Legacy source of mercury in an urban stream-wetland ecosystem in central North Carolina, USA.
Abstract
In the United States, aquatic mercury contamination originates from point and non-point
sources to watersheds. Here, we studied the contribution of mercury in urban runoff
derived from historically contaminated soils and the subsequent production of methylmercury
in a stream-wetland complex (Durham, North Carolina), the receiving water of this
runoff. Our results demonstrated that the mercury originated from the leachate of
grass-covered athletic fields. A fraction of mercury in this soil existed as phenylmercury,
suggesting that mercurial anti-fungal compounds were historically applied to this
soil. Further downstream in the anaerobic sediments of the stream-wetland complex,
a fraction (up to 9%) of mercury was converted to methylmercury, the bioaccumulative
form of the metal. Importantly, the concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury
were reduced to background levels within the stream-wetland complex. Overall, this
work provides an example of a legacy source of mercury that should be considered in
urban watershed models and watershed management.
Type
Journal articleSubject
FungicideMercury
Methylmercury
Phenylmercury
Urban runoff
Wetland
Ecosystem
Mercury
Models, Theoretical
North Carolina
Organomercury Compounds
Rivers
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Urbanization
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Wetlands
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/15706Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.12.038Publication Info
Deonarine, Amrika; Hsu-Kim, Heileen; Zhang, Tong; Cai, Yong; & Richardson, Curtis
J (2015). Legacy source of mercury in an urban stream-wetland ecosystem in central North Carolina,
USA. Chemosphere, 138. pp. 960-965. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.12.038. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/15706.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Heileen Hsu-Kim
Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor Heileen (Helen) Hsu-Kim is an environmental engineer who specializes in
environmental aquatic chemistry and geochemistry. Her research tackles problems related
to pollutant metals and the biogeochemical processes that alter their distribution
in water, soil, and air. The applications of this work include environmental remediation
technologies, the impacts of energy production on water resources, global environmental
health, and the environmental implications and applications of nanotec
Curtis J. Richardson
Research Professor of Resource Ecology in the Division of Environmental Science and
Policy
Curtis J. Richardson is Professor of Resource Ecology and founding Director of the
Duke University Wetland Center in the Nicholas School of the Environment. Dr. Richardson
earned his degrees from the State University of New York and the University of Tennessee.
His research interests in applied ecology focus on long-term ecosystem response to
large-scale perturbations such as climate change, toxic materials, trace metals, flooding,
or nutrient additions. He has specific interests in phosphor
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