Deposition and watershed processing of mercury in the Lake Champlain basin

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

OSTI ID:214853

Scherbatskoy, T ^[1]; Rea, A; Keeler, G ^[2]

---

1. Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States)
2. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

Daily wet-only precipitation, weekly 24-hour vapor and particulate matter, snowmelt and stream water have been analyzed for total mercury (Hg) in Underhill, VT since December, 1992. Total Hg in precipitation ranged from 1.2-35 ng/L, with maximum concentrations occurring during summer. Vapor phase Hg ranged from 1.2 to 4.2 ng/m, with little annual variability, and particulate phase Hg ranged from 1 to 43 pg/m{sup 3}, with maximum concentrations in winter. Wet-only deposition of total Hg in precipitation totaled 9.26 {mu}g/m{sup 2} in 1993 and 7.66 {mu}g/m{sup 2} in 1994. Total Hg concentrations in a stream in our research watershed were 1-3 ng/L during base flow, and reached 79 ng/L at peak flow during spring snowmelt. Dissolved Hg concentrations were approximately 2 ng/L, even during peak flows, suggesting suspended Hg-containing sediments caused the high total Hg during peak flows. Synoptic sampling of larger streams in the drainage basin also showed significant Hg enrichment during snowmelt. Limited snowpack melt measurements indicated that Hg concentration and dissolved proportion in melt water were dynamic, varying with temperature and melting rate.

• OSTI ID: 214853
• Report Number(s): CONF-950801--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
DRAINAGE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
MERCURY
MONITORING
SEDIMENTS
SNOW
SURFACE WATERS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
VERMONT
WASHOUT