Freshwater Fish Mercury Concentrations in a Regionally High Mercury Deposition Area

Hutcheson, Michael S.; Smith, C. Mark; Wallace, Gordon G.; Rose, Jane; Eddy, B.; Sullivan, James F.; Pancorbo, Oscar C.; West, Carol Rowan

doi:10.1007/s11270-007-9604-9

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In the upper Midwest of the USA Hg fluxes in pre-industrial sediment layers rarely exceed 20 µg m −2 y −1 , and the maximum fluxes observed here in a pristine area of the southern hemisphere were only exceeded by the highest values in urban areas with industrial pollution (200 to 300 µg m −2 y −1 , Engstrom and Swain, 1997). Even in a Hg deposition hotspot area in the USA, recent maximum values reached only 90 µg m −2 y −1 , after increasing constantly from 7 µg m −2 y −1 in 1880 (Hutcheson et al, 2008). Accordingly, the sediment domains with high Hg accumulation in our lakes during pre-industrial periods (up to 150 µg m −2 y −1 ) must be associated to some abrupt phenomena generating Hg inputs to aquatic environments similar to industrial pollution levels.…”

Section: Mercury Levelsmentioning

confidence: 47%

Sediment records of highly variable mercury inputs to mountain lakes in Patagonia during the past millennium

Guevara¹,

Meili

Rizzo³

et al. 2010

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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High Hg levels in the pristine lacustrine ecosystems of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, a protected zone situated in the Andes of Northern Patagonia, Argentina, have initiated further investigations on Hg cycling and source identification. Here we report Hg records in sedimentary sequences to identify atmospheric sources during the past millennium. In addition to global transport and deposition, a potential atmospheric Hg source to be considered is the local emissions associated with volcanic activity, because the Park is situated in the Southern Volcanic Zone. Two sediment cores were extracted from Lake Tonček, a small, high-altitude system reflecting mainly direct inputs associated with atmospheric contributions, and Lake Moreno Oeste, a much larger and deeper lake having an extended watershed covered mostly by native forest. The sedimentary sequences were dated based on both 210Pb and 137Cs profiles. In addition, tephra layers were identified and geochemically characterized for chronological application and to investigate any association of volcanic eruptions with Hg records. Hg concentrations in sediments were measured along with 32 other elements, as well as organic matter, subfossil chironomids, and biogenic silica. Observed background Hg concentrations, determined from the sequence domains with lower values, ranged from 50 to 100 ng g−1 dry weight (DW), whereas the surficial layers reached 200 to 500 ng g−1 DW. In addition to this traditional pattern, however, two deep domains in both sequences showed dramatically increased Hg levels reaching 400 to 650 ng g−1 DW; the upper dated to the 18th to 19th centuries, and the lower around the 13th century. These concentrations are not only elevated in the present profiles but also many-fold above the background values determined in other fresh water sediments, as were also the Hg fluxes, reaching 120 to 150 μg m−2 y−1 in Lake Tonček . No correlation was observed between Hg concentrations and the contents of organic matter, subfossil chironomids, biogenic silica, or the other elements determined. However, distinctly increased Hg concentrations were observed immediately above some tephra layers, suggesting a link to volcanic events. Extended fires might be another potential atmospheric source because the earlier Hg peaks coincide with reported charcoal peaks, whereas the upper Hg peaks coincide with evidences of extended forest fires from tree-ring data and historical records

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Section: Mercury Levelsmentioning

confidence: 47%

Sediment records of highly variable mercury inputs to mountain lakes in Patagonia during the past millennium

Guevara¹,

Meili

Rizzo³

et al. 2010

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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“…(1) Steubenville, Ohio, where Keeler et al (2006) demonstrated that nearly 70% of the Hg collected at a monitoring site originated from a neighboring coal-burning facility; (2) northeastern Massachusetts, where Hutcheson et al (2008) reported a 32% decline in yellow perch Hg during a seven year decline in nearby Hg emissions from municipal and hospital incinerators; and (3) a study of southeastern New Hampshire lakes, where Hg concentrations declined over 50% in the blood of the common loon between 2001 and 2004 , and correlated with the removal of 6,600 lbs (*3,000 kg) of Hg from upwind incinerator emission sources located within 200 km of the study area. If these examples are not exceptions, then local emission sources can cause significant local impacts.…”

