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Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 30118

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Dr. Stéphane Guédron

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Guest Editor

ISTerre, IRD, Geochemistry Group, UMR 5275 (IRD/UGA/CNRS), Université Grenoble Alpes, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble, France
Interests: biogeochemistry; limnology; soil science; paleoenvironmental reconstructions; mercury and metal(loid)s geochemistry

Dr. Dario Acha

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Guest Editor

Unidad de Calidad Ambiental (UCA) – Instituto de Ecología - Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Campus Universitario de Cota Cota, casilla 3161, La Paz, Bolivia
Interests: Biogeochemistry; limnology; microbiology; ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2017, 128 countries signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury (Hg) to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. Although Hg is naturally occurring at the global scale, anthropogenic releases of Hg affect its natural biogeochemical cycle. Understanding the pathways and magnitude of Hg contamination in terrestrial and aquatic environment are key factors in understanding the risks for wildlife and humans.

Since the industrial revolution, anthropogenic pressure and Hg contamination have risen, affecting both natural ecosystems (e.g., lake eutrophication, deforestation, mining) and urban areas (wastewaters, atmospheric emissions, industrial discharges). This results in a general increase in Hg levels in all compartments of the ecosystems and particularly in Hg bioaccumulation in trophic chains, mostly as methylmercury (MeHg). However, Hg impact is dependent on a large variety of abiotic and biotic factors with complex interactions among them, which often results in locally specific responses. The identification of sources, pathways, and mechanisms of Hg and MeHg contamination is thus crucial to determine and predict future impacts of this contaminant in the environment and biota.

Papers for this Special Issue may address novel aspects on processes driving Hg sources, key transformations (i.e., methylation/demethylation) and Hg accumulation in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem compartments at various spatial and temporal scales. Contributions that link source tracking and accumulation in ecosystem compartments using Hg isotopes are greatly encouraged. Studies may focus on local, regional, or global scales and Hg contamination in both the natural (temperate and extreme) and anthropogenic (urban, agricultural, mining) areas.

Dr. Stéphane Guédron
Dr. Dario Acha
Guest Editors

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Keywords

mercury
methylation/demethylation
isotopes, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
source and process

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 174 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

by Stéphane Guédron and Dario Acha

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4807; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114807 - 24 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1665

Abstract

In 2017, 128 countries signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury (Hg) to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

16 pages, 1532 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Ecological Restoration on Mercury Mobility and Microbial Activities on Former Guyanese Mining Sites

by Ewan Couic, Vanessa Alphonse, Alexandre Livet, Stéphanie Giusti-Miller and Noureddine Bousserrhine

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2231; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052231 - 3 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1897

Abstract

As rehabilitation efforts in Guyana are recent, there is little information on the effect of different ecological rehabilitation protocols for Guyana’s mining sites on biogeochemical cycles and mercury mobility. This study was conducted to assess the impact of different ecological restoration protocols on soil quality with the use of soil microbial indicators and by estimating the mercury mobility. We sampled soil from six rehabilitated mining sites in French Guyana with different ecological restoration procedures. We carried out measurements of enzymatic activities and an analysis of mercury environmental speciation to assess its potential toxicity according to a mobility gradient. The results obtained in this study show that the rehabilitation of mining sites has been carried out in a heterogeneous manner and soil quality is very variable, even in nearby sites. Sites that have been rehabilitated with fabaceous species have positive soil quality indicators. In addition, the results highlight a change in mercury mobility that is 82.1% correlated after co-inertia analysis with soil texture properties, which also confirms a direct effect of rehabilitation on mercury mobility. The non-restored sites had a much higher potential of mercury mobility and toxicity than the sites where ecological restoration was successful. These results highlight the positive effect of controlled rehabilitation and ecological restoration on microbiological activities and the potential toxicity of mercury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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20 pages, 3719 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Trends in Regional Wet Mercury Deposition and Lacustrine Mercury Concentrations in Four Lakes in Voyageurs National Park

by Mark E. Brigham, David D. VanderMeulen, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft, Ryan P. Maki and John F. DeWild

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1879; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041879 - 20 Feb 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3670

