Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mercury Fluxes at the Ocean Margins

  • Chapter
Global and Regional Mercury Cycles: Sources, Fluxes and Mass Balances

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASEN2,volume 21))

Abstract

A mass balance budget for mercury at Ocean margins is proposed on the basis of recent data on exchange fluxes with terrestrial, atmospheric and marine reservoirs. The largest single mercury flux consists of particulate species from rivers (~5 Mmol a-1), which is, primarily, unreactive and quickly buried in nearshore sediments. The most important source of mobile mercury for ocean margins is the atmosphere directly via deposition and indirectly via upwellings (total ≈ 5 Mmol a-1). The direct atmospheric input to coastal zones rivers (~2 Mmol a-1), exceeds considerably the dissolved inputs from rivers (~0.13 Mmol a-1). The evasion of elemental mercury from coastal surface waters is balanced by the mercury deposition from the atmosphere, but geographical differences exist suggesting a net mercury transfert to the higher latitudes. The overall residence time for mercury on the continental shelves is about 4 months. This is less than the mean residence time of water on the shelves (~1.3 year) and confirms the known reactivity of mercury in aquatic environments. However, two fractions of mercury are actively recycled (through the atmosphere and through the organic carbon recycling). The highly productive zones associated with frontal stuctures near the shelf edges appear to be very active in redistributing mercury species between ocean and coastal areas. One consequence is that the main source of methylmercury for coastal waters is upwelled oceanic waters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Anderson, R.F., Lao, Y., Broecker, W.S., Trumbore, S.E., Hofman, H.J. and Wolfli, W. (1990) Boundary scavenging in the Pacific Ocean: a comparison of 10Be and 23Pa. Earth Planet. Sei. Lett. 96, 287–304.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Martin, J.-M. and Windom, H.L. (1991) Present and Futur Roles of Ocean Margins in Regulating Marine Biogeochemical Cycles of Trace Elements, in R.F.C. Mantoura, J.-M. Martin, and R. Wollast (eds.), Ocean Margin Processes in Global Change. J. Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp. 45–67.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Mierle, G. and Ingram, R. (1991) The role of humic substances in the mobilization of mercury from watersheds. Water, Air Soil Pollut. 56, 349–357.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Watras, C.J., Morrison, K.A. and Bloom, N.S. (1995) Mercury in remote Rocky Mountain lakes of Glacier National Park, Montana, in comparison with other temperate North American regions. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 52, 1220–1228.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hurley, J.P., Benoit, J.M., Babiarz, C.L., Shafer, M.M., Andren, A.W., Sullivan, J.R., Hammond, R. and Webb, D.A. (1995) Influences of watershed characteristics on mercury levels in Wisconsin rivers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 29, 1867–1875.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Coquery, M., Cossa, D. and Martin, J.-M. (1995) The Distribution of Dissolved and Particulate Mercury in Three Siberian Estuaries and Adjacent Coastal Waters. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 653–664.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Quémerais, C., Cossa, D., Pham, T.T. and Rondeau, B. (1996) Concentrations and transport of mercury in the St.-Lawrence River (Canada). Fourth Intern. Conf. on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. 4–8, August, 1996. Hamburg, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cossa, D., Sanjuan, J., Pont, D. and Bombled, B. Unpublished results. Ifremer Centre de Nantes, F.44037 Nantes and Cnrs F. 13200 Aries, France.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Roulet, M., Lucotte, M., Canuel, R., Rheault, I., Tran, S., de Freitos Gogh, Y.G., Farelle, N., Souza do Vale, R., Sousa Passos, C.J., and de Jesus da Silva, E. (1996) Dissolved and particulate mercury in the Tapajös river basin, Brazilian amazon. Fourth Intern. Conf. on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. 4–8, August, 1996. Hamburg, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Mason, R.P. Chesapeake Bay Laboratory. University of Maryland, Solomons, MD (USA).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Stordal, M.C., Gill, G.A., Wen, L.S. and Santschi, P.H. (in press) Mercury phase speciation in the surface waters of three Texas estuaries: Importance of colloidal forms. Limnol. Oceanogr.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mikac, N., Kwokal, Z., May, K. and Branica, M. (1989) Mercury distribution in the Krka river estuary (Eastern Adriatic Coast). Mar. Chem. 28, 109–126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Coquery, M. (1994) Bio géochimie du mercure en milieu estuarien et côtier. Thèse de doctorat en océanologie, météorologie et environnement. Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Cossa, D., Meybeck, M, Idlafkih, Bombled, B. (1994) Etude pilote des apports en contaminants par la Seine. R. INT. DEL/94.13/NANTES. IFREMER, F.92138 Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Leermakers, M. Meuleman, C. and Baeyens, W. (1995) Mercury speciation in the Scheldt estuary. