Effects of hypolimnetic oxygen addition on mercury bioaccumulation in Twin Lakes, Washington, USA

Beutel, Marc W.; Dent, Stephen; Reed, Brandon; Marshall, Piper; Gebremariam, Seyoum Yami; Moore, Barry; Cross, Benjamin K.; Gantzer, Paul A.; Shallenberger, Ed

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.117

Cited by 37 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…A handful of studies have shown that oxidized surficial sediments have been found elsewhere to effectively inhibit MeHg diffusion from sediments into their overlying waters [ Gagnon et al ., ; Gill et al ., ; Merritt and Amirbahman , ]. In addition, a few studies have documented how whole‐lake manipulations that enhance the redox conditions of bottom waters can repress MeHg accumulation in bottom waters [ Austin et al ., ; Perron et al ., ; Beutel et al ., ; Matthews et al ., ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If these profundal waters still harbored higher levels of MeHg than that to which they were previously exposed, bioaccumulation may still have increased. A similar mechanism was proposed for oxygenation‐enhanced mercury uptake into zooplankton in Twin Lakes, WA [ Beutel et al ., ]. A number of studies have also implicated MeHg production in littoral sediments as an important source Hg to aquatic food webs [ Krabbenhoft et al ., ; Stewart et al ., ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hypoxia is commonly defined as dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations less than 2 mg/L [ Wyman and Stevenson , ]. Hypolimnetic hypoxia in lakes is often related to degraded water quality [ Wetzel , ] and enhanced bottom‐water buildup of problematic compounds including phosphate, ammonia, iron, manganese, and methylmercury (MeHg) [ Beutel et al ., ; Davison , ; Golterman , ; Watras , ]. Hypolimnetic hypoxia can further degrade cold‐water fish habitat in and downstream of reservoirs, as cool bottom waters become devoid of DO and accumulate toxic compounds [ Beutel et al ., ; Beutel and Horne , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in some lake sediments, biogeochemical processes such as oxidative dissolution, which releases ionic mercury (Hg(II)) and sulfate from sediment, may lead to enhanced methylation under subsequent hypoxic conditions [ Beutel et al ., ]. Oxygenated conditions and/or changes in mixing patterns in the water column, while lowering MeHg concentration in bottom waters, may also change patterns of bioaccumulation, potentially leading to higher levels of Hg in aquatic biota [ Beutel et al ., ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of mercury cycling and hypolimnetic oxygenation in mercury-impacted seasonally stratified reservoirs in the Guadalupe River watershed, California

McCord¹,

Beutel

Dent

et al. 2016

Water Resour. Res.

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Surface water reservoirs trap inorganic mercury delivered from their watersheds, create conditions that convert inorganic mercury to highly toxic methylmercury (MeHg), and host sportfish in which MeHg bioaccumulates. The Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) actively manages and monitors four mercury‐impaired reservoirs that help to serve communities in South San Francisco Bay, California. The Guadalupe River watershed, which contains three of those reservoirs, also includes the New Almaden mercury‐mining district, the largest historic mercury producer in North America. Monthly vertical profiles of field measurements and grab samples in years 2011–2013 portray annual cycling of density stratification, dissolved oxygen (DO), and MeHg. Monitoring results highlight the role that hypolimnetic hypoxia plays in MeHg distribution in the water column, as well as the consistent, tight coupling between MeHg in ecological compartments (water, zooplankton, and bass) across the four reservoirs. Following the 2011–2013 monitoring period, the District designed and installed hypolimnetic oxygenation systems (HOS) in the four reservoirs in an effort to repress MeHg buildup in bottom waters and attain regulatory targets for MeHg in water and fish tissue. Initial HOS operation in Calero Reservoir in 2014 enhanced bottom water DO and depressed hypolimnetic buildup of MeHg, but did not substantially decrease mercury levels in zooplankton or small fish.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Evaluation of mercury cycling and hypolimnetic oxygenation in mercury-impacted seasonally stratified reservoirs in the Guadalupe River watershed, California

McCord¹,

Beutel

Dent

et al. 2016

Water Resour. Res.

