Substantial accumulation of mercury in the deepest parts of the ocean and implications for the environmental mercury cycle

Liu, Maodian1,2; Xiao, Wenjie3,4,5,6; Zhang, Qianru1,7; Yuan, Shengliu8; Raymond, Peter A.2; Chen, Jiubin9; Liu, Junfeng1; Tao, Shu1; Xu, Yunping3; Wang, Xuejun1

2021-12-21

10.1073/pnas.2102629118

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   影响因子和分区

0027-8424

1091-6490

Anthropogenic activities have led to widespread contamination with mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxin that bioaccumulates through food webs. Recent models estimated that, presently, 200 to 600 t of Hg is sequestered annually in deep-sea sediments, approximately doubling since industrialization. However, most studies did not extend to the hadal zone (6,000- to 11,000-m depth), the deepest ocean realm. Here, we report on measurements of Hg and related parameters in sediment cores from four trench regions (1,560 to 10,840 m), showing that the world's deepest ocean realm is accumulating Hg at remarkably high rates (depth-integrated minimum-maximum: 24 to 220 mu g.m(-2).y(-1)) greater than the global deep-sea average by a factor of up to 400, with most Hg in these trenches being derived from the surface ocean. Furthermore, vertical profiles of Hg concentrations in trench cores show notable increasing trends from pre-1900 [average 51 +/- 14 (1 sigma) ng.g(-1)] to post-1950 (81 +/- 32 ng.g(-1)). This increase cannot be explained by changes in the delivery rate of organic carbon alone but also need increasing Hg delivery from anthropogenic sources. This evidence, along with recent findings on the high abundance of methylmercury in hadal biota [R. Sun et al., Nat. Commun. 11, 3389 (2020); J. D. Blum et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 117, 29292-29298 (2020)], leads us to propose that hadal trenches are a large marine sink for Hg and may play an important role in the regulation of the global biogeochemical cycle of Hg.

deepest-ocean realm stable isotope atmospheric deposition terrigenous input biogeochemical cycle

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英语

NI论文

其他

Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology[15DZ1207000] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[41630748,41976030,41977311,41821005,41625012,41961144028] ; State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University[MGK202003] ; Shanghai Sheshan National Geophysical Observatory[2020Z01] ; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation[2020M682768] ; Southern University of Science and Technology[ZDSYS201802081843490] ; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou)[K19313901]

Science & Technology - Other Topics

Multidisciplinary Sciences

WOS:000736417600009

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BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY;CLINICAL MEDICINE;MULTIDISCIPLINARY;PLANT & ANIMAL SCIENCE;ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY;SOCIAL SCIENCES, GENERAL;MICROBIOLOGY;ECONOMICS BUSINESS;IMMUNOLOGY;MATERIALS SCIENCE;MATHEMATICS;SPACE SCIENCE;MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS;PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY;CHEMISTRY;PSYCHIATRY/PSYCHOLOGY;NEUROSCIENCE & BEHAVIOR;PHYSICS;GEOSCIENCES;AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES;ENGINEERING

Web of Science

1.Peking Univ, Coll Urban & Environm Sci, Lab Earth Surface Proc, Minist Educ, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China
2.Yale Univ, Sch Environm, New Haven, CT 06511 USA
3.Shanghai Ocean Univ, Coll Marine Sci, Shanghai Engn Res Ctr Hadal Sci & Technol, Shanghai 201306, Peoples R China
4.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Ocean Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
5.Shenzhen Key Lab Marine Archaea Geoom, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
6.Southern Marine Sci & Engn Guangdong Lab, Guangzhou 523936, Peoples R China
7.Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Earth & Atmospher Sci, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
8.Trent Univ, Chem Dept, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
9.Tianjin Univ, Sch Earth Syst Sci, Inst Surface Earth Syst Sci, Tianjin 300072, Peoples R China

Liu, Maodian,Xiao, Wenjie,Zhang, Qianru,et al. Substantial accumulation of mercury in the deepest parts of the ocean and implications for the environmental mercury cycle[J]. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,2021,118(52).

Liu, Maodian.,Xiao, Wenjie.,Zhang, Qianru.,Yuan, Shengliu.,Raymond, Peter A..,...&Wang, Xuejun.(2021).Substantial accumulation of mercury in the deepest parts of the ocean and implications for the environmental mercury cycle.PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,118(52).

Liu, Maodian,et al."Substantial accumulation of mercury in the deepest parts of the ocean and implications for the environmental mercury cycle".PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 118.52(2021).