Title |
Tidally Driven Export of Dissolved Organic Carbon, Total Mercury, and Methylmercury from a Mangrove-Dominated Estuary
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Published in |
Environmental Science & Technology, January 2012
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DOI | 10.1021/es2029137 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Brian A. Bergamaschi, David P. Krabbenhoft, George R. Aiken, Eduardo Patino, Darren G. Rumbold, William H. Orem |
Abstract |
The flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from mangrove swamps accounts for 10% of the global terrestrial flux of DOC to coastal oceans. Recent findings of high concentrations of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in mangroves, in conjunction with the common co-occurrence of DOC and Hg species, have raised concerns that mercury fluxes may also be large. We used a novel approach to estimate export of DOC, Hg, and MeHg to coastal waters from a mangrove-dominated estuary in Everglades National Park (Florida, USA). Using in situ measurements of fluorescent dissolved organic matter as a proxy for DOC, filtered total Hg, and filtered MeHg, we estimated the DOC yield to be 180 (±12.6) g C m(-2) yr(-1), which is in the range of previously reported values. Although Hg and MeHg yields from tidal mangrove swamps have not been previously measured, our estimated yields of Hg species (28 ± 4.5 μg total Hg m(-2) yr(-1) and 3.1 ± 0.4 μg methyl Hg m(-2) yr(-1)) were five times greater than is typically reported for terrestrial wetlands. These results indicate that in addition to the well documented contributions of DOC, tidally driven export from mangroves represents a significant potential source of Hg and MeHg to nearby coastal waters. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 5 | 3% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
Japan | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 137 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 32 | 22% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 20 | 14% |
Student > Master | 20 | 14% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 10 | 7% |
Student > Bachelor | 10 | 7% |
Other | 25 | 17% |
Unknown | 30 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Environmental Science | 49 | 33% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 22 | 15% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 19 | 13% |
Chemistry | 11 | 7% |
Engineering | 3 | 2% |
Other | 6 | 4% |
Unknown | 37 | 25% |