Tracing anthropogenic Hg and Pb input using stable Hg and Pb isotope ratios in sediments of the central Portuguese Margin

Mil-Homens, Mário; Blum, Joel D.; Canário, João; Caetano, Miguel; Costa, Ana Novo; Lebreiro, Susana Martin; Trancoso, Maria Ascensão; Richter, Thomas; Stigter, Henko de; Johnson, Marcus W.; Branco, Vasco; Cesário, Rute; Mouro, Filomena; Mateus, Manuela; Boer, Wim; Melo, Zenaida

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.02.018

Cited by 80 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Previous results on Hg ores other metal deposits exhibited d 202 Hg of ∼ -0.6±0.4‰ (σ) and D 199 Hg close to 0 (Sonke et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2011;Blum et al, 2014;Hintelmann and Lu, 2003;Smith et al, 2005Smith et al, , 2008Stetson et al, 2009;Laffont et al, 2011;Yin et al, 2013a). Sediments with high THg concentrations is predominately derived from anthropogenic sources as deposition typically occurs near the source, waters are relatively turbid (thereby reducing photochemical processes) or the Hg from these sources are less susceptible to photo-reduction (Foucher and Hintelmann, 2009;Feng et al, 2010;Gehrke et al, 2011;Sonke et al, 2010;Donovan et al, 2013;Cooke et al, 2013;Ma et al, 2013;Mil-Homens et al, 2013;Gray et al, 2013Gray et al, , 2015Balogh et al, 2015;Yin et al, 2013a;Lepak et al, 2016 …”

Section: Historical Records Of Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Determination of isotopic Hg signatures in sediment profiles have proven useful to better understand historical Hg loading to a variety of systems ( Jackson et al, 2004;Feng et al, 2010;Sonke et al, 2010;Cooke et al, 2013;Donovan et al, 2013;Ma et al, 2013;Mil-Homens et al, 2013;Gray et al, 2013Gray et al, , 2015Balogh et al, 2015). However, this task may be more complicated when attempting historical reconstruction for large lakes receiving loads from many tributaries with varied source signatures, contamination histories, and subject to significant changes in nutrient loading and benthos re-engineering by invasive species (Hecky et al, 2004;Rossmann, 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Sedimentary records of mercury stable isotopes in Lake Michigan

Yin

Lepak

Krabbenhoft

et al. 2016

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Mercury (Hg) concentrations and Hg isotopic composition were investigated in three sediment cores in Lake Michigan (LM). Two cores were collected from Green Bay, a region heavily impacted by Hg contamination and one core from an offshore region of LM absent of direct point source Hg. Historical trends of Hg influxes suggest increased Hg deposition began in the 1890s in Green Bay and in the early 1800's in offshore LM. Recently deposited sediment reflecting more anthropogenic influence shows similar d202 Hg values (-1.0 to -0.5‰) for all three cores however, deep core sediments, reflecting pre-industrial eras, show much lower d 202Hg values (-1.7 to -1.2‰). Using a binary mixing model based on d 202Hg signatures, the proportion of anthropogenic Hg was estimated. Model output confirms that Green Bay is more contaminated by local point source than the offshore LM. An increase in positive D199 Hg values (-0.02 to +0.27‰) was observed from inner Green Bay to the offshore of LM, which may indicate increased input of atmospheric Hg and decreased watershed inputs along this transect. Overall, this study suggests that sedimentary Hg isotopes maybe a useful tracer in understanding Hg sources and history of Hg contamination in large lakes.

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Section: Historical Records Of Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary records of mercury stable isotopes in Lake Michigan

Yin

Lepak

Krabbenhoft

et al. 2016

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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“…As a result, the initial studies of Hg isotopes suggest that their analysis within samples from sedimentary deposits, including those within riverine environments, may be used to assess both Hg sources and loading histories [105,193,232,[236][237][238]. Sonke et al [193], for example, found that within the Lot River basin, France metal refining resulted in slag residues that exhibited heavier Hg isotopic values, and both mass-dependent and mass-independent Hg isotopic signatures of contaminated sediments were significantly different (heavier) than that of the local background materials.…”

Section: Mercury Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is now clear, however, that numerous inorganic and organic reactions result in Hg isotopic fractionation (Table 2), producing large variations in the Hg isotopic composition of natural and anthropogenic materials (Figure 14) [191]. These variations in Hg isotopic values may be used to assess Hg source(s), pollution histories, and transformations during biogeochemical cycling [105,[191][192][193]220]. Thus, significant effort has recently been devoted to determining the mechanisms of Hg fractionation, and how Hg isotopes may be used to assess Hg transport and fate in atmospheric, aquatic, and terrestrial systems.…”

Section: Mercury Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, reservoir deposits are frequently targeted to document temporal variations in contaminant influx to a river upstream of the dam (e.g., [71,98,[101][102][103]). Other "lacustrine" deposits such as oxbow lake and estuarine/coastal sediments also have been used [104,105], although the post-depositional migration of trace metals is more problematic in these environments.…”

Section: Pollution Histories Based On Lacustrine Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forensic Assessment of Metal Contaminated Rivers in the 21st Century Using Geochemical and Isotopic Tracers

Miller

2013

Minerals

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Documentation of contaminant source and dispersal pathways in riverine environments is essential to mitigate the potentially harmful effects of contaminants on human and ecosystem health, and is required from a legal perspective (particularly where the polluter pays principle is in effect) in assessing site liability. Where multiple natural and/or anthropogenic sources exist, identification of contaminant provenance has proven problematic, and estimated contributions from a specific source are often the subject of judicial debate. The past, current, and future use of geochemical and isotopic tracers in environmental forensic investigations of contaminant provenance, transport, and fate are analyzed herein for sediment-associated trace metals in riverine environments, particularly trace metals derived from mining and refining operations. The utilized methods have evolved significantly over the past four decades. Of primary significance has been the growing integration of geomorphic and stratigraphic techniques with the use of an increasing number of geochemical tracers including stable isotopes. The isotopes of Pb have been particularly well studied, and have been applied to a wide range of environmental media. Advances in analytical chemistry since the early 1990s have allowed for the precise characterization of other non-traditional stable isotopic systems within geological materials. The potential for using these non-traditional isotopes as tracers in river systems has yet to be adequately explored, but a number of these isotopes (e.g., Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Sb, and Zn) show considerable promise. Moreover, some of these isotopes (e.g., those of Cu, Cr, and Hg) may provide important insights into biogeochemical cycling processes within aquatic environments. This review suggests that future environmental forensic investigations will be characterized by an interdisciplinary approach that combines the use of multiple geochemical tracers with detailed stratigraphic, geomorphic, and hydrologic data, thereby yielding results that are likely to withstand the scrutiny of judicial review.

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