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 641–652.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wilken, R.-D. and Hintelman, H. (1991) Mercury and methylmercury in sediments and suspended particles from the river Elbe, North Germany. Water, Air Soil Pollut. 56, 427–437.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Lu Xiankun, Yang Min, Shi Jiande and Feng Xiaoju (1990) The effect of river runoff on the occurrence, transportation and speciation of mercury in the Huanghe estuary and adjacent area. Geochemical J. 24, 295–308.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Coquery, M. and Cossa, D. (1995) Mercury speciation in surface waters of the North Sea. Neth. J. Sea Res., 34, 245–257.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Mantoura, R.F.C., Dickson, A. and Riley, J.P. (1978) The complexation of metals with humic materials in natural waters. Estuarine, Coastal Mar. Sci. 6, 387–408.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Guentzel, J.L., Powell, R.T., Landing, W.M. and Mason, R.P. (in press) Mercury Associated With Colloidal Material in an Estuarine and an Open Ocean Environment. Mar. Chem.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Cossa, D., Sanjuan, J. and Noel, J. (1994) Mercury Transport in Waters of the Strait of Dover. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 28, 385–388.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Vandal, G. M. and Fitzgerald, W.F. (1995) Mercury in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, USA) and Tributaries. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 679–682.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Mason, R.P., Fitzgerald, W.F., Hurley, J., Hanson, A.K., Donaghay, P.L., and Sieburth. (1993) Mercury biogeochemical cycling in a stratified estuary. Limnol. Oceanogr. 38, 1227–1241.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cossa, D. and Fileman, C (1991) Mercury Concentrations in Surface Waters of the English Channel: A Cooperative Study. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 24, 197–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Ferrara, R., Maserti, B.E. and Zanaboni, C (1989) Mercury levels in total suspended matter and in the plankton of the Mediterranean basin. Sci. Total Environ. 84, 129–134.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Cossa, D. and Martin, J.-M. (1991) Mercury in the Rhône delta and adjacent marine areas. Mar. Chem. 36, 291–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Cossa, D. and Noel, J. (1987) Concentration of mercury in near shore surface waters of Bay of Biscay and in the Gironde estuary. Mar. Chem. 20, 389–396.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Cossa, D., P. Michel, D. Auger and I. Truquet (1991) Vertical profile of total mercury in relation to arsenic, cadmium and copper distributions at the Eastern North Atlantic ICES reference station (46°N; 6°W). Oceanol. Acta 15, 603–608.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Cossa, D., Martin, J.-M. and Sanjuan, J. (1994) Dimethylmercury Formation in the Alboran Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 28, 381–384.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Cossa, D., Martin, J.-M., Takayanagi, K. and Sanjuan, J. The Distribution and Cycling of Mercury Species in the Western Mediterranean. Deep-Sea Res. (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Mason, R.P. and Fitzgerald, W.F. (1990) Alkylmercury species in the equatorial Pacific. Nature, Lond. 347, 457–459.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Mason, R.P., Rolfhus, K.R. and Fitzgerald, W.F. (1995) Methylated and Elemental Mercury Cycling in Surface and Deep Ocean Waters of the North Atlantic. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 665–677.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Cossa, D., Gobeil, C and Courau, P. (1988) Dissolved Mercury Behaviour in the Saint Lawrence Estuary. Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci. 26, 227–230.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Coquery, M., Cossa, D. and Sanjuan, J. Speciation and Sorption of Mercury in Macro-tidal Estuaries. Mar. Chem. (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Morel, F.M.M., Dzombak, D.A. and Price, N.M. (1991) Heterogeneous reactions in Coastal Waters, in R.F.C. Mantoura, J.-M. Martin, and R. Wollast (eds.), Ocean Margin Processes in Global Change, J. Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp. 165–180.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Dyrssen, D. and M. Wedborg (1991) The sulphur-mercury(II) system in natural waters. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 56: 507–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. GESAMP — IMO/FAO/UNESCO/WHO/IAEA/UNEP (1987) Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution. Land/Sea Boundary Flux of Contaminants: Contributions from Rivers. Rep. Stud. Gesamp, 32, 172 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Gobeil, C and Cossa, D. (1993) Mercury in Sediment Pore Water in the Laurentian Trough. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 1794–1800.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Cossa, D., Coquery, M. and Martin, J.-M. (1993) Mercury in the Lena delta and Laptev Sea. Third Intern. Symposium on “Model estuaries: the Arctic estuaries and adjacent coastal seas. Biogeochemical processes and interactions with global change”. 19–25 April 1993. Svetlogorsk, Russia.

