Mercury Content of Sediments in East Fork Poplar Creek: Current Assessment and Past Trends

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1338545· OSTI ID:1338545

Brooks, Scott C. ^[1]; Eller, Virginia A. ^[1]; Dickson, Johnbull O. ^[1]; Earles, Jennifer E. ^[1]; Lowe, Kenneth Alan ^[1]; Mehlhorn, Tonia L. ^[1]; Olsen, Todd A. ^[1]; DeRolph, Christopher R. ^[1]; Watson, David J. ^[1]; Phillips, Debra H. ^[2]; Peterson, Mark J. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Queen's Univ., Belfast (United Kingdom)

This study provided new information on sediment mercury (Hg) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) content and chemistry. The current inventory of Hg in East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) bed sediments was estimated to be 334 kg, which represents a ~67% decrease relative to the initial investigations in 1984. MMHg sediment inventory was estimated to be 44.1 g, lower but roughly similar to past estimates. The results support the relevance and potential impacts of other active and planned investigations within the Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek project (e.g., assessment and control of bank soil inputs, sorbents for Hg and MMHg removal, re-introduction of freshwater clams to EFPC), and identify gaps in current understanding that represent opportunities to understand controlling variables that may inform future technology development studies.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1338545
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-2016/578; TRN: US1701443
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
MERCURY
METHYLMERCURY
TIME DEPENDENCE
STREAMS
SEDIMENTS
OAK RIDGE
INVENTORIES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ABUNDANCE
SOILS