Elsevier

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 87, Issues 1–2, 15 October 2014, Pages 388-395
Marine Pollution Bulletin

Baseline
Total, methyl and organic mercury in sediments of the Southern Baltic Sea

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.07.001Get rights and content

Highlights

  • MeHg concentrations are much lower than previously reported.

  • Organic and methyl mercury correlate well in study area.

  • Patchiness of sediments results in uncertainty of singular measurements.

  • Uncertainty reaches 20% for total and 15% for organic mercury.

  • Patchiness is much greater in coastal areas.

Abstract

Distribution of sedimentary mercury in the Southern Baltic was investigated. Sediment samples were collected from the Southern Baltic in the period from 2009 to 2011, and concentrations of sedimentary total mercury (average 102 ng/g, range 5.8–225 ng/g) and methyl mercury (average 261 pg/g, range 61–940 pg/g) were measured in the manner that the influence of both patchiness and seasonal changes were assessed. Moreover, sedimentary mercury extracted with organic solvent- the so-called organic mercury was also analyzed (average 425 pg/g, range 100–1440 pg/g). There is a statistically significant dependence between organic mercury and both methyl mercury and total mercury concentrations in the sediments. Methyl mercury contribution to total mercury varied from 0.12% to 1.05%, while organic mercury contributed to 2% of total concentration on average. The area studied, although mercury concentrations exceed threefold the geochemical background, can be regarded as moderately contaminated with mercury, and methylmercury.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

This study is a part of the Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences statutory activities-theme 2.2. Mercury analyses were partially performed in the frame of National Science Center project number 2011/01/B/ST10/07697.

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