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Distribution and variation of mercury in frozen soils of a high-altitude permafrost region on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

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Abstract

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is home to the largest permafrost bodies at low- and mid-latitudes, yet little is known about the distribution and variation of mercury (Hg) in frozen soil of the permafrost regions. In this study, extensive soil sampling campaigns were carried out in 23 soil pits from 12 plots in a high-altitude permafrost region of the Shule River Basin, northeastern TP. Hg distribution, variation, and their dependences on soil properties were analyzed. The results have revealed that total Hg (THg) concentrations were low ranging from 6.3 to 29.1 ng g−1. A near-surface peak of THg concentrations followed by a continuous decrease were observed on the vertical profiles of most soil pits. Significant positive relationships among THg concentrations, soil organic carbon (SOC) contents, and silty fractions were observed, indicating that SOC content and silty fraction are two dominant factors influencing the spatial distribution of THg. THg concentrations in soils showed a decreasing trend with altitude, which was probably attributed to a lower soil potential to Hg accumulation under the condition of lower SOC contents and silty fractions at high altitudes. Approximately, 130.6 t Hg in soils (0–60 cm) was estimated and a loss of 64.2% of Hg from the highly stable and stable permafrost (H-SP) region via permafrost degradation was expected in the upstream regions of the Shule River Basin, indicating that the large areas of permafrost regions may become an important source of global Hg emission as a result of the ongoing widespread permafrost degradation.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-04), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41421061, 41571073, 41671074), and Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences (SKLCS-ZZ-2015-01-10 & SKLCS-OP-2016-05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Shiwei Sun, Shichang Kang, Shengyun Chen, Wenjie Liu, Bigyan Neupane & Dahe Qin

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shiwei Sun, Shichang Kang & Bigyan Neupane

  3. CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Shichang Kang, Jie Huang & Qianggong Zhang

  4. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing, 100101, China

    Jie Huang, Qianggong Zhang & Junming Guo

  5. Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130, Mikkeli, Finland

    Jie Huang & Junming Guo

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  1. Shiwei Sun
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Correspondence to Shichang Kang.

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Sun, S., Kang, S., Huang, J. et al. Distribution and variation of mercury in frozen soils of a high-altitude permafrost region on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 15078–15088 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9088-0

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