Abstract

Although anthropogenic mercury (Hg) releases to the environment have been substantially lowered in the United States and Canada since 1990, concerns remain for contamination in fish from remote lakes and rivers where atmospheric deposition is the predominant source of mercury. How have aquatic ecosystems responded? We report on one of the longest known multimedia data sets for mercury in atmospheric deposition: aqueous total mercury (THg_aq), methylmercury (MeHg_aq), and sulfate from epilimnetic lake-water samples from four lakes in Voyageurs National Park (VNP) in northern Minnesota; and total mercury (THg) in aquatic biota from the same lakes from 2001–2018. Wet Hg deposition at two regional Mercury Deposition Network sites (Fernberg and Marcell, Minnesota) decreased by an average of 22 percent from 1998–2018; much of the decreases occurred prior to 2009, with relatively flat trends since 2009. In the four VNP lakes, epilimnetic MeHg_aq concentrations declined by an average of 44 percent and THg_aq by an average of 27 percent. For the three lakes with long-term biomonitoring, temporal patterns in biotic THg concentrations were similar to patterns in MeHg_aq concentrations; however, biotic THg concentrations declined significantly in only one lake. Epilimnetic MeHg_aq may be responding both to a decline in atmospheric Hg deposition as well as a decline in sulfate deposition, which is an important driver of mercury methylation in the environment. Results from this case study suggest that regional- to continental-scale decreases in both mercury and sulfate emissions have benefitted aquatic resources, even in the face of global increases in mercury emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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15 pages, 1488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mercury in Hair of Mammoth and Other Prehistorical Mammals as a Proxy of Hg Level in the Environment Associated with Climate Changes

by Stella Eyrikh, Gennady Boeskorov, Tatyana Serykh, Marina Shchelchkova and Tatyana Papina

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8664; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238664 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2446

Abstract

The paper presents the first results of Hg determination in the hair of prehistorical animals (woolly mammoth, steppe bison, and woolly rhino). Hair of prehistorical mammals can be used as an archive that preserves changes of environmental pollution at the paleoscale. The aim of our study was to assess the levels of Hg exposure of ancient animals and to understand whether Hg concentration in hair could be used as a proxy indicating changes of mercury levels in the environment following global climate changes. We assessed changes of Hg exposure recorded in hairs of seven specimens of mammoth fauna mammals that inhabited the Yakutia region in the period from 45 to 10 ka yr BP. Hg concentrations in hair varied from 0.017 to 0.177 µg/g; the lowest Hg concentration were determined in older specimens (45–33 kyr yr BP). The two highest concentrations belonged sample from the Last Glacial Maximum and the Karginian interstadial (57–24 kyr BP) periods. Our hypothesis is the increase of Hg concentrations in hair reflecting environmental Hg level might be forced by high dust load in cold periods and thawing permafrost in warm climatic periods. Long-term variations of Hg level recovered from Ice Age animals’ hair correlate with Hg profiles of concentration and deposition reconstructed from the Antarctica ice core. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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10 pages, 1661 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Particulate Mercury and Particulate Organic Matter in the Itenez Basin (Bolivia)

by Fabiola Guzmán-Uria, Isabel Morales-Belpaire, Dario Achá and Marc Pouilly

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8407; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238407 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2119

Abstract

In rivers and other freshwater bodies, the presence of mercury can be due to direct contamination by anthropic activities such as gold mining. However, it can also be attributed to atmospheric deposition and erosion, runoff, or lixiviation from surrounding soils. In the case of the Amazon rainforest, high mercury contents have been reported for litter and topsoil, which could affect the mercury concentrations in water bodies. Samples of suspended particulate matter were obtained from a transect of the Itenez River, associated lakes, and some of its tributaries. The aim was to obtain information on particulate mercury’s origin in the study area and determine the relationship between particulate mercury and particulate organic carbon. The concentration of mercury, organic matter, and the C:N ratio of the suspended matter was determined. The concentration of particulate mercury by water volume depended on changes in suspended matter loads, which in turn were mostly affected by the nature of the watershed or sediment resuspension. The observed values for the percentage of organic matter and the C:N ratio suggest that most of the mercury content in rivers and lakes originated from soils. A positive correlation was found between mercury concentration by weight of particulate matter and organic carbon content in particles. This correlation might be due to the direct binding of mercury to organic matter through functional groups like thiols or to an indirect effect of oxyhydroxides that can adsorb mercury and are associated with organic matter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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14 pages, 4167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accumulation of Methylmercury in the High-Altitude Lake Uru Uru (3686 m a.s.l, Bolivia) Controlled by Sediment Efflux and Photodegradation

by Stéphane Guédron, Dario Achá, Sylvain Bouchet, David Point, Emmanuel Tessier, Carlos Heredia, Stéfany Rocha-Lupa, Pablo Fernandez-Saavedra, Marizol Flores, Sarah Bureau, Israel Quino-Lima and David Amouroux

