Abstract
In this study, we evaluate the nature of the relationship between particulate matter and total mercury concentrations. For this purpose, we estimate both of the two values in water column over 12–h tidal cycles of the Jade Bay, southern North Sea. Total particulate mercury in 250 mL water samples was determined by oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation. Mercury contents varied from 63 to 259 ng/g suspended particulate matter (SPM) or 3.5–52.8 ng/L in surface waters. Total particulate mercury content (THgp) was positively correlated with (SPM), indicating that mercury in tidal waters is mostly associated with (SPM), and that tidal variations of total particulate mercury are mainly due to changes in (SPM) content throughout the tidal cycle. Maximum values for THgp were observed during mid-flood and mid-ebb, while the lowest values were determined at low tide and high tide. These data suggest that there are no mercury point sources in the Jade Bay. Moreover, the THgp content at low tide and high tide were significantly lower than the values recorded in the bottom sediment of the sampling site (>200 ng/g DW), while THgp content during the mid-flood and mid-ebb were comparable to the THg content in the surface bottom sediments. Therefore, changes in THgp content in the water column due to tidal forcing may have resulted from re-suspension of underlying surface sediments with relatively high mercury content.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Behre KE (1993) Die nacheiszeitlichen meeresspiegelbewegungen und ihre auswirkungen auf die küstenlandschaft und deren besiedlung. In: Schellnhuber HJ, Sterr H (eds) Klimaänderung und Küste. Springer, Berlin, pp 57–76
Chen CW, Kao CM, Chen CF, Dong CD (2007) Distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in sediments of kaohsiung harbor Taiwan. Chemosph 66:1431–1440
Ci Z, Zhang X, Wang Z, Niu Z (2011) Phase speciation of mercury (Hg) in coastal water of the Yellow Sea, China. Mar Chem 126:250–255
Crespo-Lopez ME, Macedo GL, Pereira SI, Arrifano GP, do Nascimento JL, Herculano AM (2009) Mercury and human genotoxicity: critical considerations and possible mercury mechanisms. Pharmacol Res 60:212–220
Dellwig O, Hinrichs J, Hild A, Brumsack HJ (2000) Changing sedimentation in tidal flat sediments of the southern North Sea from the Holocene to the present: a geochemical approach. J Sea Res 44:195–208
Förstner U (1989) Contaminated sediments. In: Bhattacharji S, Friedman GM, Neugebauer HJ, Seilacher A (eds) Lecture notes in each science. Springer, Berlin, pp 57–104
Fournier F, Karasov WHO, Know KP, Meyer MW, Hines RK (2002) The oral bioavailability and toxicokinetics of methylmercury in common loon (Gavia immer) chicks. Comp Biochem Physiol Part A 133:703–714
Gochfeld M (2003) Cases of mercury exposure, bioavailability and absorption. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 56:174–179
Henry B, Bigham GN (2007) Measurement of mercury concentrations in marsh drainages over a tidal cycle. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007
Hickel B (1985) Cyanonephron styloides gen. et sp. nov., a new chroococcal blue-green alga (Cyanophyta) from a brackish lake. Algol Stud 38:99–104
Ipolyi I, Massanisso P, Sposato S, Fodor P, Morabito R (2004) Concentration levels of total and methylmercury in mussel samples collected along the coasts of Sardinia Islands (Italy). Anal Chimica Acta 505:145–151
Jin H, Liebezeit G (2012) Distribution of total mercury in coastal sediments from the Jade Bay and its catchment area, Lower Saxony, Germany. J Soils Sediments (submitted)
Jin H, Liebezeit G, Ziehe D (2012) Distribution of total mercury in surface sediments of the western Jade Bay, Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, Southern North Sea. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 88:597–604
Kudo A, Miyahara S (1992) Predicted restoration of the surrounding marine environment after an artificial mercury decontamination at Minamata Bay, Japan—economic values for natural and artificial processes. Water Sci Technol 25:141–148
