Distribution pattern of mercury in northern Barents Sea and Eurasian Basin surface sediment

Stephen G Kohler; Laura M Kull; Lars-Eric Heimbürger-Boavida; Thaise Ricardo de Freitas; Nicolas Sanchez; Kuria Ndungu; Murat V Ardelan

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114272

Distribution pattern of mercury in northern Barents Sea and Eurasian Basin surface sediment

Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Dec;185(Pt A):114272. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114272. Epub 2022 Oct 30.

Authors

Stephen G Kohler¹, Laura M Kull², Lars-Eric Heimbürger-Boavida³, Thaise Ricardo de Freitas⁴, Nicolas Sanchez⁵, Kuria Ndungu⁶, Murat V Ardelan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: stephen.g.kohler@ntnu.no.
² Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: lauramk@stud.ntnu.no.
³ Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, University de Toulon, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Bât. Méditerranée, Campus de Luminy-Océanomed, 13009 Marseille, France. Electronic address: lars-eric.heimburger@mio.osupytheas.fr.
⁴ Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo (UiO), Sem Sælands vei 1, 0371 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: t.r.de.freitas@geo.uio.no.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: nicolas.sanchez@ntnu.no.
⁶ Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, NO-0579 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: Kuria.Ndungu@niva.no.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: murat.v.ardelan@ntnu.no.

PMID: 36330938
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114272

Abstract

Marine sediment is a significant sink for the global pollutant mercury. In a rapidly changing Arctic region, mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in the marine ecosystem remains a prominent environmental issue. Here, we report surface sediment (0-2 cm) concentrations of Hg and other toxic elements of interest (Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, As, Cd, Pb) in the northern Barents Sea and Eurasian Basin. We observed average Hg concentrations of 65 ± 23 ng/g with the highest concentration of 116 ng/g in the Eurasian Basin. Our calculated enrichment factors suggest low anthropogenic enrichment for mercury, chromium, nickel, and copper. Mercury and trace element geographic patterns are best explained by the origin and transportation of fine grain sediment towards the Eurasian Basin, with scavenging by both particulate organic carbon and metal oxides as significant delivery mechanisms.

Keywords: Arctic; Barents Sea; Eurasian Basin; Mercury; Sediments.

MeSH terms

Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Mercury* / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Mercury
Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical