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Mercury Concentration and Monomethylmercury Production in Sediment: Effect of Dredged Sediment Reuse on Bioconcentration for Ragworms

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Abstract

The effect of dredged sediment reuse on the production and bioconcentration of monomethylmercury (MMHg) was investigated by examining sediments and ragworms found in dredge material banks and surrounding sites in the Venice Lagoon, Italy. Total Hg concentrations in the surface 20 cm of sediments were higher in the banks than in the surrounding sites, but MMHg concentrations were similar, which suggests reduced MMHg production in the banks. Monomethylmercury content in ragworms was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the banks than in the surrounding sites. In pore water, concentrations of both sulfate and Fe decreased with depth in the upper 20 cm of the dredge banks. In contrast, sulfate concentrations were constant with depth and large amounts of dissolved Fe occurred in the upper 20 cm of sediments of surrounding sites. Continuous sulfate reduction and possible precipitation of iron sulfide may decrease the production and bioconcentration of MMHg in the dredge material banks compared to the surrounding sites. Overall, the production of MMHg in sediments and its bioconcentration in benthic organisms were connected to the process of sediment diagenesis of organic matter through the control of pore water and sediment geochemistry involving iron and sulfur.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to give special thanks to the members of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Sediment (SIOSED) program: Lisa Levin, Douglas Bartlett, Farooq Azam, Osmund Holm-Hansen, Hany Elwany, Tony Rathburn, and Bradley Tebo. This research could not have been carried out without the generous help of the research members at Thetis S.p.A., Venice. This material was produced in the framework of the SIOSED project (to D.D.D), and supported by Magistrato alle Acque di Venezia, Italy (Venice Water Authority) through the Consorzio Venezia Nuova and Thetis S.p.A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Magistrato alle Acque di Venezia (Venice Water Authority), Consorzio Venezia Nuova, or Thetis S.p.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA

    Seunghee Han, Magali Porrachia, Joris Gieskes & Dimitri D. Deheyn

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 500-712, South Korea

    Seunghee Han

  3. Thetis S.p.A, Castello 2737/f, Arsenale, 30122, Venice, Italy

    Elisa Volpato

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  1. Seunghee Han
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  2. Magali Porrachia
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Correspondence to Seunghee Han.

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Han, S., Porrachia, M., Volpato, E. et al. Mercury Concentration and Monomethylmercury Production in Sediment: Effect of Dredged Sediment Reuse on Bioconcentration for Ragworms. Water Air Soil Pollut 219, 59–68 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0683-7

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