarctic Hudson Bay, Canada. We find that the fraction of deposited mercury that is revolatilized from snowpacks increases with latitude from 39 % between 30 and 45°N, to 57 % from 45 to 60°N, 67 % from 60 to 66.5°N, and 75 % polewards of 66.5°N on an annual basis. Combining this latitudinal gradient with the latitudinally increasing coverage of snowpacks causes yearly net deposition as a fraction of gross deposition to decrease from 98 % between 30 and 45°N to 89 % between 45 and 60°N, 73 % between 60 and 66.5°N, and 44 % within the Arctic Circle. The yearly net deposition and net accumulation of mercury at the surface within the Arctic Circle north of 66.5°N are estimated at 153 and 117 Mg, respectively. We calculate that 58 and 50 Mg of mercury are deposited annually to the Arctic Ocean directly and indirectly via melting snowpacks, respectively. For terrestrial surfaces within the Arctic Circle, we find that 29 and 16 Mg of mercury are deposited annually directly and indirectly via melting snowpacks, respectively. Within the Arctic Circle, multi-s...

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“…It is worth noting that persistent pollutants are deposited in the snow and ice, which then constitute a secondary emission source. Furthermore, the legacy deposition of those can be traced in ice and sediment cores (Mann et al 2013;Larsen et al 2010;AMAP 2011). Chemical substances, including chemicals whose production has been banned, are to some extent also trapped in permafrost, and they are gradually released to the environment from there.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic catchment as a sensitive indicator of the environmental changes: distribution and migration of metals (Svalbard)

Kozak

Polkowska

Stachnik

et al. 2016

Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Arctic regions experience metal pollution, despite their remote location, and the distribution and migration of those metals determine their potential impact on the local environment. Here, a High-Arctic catchment (Revelva, Svalbard) located remotely from human-induced pollution sources is studied with respect to the distribution and migration of chosen trace elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba , the highest mean-weighted concentration noted for Sr (42.5 lg L -1 ). The concentrations in the river water were likely influenced by both natural and human-activity-related processes. These factors can produce substances of the same chemical composition (e.g. carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and metals may be emitted both by a volcanic eruption and by industrial sources). Therefore, chemometric techniques were used in the current paper to distinguish the multiple sources of pollution in the Revelva catchment. The authors were seeking to determine whether there is indeed evidence for contamination, sufficient to cause environmental damage in polar region. As a result, it was shown that the long-range transport could play an important role in shaping the metal concentration profile of this Arctic tundra environment, capturing both the influence of volcanic eruptions within the region and the human activity in a range of distances from the study site.

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Determination of Mercury Content in a Shallow Firn Core from Greenland by Isotope Dilution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

How relevant is the deposition of mercury onto snowpacks? – Part 2: A modeling study

Arctic catchment as a sensitive indicator of the environmental changes: distribution and migration of metals (Svalbard)

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