Abstract
Global atmospheric concentrations of mercury (Hg) appear to be increasing and with it the potential for ecosystem exposure and ecological effects. From 1990 to 1993 we examined U. S. arctic ecosystems over a broad spatial scale to develop baseline information on current concentrations of trace elements, heavy metals (including Hg), persistent organic compounds, and radionuclides in various components of the terrestrial and freshwater biosphere. Matrices reported here include, vegetation (lichens and mosses) and lake sediments. Total Hg in two lichen and two moss species from Alaska were generally low (0.02–0.112 μg/g dw), compared to reported values from other arctic locations and showed a statistically significant negative relationship between total Hg content and distance from the marine coastline.210Pb dated sediment cores indicated that average preindustrial total Hg accumulation rates were over four times greater in arctic Schrader lake than in subarctic Wonder Lake. Both lakes indicated a small increase (5–8%) in total Hg flux to the sediments during the last 145 years, much smaller than similar increases in total mercury for lakes in the north central U. S. The likely source of recent increases in Hg in these Alaskan ecosystems is long range atmospheric transport. While we can detect increases in mercury in lake sediments likely due to anthropogenic activities, values are low and there appears to be no immediate threat to terrestrial environments and inland freshwaters of arctic Alaska from long range atmospheric transport and deposition of Hg.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program: 1993,The monitoring programme for Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, AMAP.93:3. ISBN 82-7655-140-8. Oslo, Norway.
Barrie, L. A.: 1986, pp. 5–23 In: Stonehouse, B. (Ed.)Arctic air pollution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Björnberg, A., Håkanson, L. and Lundbergh, K.: 1988,Environ. Pollut. 49, 53–61.
Bloom, N. S.: 1989,Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46, 1131–1140.
Bodaly, R. A., Rudd, J. W. M., Fudge, R. J. P. and Kelly, C. A.: 1993,Can. J. Fish. Aq. Sci.
Clarkson, T. W.: 1990,Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.9, 957–961.
Crusius, J., and Anderson, R. F.: 1991,Limnol. Oceanogr. 36, 1021–1031.
Cumming, B. F., Glew, J. R., Smol, J. P.,Davis, R. B., Norton, S. A.: 1993,Limnol. Oceanogr.
Drbal, K., Elster, J. and Komárek, J.: 1992,Polar Research.11, 99–101.
Ford. J., Thomas, R. and Landers, D.: 1992, pp 296–298. In: Niimi, A. J. and Taylor, N. C. (Eds.)Prodeedings 18th Annual Toxicity Workshop. Sept. 30–Oct 3, 1991. Ottawa, Ontario. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1863. 381 pp.
Fowler, S. W.: 1990,Marine Environmental Research.29, 1–14.
Eilers, J. M., Landers, D. H., Newell, A. D., Mitch, M. E., Morrison, M. and Ford, I.: 1993,Can J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.,50, 816–826.
Engstrom, D. R., Swain, E. B., Henning, T. A., Brigham, M. E. and Brezonik, P. L.: 1994, pp. — 66. In: Baker, L. A. (Ed.),Environmental Chemistry of Lakes and Reservoirs. American Chemical Society Advances in Chemistry Series No. 237.
Ford, J., Landers, D. H., Kugler, D., Lasorsa, B., Allen-Gil, S., Crecelius, E., and Martinson, J.: in press,the Sci. of the Total Envir.
Grieb, T., Driscoll, C., Gloss, S., Schofield, C., Bowie, G. and Porcella, D.: 1990,Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9, 919–930.
Gubala, C. P., Landers, D. H., Monetti, M., Heit, M., Wade, T., Lasorsa, B., and Allen-Gil, S.: in press.the Sci. of the Tot. Environ.
Hale, M. E.: 1981,Lichens as bioindicators and monitors of air pollution. U. S. Department of Agriculture Report OM RFP R2-81-SP35.
Haines, T. A., Komov, V. and Jagoe, C. H.: 1992,Environmental Pollution.78, 107–112.
Hermanson, M. H.: 1993,Wat. Sci. Tech. 28, 33–41.
Hobbie, J. E.: 1961,Limnol. Oceanogr. 6, 326–329.
Hobbie, J. E.: 1962,Limnological cycles and primary productivity of two lakes of the Alaskan Arctic. Ph. D. Thesis. Indiana University, Bloomington, 124 pages.
Johansson, K.: 1983,Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 22, 2359–2363.
Landers, D. H., Ford, J., Gubala, C. P., Allen-Gil, S. A., Curtis, L., Urquhart, S. N. and Omernik, J.: 1992,Arctic Contaminants Research Program Research Plan. EPA/600/R-92/210. U. S. EPA, Corvallis, OR.
