Results of a controlled field experiment to assess the use of tree tissue concentrations as bioindicators of air Hg

Peckham, Matthew A.; Gustin, Mae Sexauer; Weiss-Penzias, P. S.

doi:10.1007/s10533-018-0533-z

Cited by 33 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pathways of Hg uptake in vascular plants include stomatal and cuticular uptake in foliage [43][44][45] (Figure 2), surface adsorption of atmospheric Hg to foliage 46 and bark 43,47 , and soil uptake of Hg through roots. 45,[48][49][50][51] .…”

Section: Mercury In Vascular Plants and Mechanism Of Hg Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Potential pathways for Hg in bole wood include root uptake and translocation through the xylem, foliage uptake and translocation by phloem transport, and transfer from the bark (Figure 2). However, Hg uptake to bole wood, which is the tissue showing by far lowest Hg concentrations (Figure 1c and S2a), is considered dominated by translocation of foliage Hg to tree rings through phloem transport, while transport seems negligible through translocation from roots and bark [43][44][45] . Recently, a number of studies have tested the use of tree ring Hg to track historic, local, regional, and global Hg exposures with promising results 43,44,[97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104]105 .…”

Section: Mercury In Vascular Plants and Mechanism Of Hg Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vegetation uptake of mercury and impacts on global cycling

Zhou

Obrist

Dastoor

et al. 2021

Nat Rev Earth Environ

217

152

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge on mercury (Hg) content and sources in foliage and vegetated ecosystems and the importance of vegetation to global Hg cycling. By means of a global database of over 35,000 samples across 416 sites, we discuss global Hg concentrations in all major tissues, and mechanisms of vegetation Hg uptake. Hg in aboveground vegetation largely originates from uptake of atmospheric gaseous elemental Hg (Hg(0)), whereas Hg in roots originates from a combination of uptake from soil and foliage-to-root transport. Vegetation Hg uptake from the atmosphere and transfer to soils is the major Hg source in all biomes. Using model sensitivity analyses with and without global vegetation present, we show that vegetation Hg uptake modulates atmospheric Hg(0) seasonality in the northern hemisphere and interhemispheric gradient. We estimate that vegetation uptake the global Hg pool in the atmosphere by approximately 660 Mg and reduces the Hg deposition to global oceans, which in the absence of vegetation might receive an additional 960 Mg yr -1 . We discuss future research needs to better constrain vegetation uptake mechanisms and their controlling physiological and environmental variables, improve model processes and address effects of climate and land use changes.

show abstract

Section: Mercury In Vascular Plants and Mechanism Of Hg Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mercury In Vascular Plants and Mechanism Of Hg Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation uptake of mercury and impacts on global cycling

Zhou

Obrist

Dastoor

et al. 2021

Nat Rev Earth Environ

217

152

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hg content of leaves and litterfall has been linked to uptake from the atmosphere and not the roots, adding to the notion of vegetation being a net Hg sink (Obrist et al, 2016;Peckham et al, 2019;Rea et al, 2002;Sheehan et al, 2006;Wang, Bao, et al, 2016). However, Hg re-emission from the terrestrial environment to the atmosphere is known to be a significant contributor to the global Hg cycling budget (Mason & Sheu, 2002;Mason et al, 1994).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Passive Air Samplers to Quantify Vertical Gaseous Elemental Mercury Concentration Gradients Within a Forest and Above Soil

