Mercury and methylmercury in China's lake sediments and first estimation of mercury burial fluxes

Yu，Chenghao1; Xu，Yunping2; Yan，Yunyun1; Xiao，Wenjie2,3,4; Liu，Maodian1,5; Cheng，Menghan1; He，Wei1; Xu，Fuliu1; Wang，Xuejun1

2021-05-20

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145338

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT   影响因子和分区

0048-9697

1879-1026

Lake sediments are key materials for mercury deposition and methylation. To understand the mercury concentrations in China's lakes, 100 lake surface sediment samples were collected from 35 lakes in 2014. Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and the annual Hg burial rates in lake sediments were measured. THg and MeHg concentrations in the sediment ranged from 13.6 to 1488 ng‧g and 0.05 to 1.70 ng‧g, respectively, and urban lakes reported most high values, indicating direct anthropogenic inputs. The Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Region (MX) and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Region (QT) reported relatively lower mercury burial rates, while the Eastern Plain Region (EP), Northeast Mountain and Plain Region (NE), and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Region (YG) reported higher mercury burial rates. Regional variances of THg burial fluxes were dominated by atmospheric deposition, terrestrial input, and sediment accumulation rates in different lakes. In 2014, the estimated average THg burial rate in China's lakes was 139 μg‧m‧yr, comparable to the average in mid-latitude North America in recent years; however, due to China's much smaller lake area relative to NA, the annual THg burial flux in China was much lower than that in North America. EP and NE, where most freshwater aquatic products in China are harvested, accounted for 58.2% and 22.9%, respectively, of the THg burial flux. High sedimentary MeHg concentrations and MeHg:THg ratios were reported in most of the NE but low MeHg concentrations and MeHg:THg ratios were reported in EP. MeHg concentrations and MeHg:THg ratios were positively correlated with water COD levels and negatively correlated with average temperature. The results of this study indicate that in addition to the adjacent seas, lake sediments are an important mercury sink in China's aquatic environment, which could cause health risks due to MeHg intake, especially in NE.

Aquatic environment Deposition Inventory Net methylation potential Sedimentation

SCI ; EI

英语

其他

WOS:000627896100128

20210509856615

Alkylation ; Atmospheric chemistry ; Deposition ; Health risks ; Lakes ; Mercury compounds ; Meteorological problems ; Sediments

Atmospheric Properties:443.1 ; Water Pollution:453 ; Health Care:461.7 ; Soil Mechanics and Foundations:483 ; Chemical Reactions:802.2 ; Chemical Operations:802.3

ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY

2-s2.0-85100032302

Scopus

1.Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes,College of Urban and Environmental Sciences,Peking University,Beijing,100871,China
2.College of Marine Sciences,Shanghai Ocean University,Shanghai,201306,China
3.Department of Ocean Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics,Shenzhen,518055,China
5.School of the Environment,Yale University,New Haven,06511,United States

Yu，Chenghao,Xu，Yunping,Yan，Yunyun,et al. Mercury and methylmercury in China's lake sediments and first estimation of mercury burial fluxes[J]. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT,2021,770.

Yu，Chenghao.,Xu，Yunping.,Yan，Yunyun.,Xiao，Wenjie.,Liu，Maodian.,...&Wang，Xuejun.(2021).Mercury and methylmercury in China's lake sediments and first estimation of mercury burial fluxes.SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT,770.

Yu，Chenghao,et al."Mercury and methylmercury in China's lake sediments and first estimation of mercury burial fluxes".SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 770(2021).