Increasing rates of atmospheric mercury deposition in midcontinental North America

Journal Article · Fri Aug 07 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.257.5071.784· OSTI ID:7270276

Swain, E B ^[1]; Engstrom, D R; Brigham, M E; Henning, T A; Brezonik, P L ^[2]

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1. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul (United States)
2. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis (United States)

Mercury contamination of remote lakes has been attributed to increasing deposition of atmospheric mercury, yet historic deposition rates and inputs from terrestrial sources are essentially unknown. Sediments of seven headwater lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin were used to reconstruct regional modern and preindustrial deposition rates of mercury. Whole-basin mercury fluxes, determined from lake-wide arrays of dated cores, indicate that the annual deposition of atmospheric mercury has increased from 3.7 to 12.5 micrograms per square meter since 1850 and that 25% of atmospheric mercury deposition to the terrestrial catchment is exported to the lake. The deposition increase is similar among sites, implying regional or global sources for the mercury entering these lakes.

• OSTI ID: 7270276
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 257:5071; ISSN SCIEA; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
CONTAMINATION
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
LAKES
MERCURY
METALS
MINNESOTA
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER POLLUTION
WISCONSIN