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), the primary form of mercury (Hg) in the atmosphere, can undergo bidirectional exchange with the Earth's surface, with uptake in growing vegetation constituting the dominant atmospheric deposition process. Whereas direction and magnitude of this exchange can be determined using micrometeorological and chamber techniques, these approaches are complex, costly and labor‐intensive, and often only yield fluxes over relatively short time‐scales at few sites. We demonstrate that an inexpensive and easy‐to‐use passive air sampler can identify and quantify vertical GEM concentration gradients on scales ranging from centimeters to tens of meters over long time periods (up to 1.5 years) and with coarse temporal resolution (monthly to seasonally). Samplers were deployed above clean and contaminated soil and through a deciduous forest canopy at two sites in Southern Ontario. Significant and seasonally variable gradients of GEM concentrations, both increasing and decreasing with height above ground, were observed and can be explained through the influence of factors such as soil contamination, canopy growth, temperature, solar irradiance, and snow cover. At a minimum, the sampler can identify the GEM flux direction, but, when combined with the Modified Bowen Ratio method, can also be used to estimate the evaporative GEM flux from mercury‐contaminated soil. We further demonstrate the application of the approach to contaminated site assessment, using a field in Brescia, Italy, known to contain elevated levels of Hg in soil. By allowing for cost‐effective measurements at multiple sites and over extended time periods, passive sampling complements existing techniques for studying atmosphere‐surface exchange of GEM.

show abstract

“…In these studies, it is recommended to perform a basic speciation of the bioaccumulated Hg in leaves to confirm that the THg data correspond only to gaseous Hg and there is no contribution from PBM, to elucidate Hg major sources. This biomonitoring method using native trees has been applied successfully in Almadén [ 24 ], around a chloralkali plant in Rumania [ 25 ], and in background areas using Pinus nigra [ 26 ], while other authors have used transplanted Pinus nigra specimens with reliable results [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomonitoring of Hg0, Hg2 and Particulate Hg in a Mining Context Using Tree Barks+

Viso

Rivera

Martínez-Coronado³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The biomonitoring of atmospheric mercury (Hg) is an important topic in the recent scientific literature given the cost-benefit advantage of obtaining indirect measurements of gaseous Hg using biological tissues. Lichens, mosses, and trees are the most commonly used organisms, with many standardized methods for some of them used across European countries by scientists and pollution regulators. Most of the species used the uptake of gaseous Hg (plant leaves), or a mixture of gaseous and particulate Hg (mosses and lichens), but no method is capable of differentiating between main atmospheric Hg phases (particulate and gaseous), essential in a risk assessment. The purpose of this work was to evaluate different uptake patterns of biological tissues in terms of atmospheric Hg compounds. To accomplish this, the feasibility of two plant tissues from a tree commonly found in urban environments has been evaluated for the biomonitoring of gaseous Hg species in a Hg mining environment. Sampling included leaves and barks from Platanus hispanica and particulate matter from the atmosphere of the urban area around Almadén (south-central Spain), while analytical determinations included data for total Hg concentrations in biological and geological samples, Hg speciation data and total gaseous Hg (TGM). The results allowed us to identify the main Hg compounds in leaves and bark tissues and in atmospheric particulate matter, finding that leaves bioaccumulated only gaseous Hg (Hg0 and Hg2+), preferably during daylight hours, whereas the barks accumulated a combination of TGM and particulate bound Hg (PBM) during the day and at night. Subsequent merging of the atmospheric Hg speciation data obtained from leaves and barks allowed indicative maps of the main sources of TGM and PBM emissions to be obtained, thereby perfectly delimiting the main TGM and PBM sources in the urban area around Almadén. This method complements TGM biomonitoring systems already tested with other urban trees, adding the detection of PBM emission sources and, therefore, biomonitoring all Hg species present in the atmosphere. Scenarios other than mining sites should be evaluated to determine the utility of this method for Hg biospeciation in the atmosphere.

show abstract

Results of a controlled field experiment to assess the use of tree tissue concentrations as bioindicators of air Hg

Cited by 33 publications

References 53 publications

Vegetation uptake of mercury and impacts on global cycling

Vegetation uptake of mercury and impacts on global cycling

Using Passive Air Samplers to Quantify Vertical Gaseous Elemental Mercury Concentration Gradients Within a Forest and Above Soil

Biomonitoring of Hg0, Hg2 and Particulate Hg in a Mining Context Using Tree Barks+

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About