Landsberger, S., Vermette, V. G., Stuenkel, D., Hopke, P. K., Cheng, M. D., and Barrie, L. A.:Environmental Pollution.75, 181–187.
Lockhart, W. L., Wilkinson, P., Billeck, B. N, Hunt, R., Wagemann, R., and Brunskill, G. J.: this volume.Water Air and Soil Pollution.
Mairs, D. F.: 1967,Water Resour. Res. 3, 1090–1092
Mitra, S.: 1986,Mercury in the Ecosystem: Its Dispersion and Pollution Today. Trans Tech Publications Ltd., Switzerland. (ISBN 0-87849-529-0)
National Foreign Assessment Center (U. S.): 1981,Atlas of the Polar Regions. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Boston. 66 pages.
Nriagu, J. O., and Pacyna, J. M.: 1988,Nature.333, 134–139.
Pacyna, J. M.: 1991, pp. 97–122. In: Sturges, W. T. (Ed.),Pollution in the arctic atmosphere. Elsevier Science Publishers, London.
Ottar, B.: 1981,Atmos. environ.,15, 1439–1445.
Rahn, K. A. and McCaffrey, R. J.: 1980,Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 338, 486–503.
Rahn, K. A., Lowenthal, D. H., and Harris, J. M.: 1989,Atmospheric Environment.23, 2597
Ramlal, P. S., Kelly, C. A., Rudd, J. W. M., and Furutani, A.: 1993,Can. J. Fish. Aq. Sci. 50,
Robbins, J. A.: 1978, pp. 285–393. In: Nriagu, J. O. (Ed.),Biogeochemistry of Lead in the Environment. Elsevier, Holland.
Rühling, Å., Rasmussen, L., Pilegaard, K., Mäkinen, A. and Steinnes, E.: 1987,Survey of atmospheric heavy metal deposition in the Nordic countries in 1985. NORD 1987: ISBN 87-Steering Body for Environmental Monitoring, Nordisk Ministerråd. 44 pages.
Rühling, Å., Brumelis, G., Goltsova, N., Kvietkus, K. Kubin, E., Liiv, S., Magnússon, S., Mäkinen, A., Pilegaard, K., Rasmussen, L., Sander, E. and Steinnes, E.: 1992,Atmospheric heavy metal deposition in northern Europe 1990. NORD 1992:12 ISBN 92 9120 015 8. Nordic council of Ministers. 42 pp.
Schroeder, W. H., Dobson, M., Kane, D. M. and Johnson, N. D.: 1987,JAPCA 37, 1267–1285.
Shaw, G. E. and Khalil, M. A. K.: 1989, pp. 70–111. In: Hutzinger, O. (Ed.),The handbook of environmental chemistry. 4: Part B. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Sloof, J. E. and Wolterbeek, H. T.: 1992,Lichenologist. 23, 139–165.
Steinnes E. and Andersson, E. M.: 1991,Water, Air and Soil Pollution.56, 391–404.
Steinnes E., Johansen, O., Røyset, O. and Ødegård, M.: 1993,Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.25, 87–97.
Steinnes, E., Hanssen, J. E., Rambœk, J. P. and Bogt, N. B.: in press,Water Air Soil Pollution.
Sullivan, T. J., Driscoll, C. T., Eilers, J. M. and Landers, D. H.: 1988,Environ. Sci. Technol. 22, 185–190.
Swain, E. B., Engstrom, D. R., Brigham, M. E., Henning, T. A. and Brezonik, P. L.: 1992,Science.257, 784–787.
Thomas, W.: 1986,Wat. Sci. Tech. 18, 47–57.
Tolonen, K. and Jaakkola, T.: 1983,Ann. Bot. Fennici. 20, 57–78.
Verta, M., Mannio, J., Iivonen, P., Hirvi, J. -P., Järvinen, O. and Pieppoonen, S.: 1990, pp. 883- In: Kauppi, P., Kenttämies, K. and Anttila, P. (Eds.).Acidification in Finland. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.
Wania, F. and Mackay, D.: 1993,Ambio. 22, 10–18.
Werner, A., Peare, T. and Child, J.: 1990,The stratigraphy of Wonder Lake: The potential for a high resolution record of late Wisconsin glacial advances. G. S. A. Abstracts with Programs, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Winfrey, M. R. and Rudd, J. W. M.: 1990,Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9, 853–869
Wilding, J. L.: 1940,A partial survey of Wonder Lake, Mt. McKinley National Park.
Unpublished Report. U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, 7 pages.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Landers, D.H., Ford, J., Gubala, C. et al. Mercury in vegetation and lake sediments from the U. S. arctic. Water Air Soil Pollut 80, 591–601 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01189711
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01189711