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7936; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217936 - 9 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3024

Abstract

In shallow aquatic environments, sediment is a significant source of monomethylmercury (MMHg) for surface water (SW). High-altitude aquatic ecosystems are characterized by extreme hydro-climatic constraints (e.g., low oxygen and high UV radiation). We studied, during two seasons, the diel cycles of MMHg in SW and sediment porewaters (PW) of Lake Uru Uru (3686 m a.s.l, Bolivia) contaminated by urban and mining activities. Our results show that diel changes in SW MMHg concentrations (up to 1.8 ng L⁻¹) overwhelm seasonal ones, with higher MMHg accumulation during the night-time and the dry season. The calculation of MMHg diffusive fluxes demonstrates that the sediment compartment was the primary source of MMHg to the SW. Most MMHg efflux occurred during the dry season (35.7 ± 17.4 ng m⁻² day⁻¹), when the lake was relatively shallow, more eutrophicated, and with the redoxcline located above the sediment–water interface (SWI). Changes in MMHg accumulation in the PWs were attributed to diel redox oscillations around the SWI driving both the bacterial sulfate reduction and bio-methylation. Finally, we highlight that although MMHg loading from the PW to the SW is large, MMHg photodegradation and demethylation by microorganisms control the net MMHg accumulation in the water column. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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16 pages, 4700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Old and Recent Gold Mining Sites on Mercury Fluxes in Suspended Particulate Matter, Water and Sediment in French Guiana

by Jennifer Hellal, Jörg Schäfer, Régis Vigouroux, Laurent Lanceleur and Valérie Laperche

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7829; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217829 - 4 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2251

Abstract

In 2006 the use of mercury (Hg) was banned for gold mining in French Guiana. However, mining of old placers could mobilize Hg accumulated in soils and sediment. This study aimed to measure the current impact of a mining concession (Boulanger site) on the Hg load in the watershed. Turbidity, Total Mercury (THg), and Monomethylmercury (MMHg) were measured in water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), river sediment and sediments from old tailing ponds along a river section of 30 km up and downstream from a mining concession in French Guiana during a dry and a rainy season. Total dissolved Hg (THg_D) concentrations varied little from up- to down-stream but were all higher (fourfold on average) during the rainy season (3.2 to 4.4 ng L⁻¹), than during the dry season and consistent with previous data known for the Amazonian area. Dissolved MMHg (MMHg_D) represented up to 30% of THg_D during the dry season, which is higher than previous results (typically around 2%). Mercury concentrations in sediments were highest in the vicinity of areas affected by old (before 2006) rather than new gold mining practices. Even though Hg was banned in 2006, present gold mining practices still release natural Hg and Hg inherited from older mining practices into the watershed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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13 pages, 1037 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Mercury in Marine Mussels from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf (Canada): A Mussel Watch Survey Revisited after 40 Years

by Daniel Cossa and Anne-Marie Tabard

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7556; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217556 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2703

