A Fluvial Mercury Budget for Lake Ontario

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• 作者：Joseph S. Denkenberger ; Charles T. Driscoll ; Edward Mason ; Brian Branfireun ; Ashley Warnock
• 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
• 出版年：2014
• 出版时间：June 3, 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：48
• 期：11
• 页码：6107-6114
• 全文大小：247K
• 年卷期：v.48,no.11(June 3, 2014)
• ISSN：1520-5851

文摘

Watershed mercury (Hg) flux was calculated for ten inflowing rivers and the outlet for Lake Ontario using empirical measurements from two independent field-sampling programs. Total Hg (THg) flux for nine study watersheds that directly drain into the lake ranged from 0.2 kg/yr to 13 kg/yr, with the dominant fluvial THg load from the Niagara River at 154 kg/yr. THg loss at the outlet (St. Lawrence River) was 68 kg/yr and has declined approximately 40% over the past decade. Fluvial Hg inputs largely (62%) occur in the dissolved fraction and are similar to estimates of atmospheric Hg inputs. Fluvial mass balances suggest strong in-lake retention of particulate Hg inputs (99%), compared to dissolved total Hg (45%) and methyl Hg (22%) fractions. Wetland land cover is a good predictor of methyl Hg yield for Lake Ontario watersheds. Sediment deposition studies, coupled atmospheric and fluvial Hg fluxes, and a comparison of this work with previous measurements indicate that Lake Ontario is a net sink of Hg inputs and not at steady state likely because of recent decreases in point source inputs and atmospheric Hg deposition.