Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Seasonal patterns of mercury species in water and plankton from softwater lakes in Northeastern Minnesota

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Twelve softwater lakes in NE Minnesota were sampled in spring, summer, and fall of 1992 and 1993 for labile (unextracted) methyl-Hg, total (extracted) methyl-Hg, and total Hg in lake water and net plankton (≥300 µm). The lakes are small (5.6–56 ha), low productivity, headwater drainage or seepage lakes. They are acid-sensitive (ANC ≤200 µeq/L) but not low pH lakes (average pH 6.6). The lakes ranged in color from 8.5 to 70 PCU. Statistical analysis of the water chemistry variables and mercury species support the conclusion that these were a homogeneous set of lakes; therefore, seasonality of mercury forms was analyzed on combined (mean) data from the 12 lakes. Methyl-Hg in water declined throughout the growing season. HgT also declined sharply from spring to summer but increased again in the fall. In contrast to the methyl-Hg and Hg in water, concentrations in plankton were at the lowest levels in spring and rose to higher levels in summer. The mass of mercury in plankton increased from spring to fall, as did the methyl-Hg fraction, which increased from 20% of HgT in spring to 52% in autumn. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for methyl-Hg in net plankton increased over the growing season. Overall, log BAF for HgT in net plankton (wet wt.) was 4.45. Log BAF for methyl-Hg in plankton was 4.90 to 5.43 depending on the analytical form of methyl-Hg in water (labile or total). Seasonal patterns of methyl-Hg and HgT did not covary in water, but did covary in plankton. These results support the conclusion that measurement of Hg in water is not adequate in itself to determine the amount of bioavailable Hg (i.e., methyl-Hg) in a lake. Labile (unextracted) methyl-Hg could be a useful measurement of bioavailable Hg. Labile methyl-Hg exhibits the same seasonal patterns as total methyl-Hg, but does not require the extraction steps necessary for measuring total methyl-Hg.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ameel JJ, Axler RP & Owen CJ (1993) Persulfate digestion for determination of total nitrogen and phosphorus in low-nutrient waters. Amer. Environ. Laboratory (October): 1–11

  • APHA (1989) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Amer. Publ. Health Assoc.

  • Axler RP & Owen CJ (1994) Measuring chlorophyll and phaeophytin: Whom should you believe? Lake and Reservoir Management 8: 143–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Back RC & Watras CJ (1995) Mercury in zooplankton of northern Wisconsin lakes: Taxonomic and site-specific trends. Water Air Soil Poll. 80: 931–938

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom NS (1989) Determination of picogram levels of methylmercury by aqueous phase ethylation followed by cryogenic gas chromatography with cold vapour atomic fluorescence detection. Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci. 46: 1131–1140

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom NS & Effler SW (1990) Seasonal variability in the mercury speciation of Onondaga Lake (New York). Water Air Soil Poll. 53: 251–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom NS & Fitzgerald W (1988) Determination of volatile mercury species at the picogram level by low-temperature gas chromatography with cold-vapour atomic fluorescence detection. Analytic Chimica Acta 208: 151–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Cope WG, Wiener JG & Rada RG (1990) Mercury accumulation in yellow perch in Wisconsin seepage lakes: relation to lake characteristics. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9: 931–940

    Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll CT, Yan C, Schofield CL, Munson R & Holsapple J (1994) The mercury cycle and fish in the Adrirondack lakes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 28(3): 136A–143A

    Google Scholar 

  • Grieb TM, Driscoll CT, Gloss SP, Schofield CL, Bowie GL & Porcella DB (1990) Factors affecting mercury accumulation in fish in the upper Michigan peninsula. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9: 919–930

    Google Scholar 

  • Haines TA, Komov V & Jagoe CH (1992) Lake acidity and mercury content of fish in Darwin National Reserve, Russia. Environ. Poll. 78: 107–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiskary SA & Helwig DD (1986) Mercury levels in northern pike, Esox lucius, relative to water chemistry in northern Minnesota lakes. In: Redfield GJ, Taggart JF & Moore LM (Eds) Lake and Reservoir Management: Vol II Proc 5th Annu Conf Int Symp N Am Lake Manage Soc Geneva Wis. (pp 33–37). Washington, DC

  • Huckabee JW, Goldstein RA, Janzen SA & Woock SE. (1975) Methylmercury in a freshwater foodchain. Symposium Proceedings, International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment. Toronto, Cananda. October 27–31

  • Lathrop RC, Rasmussen PW & Knauer DR (1991) Mercury concentrations in walleyes from Wisconsin (USA) lakes. Water Air Soil Poll. 56: 295–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee YH (1987) Intern. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 29: 919

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee YH & Iverfeldt A (1991) Measurement of methylmercury and mercury in run-off, lake and rain waters. Water Air Soil Poll. 56: 309–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang L, Bloom NS & Horvat M (1994) Simultaneous determinations of mercury speciation in biological materials by GC/CVAFS after ethylation and room temperature precollection. Clin. Chem. 40: 602

    Google Scholar 

  • McMurtry MJ, Wales DL, Scheider WA, Beggs GL & Dimond PE (1989) Relationship of mercury concentrations in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) to the physical and chemical characteristics of Ontario lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46: 426–434

    Google Scholar 

  • Meili M & Parkman H (1988) Seasonal mercury accumulation pattern in mesoplankton. Verh. Internat. Verin. Limnol. 23: 1639-1640

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson Å & Håkanson L (1992) Relationships between mercury in lake water, water colour and mercury in fish. Hydrobiologia 235/236: 675–683

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen CJ & Axler RA (1991) Analytical Chemistry and Quality Assurance Manual. Natural Resources Research Institute, Duluth, MN 55811, Tech. Rep. NRRI/TR-91/05.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen JA, Glass GE, Schmidt KW, Huber JK & Rapp GR Jr (1990) Airborne mercury deposition and watershed characteristics in relation to mercury concentrations in water, sediments, plankton, and fish of eighty northern Minnesota lakes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 24(11): 1716–1727

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain EB & Helwig DD (1989) Mercury in fish from Northeastern Minnesota Lakes: Historical trends, environmental correlates, and potential sources. J. Minn. Acad. Sci. 55(1): 103–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay A, Lucotte M & Rowan D. (1995) Different factors related to mercury concentration in sediments and zooplankton of 73 Canadian lakes. Water Air Soil Poll. 80: 961–970

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (1987) Handbook of methods for acid deposition studies, laboratory analysis for surface water chemistry. EPA 600/4-87/02. Office of Acid Deposition, Environmental Monitoring, and Quality Assurance, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Watras CJ & Bloom NS (1992) Mercury and methylmercury in individual zooplankton: Implications for bioaccumulation. Limnol. Oceanogr. 37(6): 1313–1318

    Google Scholar 

  • Watras CJ, Morrison KA & Bloom NS (1995) Mercury in remote Rock Mountain lakes of Glacier National Park, Montana, in comparison with other temperate North American regions. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 52: 1220–1228

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Bruce A. Monson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patrick L. Brezonik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Monson, B.A., Brezonik, P.L. Seasonal patterns of mercury species in water and plankton from softwater lakes in Northeastern Minnesota. Biogeochemistry 40, 147–162 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005967413585

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005967413585

Search

Navigation