Abstract

Various species of marine mussels have been used, in the last 50 years, as sentinel organisms for monitoring metal contamination along marine coasts. There are two main reasons for this: these mollusks concentrate metals in their soft tissue and they are geographically widespread. In practice, trace metal concentrations in mussel soft tissue reveal (after some correction for biotic effects) the contamination level of their surrounding environment. We present the results of a mercury (Hg) survey in Mytilus spp. collected in the summers of 2016, 2018, and 2019 at 51 stations distributed along the coasts of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Mercury concentrations ranged from 0.063 to 0.507 µg g⁻¹ (dry weight, dw), with a grand mean of 0.173 ± 0.076 µg g⁻¹ dw (±1 standard deviation), and a median of 0.156 µg g⁻¹ dw for the 504 individuals analyzed. Mercury contents per individual mussel were significantly (p < 0.01) related to shell length and dry tissue weight, with the smaller individuals having the highest Hg concentrations. To take into account these biotic effects, we normalized Hg concentrations of the mussel soft tissue for constant shell length (L) and soft tissue weight (TW) based on the log-log relationships between Hg content and L or TW. The normalized Hg contents of mussels varied from 10.9 to 66.6 ng per virtual individual of 35 mm length and 0.17 g dry weight. A similar normalization procedure applied to 1977–1979 data, yielded a very similar range: 12 to 64 ng. This observation suggests that the Hg bioavailable to marine mussels in the study area did not change over a span of 40 years. Regional Hg distribution patterns indicate a gradual decrease of Hg content in mussels downstream from freshwater discharges to the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Baie des Chaleurs, suggesting that rivers constitute a significant Hg source in these estuarine systems. Atmospheric Hg deposition and concentration in marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean are known to have decreased in the last decades. However, in coastal environments, the response to these changes does not seem to be rapid, probably because of the long residence time of Hg in soils before being exported to coastal areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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10 pages, 1948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Total Mercury in Soils and Sediments in the Vicinity of Abandoned Mercury Mine Area in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines

by Jessie Samaniego, Cris Reven Gibaga, Alexandria Tanciongco and Rasty Rastrullo

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(13), 4599; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10134599 - 2 Jul 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6190

Abstract

The abandoned mercury (Hg) mine area in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan was included in the list of abandoned and inactive mines in the Philippines which pose a high risk to human health and the environment, and require rehabilitation. The mine site, operated by Palawan Quicksilver Mines, Inc. (PQMI) from 1953 to 1976, is located approximately 3 km inland from Honda Bay coast and within the catchment of the Tagburos River, which is a local fishery and recreational area. In this study, total Hg levels in soils and sediments were measured to assess the possible release of Hg from the site into the surrounding natural environment. Results showed that total Hg (THg) concentrations found in soils (0.04–67.5 mg kg⁻¹), mine waste calcines (52.7–924.2 mg kg⁻¹), river sediments (1.8–119 mg kg⁻¹), and marine sediments (0.04–12.7 mg kg⁻¹) were elevated compared to the global background of 0.045–0.16 mg kg⁻¹. The high concentrations of Hg in soils and river sediments were influenced by the different pathways for the release of Hg from its mine operations; while Hg in marine sediments was caused by the erosion of mine waste calcines near the pit lake, and calcines used to construct a wharf at the nearby Honda Bay. Mine wastes represent the largest source of Hg contamination in the area, due to the low efficiency of the recovery process during calcination. This work corresponds with the Minamata Convention on Mercury on the updated environmental assessments of abandoned Hg mines as potential source sites of mercury contamination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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21 pages, 3145 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Erythrocytes of Captive Pre-Juvenile Loggerhead Turtles Following Acute Exposure to Methylmercury

by Javier Hernández-Fernández, Ellie Anne López-Barrera, Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez, Pilar Rodríguez-Becerra and Andrés Pinzón-Velasco

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(10), 3602; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10103602 - 22 May 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3183

Abstract

This study describes the use of erythrocytes (RBCs) of loggerhead turtles as in vitro models for evaluating their toxicity to methylmercury. Blood samples of loggerhead turtles that were born in the Colombian Caribbean were used. The LC₅₀ of RBCs to methylmercury was determined at 96 h using methylmercury concentrations of 0.5–100 mg L⁻¹. Next, the viability of the RBCs and the activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and lipid peroxidation by malondialdehyde (MDA) at 6 and 12 h of exposure to acute concentrations of 0, 1, and 5 mg L⁻¹ were evaluated. The LC₅₀ for loggerhead turtle RBCs was 8.32 mg L⁻¹. The cell viability bioassay of RBCs exposed for 12 h only showed 100% cell viability. Increasing in vitro MeHg concentrations caused a corresponding increase in MDA concentration as well as decreases in the activities of SOD and GST. The RBCs represent an excellent model for ecotoxicological studies and SOD, GST, and MDA are biomarkers of environmental pollution and oxidative stress in loggerhead turtles. This was the first study conducted on loggerhead turtle where the response of RBCs to MeHg-induced oxidative stress is evaluated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mercury and Methylmercury Contamination of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems)

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