Mercury in water and sediments of the southern Baltic Sea (original) (raw)
Related papers
Total, methyl and organic mercury in sediments of the Southern Baltic Sea
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2014
Distribution of sedimentary mercury in the Southern Baltic was investigated. Sediment samples were collected from the Southern Baltic in the period from 2009 to 2011, and concentrations of sedimentary total mercury (average 102 ng/g, range 5.8-225 ng/g) and methyl mercury (average 261 pg/g, range 61-940 pg/g) were measured in the manner that the influence of both patchiness and seasonal changes were assessed. Moreover, sedimentary mercury extracted with organic solvent-the so-called organic mercury was also analyzed (average 425 pg/g, range 100-1440 pg/g). There is a statistically significant dependence between organic mercury and both methyl mercury and total mercury concentrations in the sediments. Methyl mercury contribution to total mercury varied from 0.12% to 1.05%, while organic mercury contributed to 2% of total concentration on average. The area studied, although mercury concentrations exceed threefold the geochemical background, can be regarded as moderately contaminated with mercury, and methylmercury.
Mercury and Methylmercury in Southern Baltic Sea Sediments
E3S Web of Conferences, 2013
Distribution of sedimentary mercury in the Southern Baltic was investigated. Sediment samples were collected from the Southern Baltic in the period from 2009 to 2011, and concentrations of sedimentary total mercury (average 102 ng/g, range 5.8-225 ng/g) and methyl mercury (average 261 pg/g, range 61-940 pg/g) were measured in the manner that the influence of both patchiness and seasonal changes were assessed. Moreover, sedimentary mercury extracted with organic solvent-the so-called organic mercury was also analyzed (average 425 pg/g, range 100-1440 pg/g). There is a statistically significant dependence between organic mercury and both methyl mercury and total mercury concentrations in the sediments. Methyl mercury contribution to total mercury varied from 0.12% to 1.05%, while organic mercury contributed to 2% of total concentration on average. The area studied, although mercury concentrations exceed threefold the geochemical background, can be regarded as moderately contaminated with mercury, and methylmercury.
Distribution and bioavailability of mercury in the surface sediments of the Baltic Sea
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
The study aimed to determine the level of mercury (Hg) and its labile and stable forms in the surface sediments of the Baltic Sea. The work considers the impact of current and historical sources of Hg on sediment pollution, together with the influence of different environmental parameters, including water inflows from the North Sea. Surface sediments (top 5 cm) were collected in 2016–2017 at 91 stations located in different areas of the Baltic Sea, including Belt Sea, Arkona Basin, Bornholm Basin, Gdańsk Basin, West Gotland Basin, East Gotland Basin, and the Bothnian Sea. Besides, the particulate matter suspended in the surface and near-bottom water was also collected. The analysis of total Hg concentration and individual Hg forms in collected samples was carried out using a 5-step thermodesorption method. This method allows for the identification of three labile and thus biologically available, fractions of Hg, which are mercury halides, organic Hg, mercury oxide and sulphate. Two ...
Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2015
Purpose In the Baltic Sea, the reduction of mercury load is estimated to be 44 % compared to the end of the previous century. Confirmation of mercury load decrease is frequently based on sedimentary mercury profiles. This study aims to assess the inter-annual changes of mercury concentration and the net input in surface sediments, in order to assess the effect of decreased emissions and other processes. Materials and methods Surface sediments were collected in 2011-2013 from areas where existing data series were available. Sediments were freeze dried, and total mercury concentrations, loss on ignition and fine fraction content were analysed. We compared recent concentrations of mercury in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea to values previously reported in the same area since 1993. Net mercury deposition in the analysed sediments and previously reported data were calculated. The observed variability was correlated to climaterelated processes and input changes. Results and discussion Three studied areas-major river mouth, shallow bay and offshore area-were significantly different in terms of sediment type and mercury concentration. Total mercury concentrations in the study area in 2011-2013 ranged between 2 and 260 ng g −1 dry weight (dw) (mean 61 ng g −1 dw; median 36 ng g −1 dw). Nearly 75 % of the obtained results did not exceed 50 ng g −1 dw, while concentrations >200 ng g −1 dw accounted for a little over 5 % of all the obtained results. Mercury input calculated for the area was much smaller than that recorded for the 1990s, but was characterised with large inter-annual variability, attributed to climate-related processes.
Chemosphere, 2003
The mercury compounds introduced to the environment because of anthropogenic activity are accumulated, mainly, in marine sediments. Both distribution of mercury in the Baltic Sea and factors affecting it are remain largely unknown. Due to its complex chemistry and variable conditions in the Baltic Sea bottom sediments, mercury may be reemitted to the overlaying water, and thus to the environment. The aim of this study was twofold. Total mercury contents were measured in sediments of the Gdansk Basin along a Vistula mouth (main source)-Gdansk Deep (deposition area) transect in order to assess spatial distribution of the element. Soft and sandy bottom sediment cores were collected and cut into slices. The mercury measurements consisted of acid digestion followed by CV-AAS determination. A five-step sequential extraction procedure involving measurements of mercury species water soluble, bound to humic substances and insoluble, was employed in order to investigate mercury speciation. On the basis of speciation results stability and remobilisation potential was assessed. The second aim was demonstrating that mercury gradients in vertical profiles of the investigated sediment cores exist. Total mercury contents varied in range from 28 ng/g dw to 844 ng/g. Mercury associated with organic matter and sulphides, (respectively 39% and 49%) were the dominant species of the element. The results indicated that the river runoff is a source of mercury in the area. Vertical gradients of both total content and speciation of mercury in the soft sediments were attributed to both remobilisation from sediments, and decreasing trend in the anthropogenic load of the element deposited to sediments.