    Google Scholar 

  40. van Dalen, M. and Nolting, R.F. (1992) Spoor-en hoofdelementen in sediment en poriewater van het Lena-estuarium en de Laptevzee. Netherlands Institute for Sea Research. Series Data Reports. NIOZ DATA-RAPPORT 1992–5, Texel, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Jensen, S. and Jernelöv, A. (1969) Biological methylation of mercury in aquatic organisms. Nature, Lond. 223, 753–754.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Craig, P.J. and Moreton, P.A. (1986) Total mercury, methyl mercury and sulphide levels in British estuarine sediments-III. Wat. Res. 20, 1111–1118.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Craig, P.J. and Moreton, P.A. (1984) The role of sulphide in the formation of dimethylmercury in the environment. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 15, 406–408.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Baldi, F., Parati, F. and Filippelli, M. (1995) Dimethylmercury and Dimethylmercury-Sulfide of Microbial Origin in the Biogeochemical Cycle of Mercury. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 805–815.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Wallschläger, D.H., Hintelmann, R. D. Evans and Wilken, R.D (1995) Volatilization of dimethylmercury and elemental mercury from river Elbe floodplain soils. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 1325–1329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Cossa, D., Fitzgerald, W.F. and Gobeil, C. (1991) Volatile mercury species in coastal marine sediments. ICE-BAMO, University of Padou. 15–19 Septembere 1991. Padou, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Munthe, J., Xiao, Z.F. and Lindqvist, O. (1991) The aqueous reduction of divalent mercury by sulfite. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 56, 621–630