Section: Biological Mercury Hotspotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial gradients of methylmercury for breeding common loons in the Laurentian Great Lakes region

et al. 2011

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Much of the Laurentian Great Lakes region is a mercury-sensitive landscape, in which atmospheric deposition and waterborne sources of mercury (Hg) have led to high concentrations of bioavailable methylmercury (MeHg) in predatory fish and piscivorous wildlife. Efforts since the early 1990s have established the common loon (Gavia immer) as the primary avian indicator for evaluating the exposure and effects of MeHg in North America. A regional Hg dataset was compiled from multiple loon tissue types and yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a preferred prey fish species for loons. Hg exposure in loons and perch was modeled to develop male and female loon units (MLU and FLU, respectively), standardized metrics that represent the estimated blood Hg exposure of a male or female loon for a given loon territory or water body. Using this common endpoint approach to assess loon Hg exposure, the authors demonstrate spatial trends in biotic Hg concentrations, examine MeHg availability in aquatic ecosystems of the Great Lakes region in relation to landscape-level characteristics, and identify areas with potentially significant adverse reproductive impacts to loons and other avian piscivores. Based on 8,101 MLUs, seven biological Hg hotspots were identified in the Great Lakes region. Policy-relevant applications are presented.

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“…1). Distance classifications were determined via consultation with North Carolina Division of Air Quality personnel (Freeman J, Jordon R, Schliesser S, personal communication) and the literature (Carpi 1997;Hutcheson et al 2008;NCDENR 2005) to ensure that the ''near'' lakes were close enough to be influenced by local deposition from a power plant (\10 km) under various wind conditions and that the ''far'' lakes ([30 km) were outside local influence from power plants (Fig. 1 Fish collection and ancillary environmental sampling At each lake, we collected largemouth bass and bluegill.…”

Section: Selection Of Sampling Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, because MeHg biomagnifies as it moves through aquatic foodwebs (Hall et al 1997), larger and older fish typically have higher body burdens of Hg than smaller and younger fish, both within and among species (Simonin et al 2008;Trudel and Rasmussen 2006). Despite all of this environmental variation, many studies have linked Hg accumulation in biota directly to atmospheric Hg loading (Hammerschmidt and Fitzgerald 2006;Hutcheson et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does proximity to coal-fired power plants influence fish tissue mercury?

et al. 2010

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Much of the mercury contamination in aquatic biota originates from coal-fired power plants, point sources that release mercury into the atmosphere. Understanding mercury dynamics is primarily important because of the toxic threat mercury poses to wildlife and humans through the consumption of contaminated fish. In this study, we quantified the relative importance of proximity to coal-fired power plants on mercury accumulation in two fish species of different trophic positions. Fish, water and sediment were collected and analyzed from 14 lakes, seven near to (<10 km) and seven far from (>30 km) coal-fired power plants. Lower tissue mercury and higher tissue selenium concentrations were measured in fish collected near power plants. Moreover, mercury accumulation in fish was driven by biotic characteristics (e.g., trophic position, total length, age), waterbody characteristics (e.g., pH, dissolved organic carbon and sulfate) and distance from power plants. Proximity to an atmospheric point-source of mercury and selenium, such as a coal-fired power plant, affects the quantities of mercury and selenium accumulated in fish tissue. Differences in accumulation are hypothesized to be driven in part by selenium-mitigated reductions in fish tissue mercury near power plants. Although reduced fish tissue mercury in systems near power plants may decrease mercury-specific risks to human consumers, these benefits are highly localized and the relatively high selenium associated with these tissues may compromise ecological health.

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Freshwater Fish Mercury Concentrations in a Regionally High Mercury Deposition Area

Cited by 16 publications

References 46 publications

Sediment records of highly variable mercury inputs to mountain lakes in Patagonia during the past millennium

Sediment records of highly variable mercury inputs to mountain lakes in Patagonia during the past millennium

Spatial gradients of methylmercury for breeding common loons in the Laurentian Great Lakes region

Does proximity to coal-fired power plants influence fish tissue mercury?

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