Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Methylmercury MeHg affects wildlife and human health mainly through marine fish consumption. In marine systems, MeHg is formed from inorganic mercury Hg II species primarily in sediments then accumulates and biomagnifies in the food web. Most of the fish consumed in the US are from estuarine and marine systems highlighting the importance of understanding MeHg formation in these productive regions.
Sediment organic matter has been shown to limit mercury methylation in estuarine ecosystems, as a result it is often described as the primary control over MeHg production. In this paper, we explore the role of organic matter by looking at the effects of its changing sediment concentrations on the methylation rates across multiple estuaries.
Sedimentary total Hg concentrations ranged across five orders of magnitude, increasing in concentration from the pristine, sandy sediments of Wells ME , to industrially contaminated areas like Portsmouth NH and Hackensack NJ. We find that methylation rates are the highest at locations with high Hg content relative to carbon , and that organic matter does not hinder mercury methylation in estuaries. In the Northeast USA, estuaries are particularly impacted by mercury Hg contamination as the coastal region is heavily industrialized, has a high population density, and has coal-fired power plants as the main source of electricity.
Although, anthropogenic Hg emissions in the Northeastern US have been significantly reduced since the s, the US remains one of the larger emitters.
Anthropogenic Hg is released into the atmosphere in its elemental Hg 0 and inorganic, Hg II forms, mostly by coal-fired electric utilities and incinerators.
