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Distribution and Controlling Factors of Dissolved Gaseous Mercury and Reactive Mercury in Seawater Near Yangtze River Estuary

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Abstract

Complex hydrocultural conditions in the estuary affect the migration and transformation of mercury. Using two voyages in July and October 2018, Dissolved Gaseous Mercury (DGM) and Reactive Mercury (RHg) were determined to explore the source, transformation and influence of DGM content in the adjacent waters of Yangtze River Estuary in summer and autumn. The results showed the contents of DGM and RHg in summer were higher than those in autumn, and both of them were higher than those in open sea. In summer and autumn, the Yangtze River brought a higher concentration of DGM, and different flow direction and runoff resulted in differences in the high value region of the surface. The emergence of low-oxygen zones in summer was conducive to the production of DGM. In autumn, windy weather allowed seawater disturbances to promote the release of mercury from the underlying sediments, especially in shallow sea in northwest. RHg showed a higher concentration in the offshore than in the open sea in summer, but there was no such trend in autumn, reflecting the influence of less runoff input. DGM is the main product of RHg reduction, and there was a significant positive correlation between DGM and RHg in summer (r = 0.356, P <0.05), while the correlation between DGM and RHg was not significant in autumn due to the influence of light intensity, wind speed and nutrients. The exchange flux of mercury in the adjacent waters of the Yangtze River Estuary was higher than that in the open sea. There was no significant difference of the release flux of mercury in summer and autumn. This article highlighted that the input of mercury from the Yangtze River runoff promotes the release of mercury in seawater, and the hypoxic zone caused by eutrophication is conducive to the production of DGM.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41506128, 40806045 and 41749903) and the Oceanographic Research Vessel Sharing Plan (No. NORC2018-06-25). The auxiliary parameters were provided by the Oceanographic Research Vessel Sharing Plan (No. NORC2018-06-25). The authors thank colleagues from the ‘Science III’ boat for assistance with field observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Pingping Yin, Wen Zheng, Yan Wang, Ruhai Liu, Xin He, Haolin Sun & Dou Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, SOS, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Pingping Yin, Wen Zheng, Yan Wang, Ruhai Liu, Xin He, Haolin Sun & Dou Li

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  1. Pingping Yin
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  2. Wen Zheng
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  3. Yan Wang
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  6. Haolin Sun
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  7. Dou Li
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Correspondence to Ruhai Liu.

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Yin, P., Zheng, W., Wang, Y. et al. Distribution and Controlling Factors of Dissolved Gaseous Mercury and Reactive Mercury in Seawater Near Yangtze River Estuary. J. Ocean Univ. China 22, 1341–1352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-023-5454-3

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