E3S Web of Conferences, 2013
Mercury, despite of its many uses in industry, is also highly toxic. It is highly neurotoxic, and because of the ability of mercury to penetrate placental barrier, in some countries ban on predatory fish consumption (the main route of mercury into human organism) by pregnant women was introduced. There are very little publications describing the consequences of weather anomalies on contaminants cycles. No research was published concerning the reemission of Hg due to climate change in the Southern Baltic Sea. The study area was situated in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Gdansk -the Southern Baltic. Samples of different species of macrophytobenthos were collected once a month during 2006-2012. Samples of Potamogeton pectinatus, sediments and pore waters were collected once a month from February 2011 to January 2012. The climate changes in the moderate latitudes: extension of the fall season, has contributed to stabilization of high concentrations of mercury in pore waters. Lack of ice cover in the coastal zone and simultaneous occurrence of storms had an impact on supply of the organic matter to the sediments and the increased concentration of Hg. More intense burning of fossil fuels in this season favored the increased metal concentration in the atmosphere and consequently an increase of the atmospheric deposition of metals to the sediments. This led to a fourfold increase of the mercury concentration in sediments as compared to fall season. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 2 0 , which . permits unrestricted use, distributi and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. on,
Mercury Distribution in Bottom Sediments of the White Sea and the Rivers of Its Basin
Mercury Distribution in Bottom Sediments of the White Sea and the Rivers of Its Basin, 2018
Interest in the study of subarctic areas of the Earth increases year by year,due to the accelerating pace of development of high latitudes and increasing anthro-pogenic pressure. In parallel with these processes, there is a growing need to studythe behavior of substances of thefirst class of danger in the natural objects of theregion. This article summarizes and analyzes data on Hg content in bottom sedi-ments of the White Sea and rivers of its basin. The influence of the riverflow of theNorthern Dvina, Kyanda, and Kem Rivers on the formation of Hg concentrations inthe bottom sediments of the White Sea, Dvinsky, and Onega bays has been studied.The spatial distribution of Hg in the bottom sediments was investigated; the levelsof Hg accumulation in areas affected by anthropogenic activity were shown. Bottom sediments of the White Sea and estuaries of its basin have been zoned by levels of Hg content.
Sea-dumped ammunition as a possible source of mercury to the Baltic Sea sediments
Science of The Total Environment, 2019
After World War II, as a move toward Germany demilitarization, up to 385,000 t of munitions were sunk in the Baltic Sea. Munition containing various harmful substances, including chemical warfare agents (CWA) and explosives, that can affect marine biota were dumped on the seafloor. Some of those objects contained mercury, either as elemental mercury or mercury compounds (e.g., mercury fulminate, a common explosive primer), and thus could act as a specific local source of mercury in the dumping areas. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information on how dumped munitions impact the mercury concentrations in the Baltic Sea sediments. This report aims to answer the question how much sedimentary mercury in the dumping areas originates from munitions and to determine to what extent the mercury present in those areas originates from mercury fulminate. Concentrations of total sedimentary mercury-Hg TOT in samples collected from conventional (Kolberger Heide) and chemical (Bornholm Deep) munitions dumping sites are characterized by high variability. However, an increase in Hg TOT concentrations was observed with a decreasing distance to particular munition objects at both study sites. Moreover, mercury speciation in sediments from Kolberger Heide proves that the mercury there can be traced back directly to mercury fulminate. Results of our study confirm that munitions dumpsites are a local point sources of mercury. Due to the ecosystem constrains, varying transport modes and pathways, and both unknown and varying decomposition rates, these sea-bed mercury concentrations are hard to evaluate
Patterns of mercury distribution in bottom sediments along the Severnaya Dvina-White Sea section
2011
Abstract—This paper analyses the data on the distribution of mercury in the surface layer of bottom sediments (0–5 cm) obtained in course of sampling trips within the mouth region of the Severnaya Dvina River and the White Sea area. A total of 170 analyses for mercury were performed. Such wide scale determination of the mercury content in the bottom sediments was carried out for the first time in the study region. The patterns of mercury distribution in the Severnaya Dvina River–White Sea transect are revealed and described. It is shown that the marginal filter of the Severnaya Dvina River facilitates cosedimentation of the main portion of anthropogenic mercury with suspended matter. This drastically decreases the risk of penetration of mercury to the White Sea waters and partially (with the gravity current) to the Barents Sea waters. In general, the Severnaya Dvina River is characterized by mercury pollution of a local scale within the urban territories. No regional pollution of the White Sea off the marginal filter was revealed.