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“…Little work has been done on microbial Hg cycling within meromictic lakes, despite the well-known production of methylmercury (MeHg, or CH 3 Hg + ) from inorganic mercury (Hg(II)), which occurs in aquatic environments devoid of oxygen and nitrate (NO 3 − ) (Regnell et al 1997, Todorova et al 2009, Beutel et al 2014, Emili et al 2014, Podar et al 2015. MeHg production was first attributed to the metabolic activities of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB; Compeau and Bartha 1985), establishing a connection between the Hg and S cycles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury geochemistry and microbial diversity in meromictic Glacier Lake, Jamesville, NY

Yoshimura

Todorova

Biddle

2020

Environ Microbiol Rep

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Summary Meromictic lakes are stratified lakes that typically stimulate phototrophic anoxic microbial metabolism, including the transformation of sulphur. Less studied are the transformations of mercury in these environments, and the microorganisms, which mediate these reactions. In order to further an understanding of redox species, mercury and microbial populations in meromictic lakes, we examined the geochemistry and microbiology of Glacier Lake in Jamesville, NY. We found an anoxic transition at a depth of 6 m, followed by active nitrate and sulphate utilization. A chlorophyll a maximum was located at 11 m, coinciding with peaks of several photoautotrophic microbial lineages and total mercury and methyl mercury. Via amplicon sequencing, the microbial population showed pronounced peaks of cyanobacteria at 10 m, Chlorobi at 12 m and Chloroflexi at 14 m. Sulphate‐reducing bacteria were also most abundant between 10 and 14 m depth. A functional gene indicating the potential for the production of methyl mercury, hgcA, was detected at several depths in the lake. Our work suggests that in addition to the sulphur cycle, the cycling of mercury may be indirectly coupled with phototrophic processes in Glacier Lake.

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Key differences between lakes and reservoirs modify climate signals: A case for a new conceptual model

Hayes

Deemer

Corman

et al. 2017

Limnol Oceanogr Letters

147

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Lakes and reservoirs are recognized as important sentinels of climate change, integrating catchment and atmospheric climate change drivers. Climate change conceptual models generally consider lakes and reservoirs together despite the possibility that these systems respond differently to climate-related drivers. Here, we synthesize differences between lake and reservoir characteristics that are likely important for predicting waterbody response to climate change. To better articulate these differences, we revised the energy mass flux framework, a conceptual model for the effects of climate change on lentic ecosystems, to explicitly consider the differential responses of lake versus reservoir ecosystems. The model predicts that catchment and management characteristics will be more important mediators of climate effects in reservoirs than in natural lakes. Given the increased reliance on reservoirs globally, we highlight current gaps in our understanding of these systems and suggest research directions to further characterize regional and continental differences among lakes and reservoirs. Author Contribution Statement: NMH and BRD co-led the manuscript effort and contributed equally. JRC and BRD conducted the statistical analyses. KES and JRC designed the lake pairing analysis. NMH, NRR, and KES developed the climate change conceptual model. This paper was a highly collaborative effort and all authors contributed equally to the development of the research question and study design as well as the writing of the paper. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Scientific Significance StatementClimate change poses a significant threat to freshwater ecosystems, though the exact nature of these threats can vary by waterbody type. An existing conceptual model describes how altered fluxes of mass and energy will affect standing waterbodies, but it does not differentiate reservoirs from lakes. Here, we synthesize evidence suggesting that lakes and reservoirs differ in fundamental ways that are likely to influence their response to climate change. We then present a revised conceptual model that contrasts climate change effects on reservoirs versus lakes. 47Limnology and Oceanography Letters 2, 2017, 47-62

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Effects of hypolimnetic oxygen addition on mercury bioaccumulation in Twin Lakes, Washington, USA

Cited by 37 publications

References 64 publications

Evaluation of mercury cycling and hypolimnetic oxygenation in mercury-impacted seasonally stratified reservoirs in the Guadalupe River watershed, California

Evaluation of mercury cycling and hypolimnetic oxygenation in mercury-impacted seasonally stratified reservoirs in the Guadalupe River watershed, California

Mercury geochemistry and microbial diversity in meromictic Glacier Lake, Jamesville, NY

Key differences between lakes and reservoirs modify climate signals: A case for a new conceptual model

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