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Allard, B. and Arsenie, I. (1991) Abiotic reduction of mercury by humic substances in aquatic system-an important process for the mercury cycle. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 56, 457–464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Gagnon, C, Pelletier, E., Mucci, A. and Fitzgerald, W.F. (1996) Diagenetic behaviour of methylmercury in organic-rich coastal sediments. Limnol Oceanogr., (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Mason, R.P., Fitzgerald, W.F. and Morel, FM.M. (1994) The biogeochemical cycling of elemental mercury: Anthropogenic influences. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 58, 3191–3198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Petersen, G., Iverfeldt, Å. and Munthe, J. (1995) Atmospheric mercury species over central and northern Europe. Model calculations and comparison with observations from the Nordic air and precipitation network. Atmos. Environ. 29, 47–67.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Watras, C.J., Bloom, N.S., Hudson, R.J.M., Gherini, S., Munson, R., Claas, S.A., Morrison, K.A., Hurley, J., Wiener, J.G., Fitzgerald, W.F., Mason, R., Vandal, G., Powell, D., Rada, R., Rislov, L., Winfrey, M., Elder, J., Krabbenhoft, D., Andren, A.W., Babiarz, C, Poreelle, D.B. and Huckabee, J.W. (1994) Sources and Fates of Mercury and Methylmercury in Wisconsin Lakes, in C.J. Watras and J.W. Huckabee (eds.), Mercury Pollution: Integration and Synthesis. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp. 153–177.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Mason, R.P., Morel, F.M.M. and Hemond, H.F. (1995) The role of microorganisms in elemental mercury formation in natural waters. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 775–787.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Martin, J.-M. and Thomas, A. (1994) The global insignificance of telluric input of dissolved trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn) to ocean margins. Mar. Chem. 46, 165–178.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Wollast, R. (1991) The coastal organic carbon cycle: Fluxes, sources and sinks, in R.F.C. Mantoura, J.-M. Martin, and R. Wollast (eds.), Ocean Margin Processes in Global Change. J. Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp. 365–381.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Walsh, J.J. (1991) Importance of continental margins in the marine biogeochemical cyclind of carbon and nitrogen. Nature, Lond. 350, 53–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Meybeck, M. (1988) How to establish and use world budgets of riverine materials, in A. Lerman and M. Meybeck (eds.), Physical and Chemical weathering in geochemical cycles. Kuwler Academic Publisher, Dordrecht, pp. 247–272.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Martin, J.-M. and Meybeck, M. (1979) Elemental mass-balance of material carried by world major rivers. Mar. Chem. 7, 173–206.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Berner, R.A. (1982) Burial of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur in the modern ocean. Am. J. Sci. 282, 451–473.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Romankevich, E.A. (1984) Geochemistry of organic matter in the Ocean. Berlin, Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Biscaye, P.E., Flagg, C.N. and Falkowski, P.G. (1994) The Shelf Edge Exchange Processes experiment, SEEP-II: an introduction to hypotheses, results and conclusions. Deep-Sea Res. 41, 231–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  62. Rolfus, K.R. and Fitzgerald, W.F. (1995) Linkages between atmospheric mercury deposition and the methylmercury content of marine fish. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 80, 291–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Amyot, M., Mierle, G., Lean, D.R.S. and McQueen, D.J. (1994) Sunlight-induced formation of dissolved gaseous mercury in lake waters. Environ. Sci. Technol., 28, 2366–2371.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Rudd, J. (Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Canada), personal communication.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Ozerova, N.A. (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia), personal communication.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la mer, B.P.1105, F.44311, Nantes Cedex 03, France

    D. Cossa & M. Coquery

  2. Instiut M. Lamontagne, CP 1000, Mont-Joli, Qué., G5H 3Z4, Canada

    C. Gobeil

  3. Institut de bio géochimie marine, École Normal Supérieure, 1, rue M. Arnoux, F.92120, Montrouge, France

    J.-M. Martin

Authors
  1. D. Cossa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Coquery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. Gobeil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J.-M. Martin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Analytical Chemistry, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Willy Baeyens

  2. GKSS Forschungszentrum Geesthacht Gmbh, Max Planckstaβe 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Ralf Ebinghaus

  3. Institute for Water and Environmental Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 105 Papaninsev Street, 65099, Barnaul, Russia

    Oleg Vasiliev

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cossa, D., Coquery, M., Gobeil, C., Martin, JM. (1996). Mercury Fluxes at the Ocean Margins. In: Baeyens, W., Ebinghaus, R., Vasiliev, O. (eds) Global and Regional Mercury Cycles: Sources, Fluxes and Mass Balances. NATO ASI Series, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1780-4_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1780-4_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7295-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1780-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation