Impact of Water-Induced Soil Erosion on the Terrestrial Transport and Atmospheric Emission of Mercury in China

Liu, Maodian; Zhang, Qianru; Luo, Yiqi; Mason, Robert P.; Ge, Shaohua; He, Yipeng; Yu, Chenghao; Sa, Rina; Cao, Hanlin; Wang, Xuejun; Chen, Long

doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b01319

Cited by 35 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…28 Biogeochemical studies of contaminants in watersheds and landscapes commonly focus on direct anthropogenic inputs (point sources, including industrial wastewater and municipal sewage discharges) into freshwater ecosystems and the quantification of riverine fluxes. 3,28,54 Our analysis provides new evidence that not only Hg, as has been illustrated previously, 12 but also other trace elements released to streams induced by soil erosion could cause negative perturbations to the aquatic environment. Hence, this study is critical in presenting a better understanding of the global biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and highlights the potential importance of the release of legacy anthropogenic contaminants presently stored in some of the earth’s critical zones, e.g., the terrestrial ecosystem.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Following other studies, 12,16 the erosional components of soil trace elements were derived as presented below Eijx=true∑klCikx × Ml × Akl ×K…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data for Hg were referenced from another study. 12 We used the ordinary kriging (spatial optimal linear prediction) method to interpolate the spatial distributions of the element concentrations for each county, and the calculations were accomplished using ArcGIS version 10.3. The kriging interpolation is a modeling method that provides a spatial estimate based on variogram function and structure analysis and has long been used in geology, ecology, and environmental sciences by interpolating between data collected from different locations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8–10 A previous study has highlighted that soil erosion could significantly induce the lateral transport of soil contaminants and contribute to the aquatic environment and their biogeochemical contaminant cycles globally, 11 but the regional distribution and the detailed process of the transport are not well understood. Our previous study also suggested that soil erosion could induce substantial terrestrial mercury (Hg) transport in China, 12 but the impact is still unknown for other contaminants. Hence, quantitative descriptions of the lateral transport of contaminants, such as trace elements, in terrestrial ecosystems are urgently needed since these processes have the potential to accelerate accumulation of contaminants in aquatic systems and into the human food web.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15 Consequently, substantial amounts of trace metals and other contaminants may be liberated from soils in Southwest China and transported laterally, as is the case with carbon and Hg. 12,16 Hence, rocky desertification is labeled as the primary ecological disaster in Southwest China. Quantification of the changes in lateral contaminant transport induced by soil erosion in this region through time is needed, and an understanding of the potential driving factors is important and necessary for an effective remediation of this process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid Increase in the Lateral Transport of Trace Elements Induced by Soil Erosion in Major Karst Regions in China

Liu

Zhang

et al. 2019

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Soil erosion, which has been recently shown to significantly perturb carbon cycling, occurs naturally but can be either enhanced or reduced by human activities. However, the impacts of soil erosion on terrestrial contaminant cycles remain unclear. Here, we select eight trace elements, i.e., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, and mercury, to examine the erosional impacts of the elements’ fate and transport across China. By synthesizing the detailed distribution of soil erosion fluxes, soil element inventories, and diverse modeling methods, we reveal that while human activities have reduced the lateral transport of these elements in the Loess Plateau (Central North China, a 56% decline in the past two decades with a range of 46% to 110%) due to soil conservation projects, they have increased these transport fluxes in China’s major karst regions (Southwest China, a 84% increase with a range of 55% to 150%) because of severe rocky desertification. These fluxes have completely overwhelmed the soil conservation efforts in the Loess Plateau. Fluxes of these elements into aquatic environments from Southwest China reached 46% of the total input in China in 2010. These fluxes were higher than the inputs from point sources in the region by a factor of 50 because of impacts of excessive agricultural cultivation and geographical and climatic factors. These findings indicate the enormous perturbation of terrestrial contaminant cycles caused by soil erosion in karst regions and demonstrate the need for long-term sustainable management of soil erosion and contaminant discharge to protect fragile terrestrial ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Following other studies, 12,16 the erosional components of soil trace elements were derived as presented below Eijx=true∑klCikx × Ml × Akl ×K…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Rapid Increase in the Lateral Transport of Trace Elements Induced by Soil Erosion in Major Karst Regions in China

Liu

Zhang

et al. 2019

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Downstream Modification of Mercury in Diverse River Systems Underscores the Role of Local Conditions in Fish Bioaccumulation

et al. 2022

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Fish consumption advisories for mercury (Hg) are common in rivers, highlighting connections between landscape sources of Hg and downstream fluvial ecosystems. Though watershed conditions can influence concentrations of Hg in smaller streams, how Hg changes downstream through larger rivers and how these changes associate with Hg concentrations in fish is not well understood. Here we present a continuum of concentrations and yields of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) from small tributary systems draining diverse western Canadian headwater landscapes through to major transboundary rivers. We associate these downstream patterns with THg concentrations in tissues of resident fish in major rivers. Mean concentrations and yields of unfiltered THg from over 80 monitored tributaries and major rivers were highly variable in space ranging from 0.28 to 120 ng L−1 and 0.39 to 170 µg ha−1 d−1, respectively. Using spatial data and a hierarchical cluster analysis, we identified three broad categories of tributary catchment conditions. Linear mixed modeling analysis with water quality variables revealed significantly lower THg concentrations in tributaries draining cordillera-foothills (geometric mean: 0.76 ng L−1) regions relative to those draining forested (1.5 ng L−1) and agriculturalized landscapes (2.4 ng L−1), suggesting that sources and mobility of THg in soils and surface waters were different between landscapes. However, these concentration differences were not sustained downstream in major rivers as local sources and sinks of THg in river channels smoothed differences between landscape types. Extensive fish tissue monitoring in major rivers and ANCOVA analysis found that site-specific, river water THg and MeHg concentrations and local catchment conditions were stronger associates of THg concentrations in fish than broader trends in rivers within and across landscape classes. Consequently, site-specific, targeted monitoring of THg and MeHg concentrations in water and fish is a preferred study design when assessing regional-level patterns in fish tissue concentrations.

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An experimental study of the impacts of solar radiation and temperature on mercury emission from different natural soils across China

Xie

Liu

et al. 2019

Environ Monit Assess

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Impact of Water-Induced Soil Erosion on the Terrestrial Transport and Atmospheric Emission of Mercury in China

Cited by 35 publications

References 70 publications

Rapid Increase in the Lateral Transport of Trace Elements Induced by Soil Erosion in Major Karst Regions in China

Rapid Increase in the Lateral Transport of Trace Elements Induced by Soil Erosion in Major Karst Regions in China

Downstream Modification of Mercury in Diverse River Systems Underscores the Role of Local Conditions in Fish Bioaccumulation

An experimental study of the impacts of solar radiation and temperature on mercury emission from different natural soils across China

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