The Empire Knight: Patterns of mercury contamination in sediment and biota at a marine site

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:203602

Hoff, R Z ^[1]

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1. NOAA Hazmat, Seattle, WA (United States)

The Empire Knight, a merchant ship carrying approximately 7.3 metric tons of elemental mercury in its cargo, sank in a storm off the Maine coast in 1 944. Unique attributes of the site include the deep water marine conditions (80 m) and mercury originally in elemental form. Recent evaluations of the site were undertaken to determine environmental risk of the remaining mercury and possible remedial actions. Data collected in 1993 for this risk evaluation included sediment core samples, and a variety of biota samples. Biota were analyzed for total and methylmercury, and the following patterns examined: percent methylmercury, variability between species groups, and spatial patterns related to sediment contamination. Sediment contamination was largely confined to the immediate area near the wreck, with levels decreasing to background within 60 m. Invertebrates within this area had elevated levels of mercury in tissue. Most contamination was in an inorganic form, with percentages of methyl to total mercury below 20%, except for crab and lobster. Most of the residual mercury appears to be largely unavailable to biota, with local invertebrates comprising the main biological receptors. Evidence of bioaccumulation of mercury in higher trophic level organisms was not found, thus mercury did not appear to be a source of contamination beyond the immediate area the wreck.

• OSTI ID: 203602
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ACCIDENTS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
COASTAL WATERS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILLS
INVERTEBRATES
MAINE
MERCURY
METHYLMERCURY
REMEDIAL ACTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEDIMENTS
SHIPS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
WATER POLLUTION