Langer CS, Fitzgerald WF, Visscher PT, Vandal GM (2001) Biogeochemical cycling of methylmercury at Barn Island Salt Marsh, Stonington, CT, USA. Wetlands Ecol Manag 9:295–310
Leonard LA (1997) Controls of sediment transport and deposition in an incised mainland marsh basin, southeastern Norh Carolina. Wetlands 17:263–274
Lindqvist O, Johansson K, Aastrup M, Andersson A, Bringmark L, Hovsenius G, Hakanson L, Iverfeldt A, Meili M, Timm B (1991) Mercury in the Swedish environment—recent research on causes, consequences and corrective methods. Water Air Soil Poll 55 (all chapters)
Maggi C, Berducci AT, Bianchi J, Giani M, Campanella L (2009) Methylmercury determination in marine sediment and organisms by direct mercury analyser. Anal Chim Acta 541:32–36
Martino M, Turner A, Nimmo M, Millward GE (2002) Resuspension, reactivity and recycling of trace metals in the Mersey Estuary, UK. Mar Chem 77:171–186
Mishra S, Bhalke S, Saradhi IV, Suseela B, Tripathi RM, Pandit GG, Puranik V (2007) Trace metals and organometals in selected marine species and preliminary risk assessment to human beings in the Thane Creek area, Mumbai. Chemosphere 69:972–978
Mucha AP, Vasconcelos MTSD, Bordalo AA (2003) Macrobenthic community in the douroestuary: relations with trace metals and natural sediment characteristics. Environ Pollut 121:169–180
Pereira ME, Duarte AC, Millward GE, Vale C, Abreu SN (1998) Tidal export of particulate mercury from the most contaminated area of Aveiro’s Lagoon, Portugal. Sci Total Environ 213:157–163
Ramalhosa E, Monterroso P, Abreu S, Pereira E, Vale C, Duarte A (2001) Storage and export of mercury from a contaminated bay (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). Wetlands Ecol Manag 1:311–316
Salomons W (1998) Biogeodynamics of contaminated sediments and soils: perspectives for future research. J Geochem Explor 62:37–40
Sarica J, Amyot M, Hare L (2004) An easy method to measure total particulate Hg in water without chemical digestion. Water Air Soil Poll 151:3–10
Smith JD, Nicholson RA, Moore PJ (1971) Mercury in water of the tidal thames. Nature 232:393–394
Streif H (1990) Das ostfriesische Küstengebiet, Nordsee, Insel, Watten und Marschen. In: Sammlung Geologischer Frührer 57, 2nd edn. Gebrüder Borntraeger, Stuttgart, p 376
Sundby B (1994) Sediment-water exchange processes. In: Hamelink JL, Landrum PF, Bergman HL, Benson WH (eds) Bioavailability: physical, chemical and biological interactions. Lewis publishers, USA, pp 143–149
US EPA Method 7473 (1998) Mercury in solid and solutions by thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Revision 0, January 1998
Wilksen RD, Hintelmann H (1991) Mercury and methylmercury in sediments and suspended particles from the river Elbe, North Germany. Water Air Soil Pollut 56:427–437
Yang SL (1998) The roll of Scirpus marsh in attenuation of hydrodynamics and retention of fine sediment in the Yangtze Estuary. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 47:227–233
Yang H (2009) Historical mercury contamination in sediments and catchment soils of Diss Mere, UK. Environ Pollut 158:2504–2510
Acknowledgments
This work was part of the Jade Bay Project, which was funded by the Ministry of Lower Saxony for the Environment and Nature Protection. Besides the geochemical analysis of the sediments, the Jade Bay Project also consists of geologic, geophysical, cultural-historical and benthic-ecological studies. We wish to thank Alex Rua for the support during sampling. Anke Würdemann-Bruns is also acknowledged for her support during analysis.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jin, H., Liebezeit, G. Tidal Cycles of Total Particulate Mercury in the Jade Bay, Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, Southern North Sea. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 90, 97–102 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0866-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0866-6