Abstract
Lake Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden, has been seriouslycontaminated with mercury during the 20th century. In the1970's and 80's the direct load, mainly from a chlor-alkaliindustry in the area, of mercury was drastically reduced as aresponse to new legislation, from three to five tons down tobetween five and ten kg yr-1. Large amounts of thedisposed pollutant have accumulated in the sediments. Thequestion posed in this work is now, is the effect of thedrastic load reduction after more than two decades visible inthe sediments? The question is relevant as large areas stillare blacklisted for fishing, but also as a follow-up of a majorremedy action. The lake also serves as a freshwater reservoirfor even Sweden's second largest city.This work synthesises and compares data of mercury in thesediments from three major field programs, in 1974, 1984 and1998. The interest is focused on both spatial heterogeneity andtemporal trends. In 1974, the surface concentrations aresignificantly higher than in subsequent surveys. Significantdifferences are also found between 1984 and 1998. Significantspatial differences within the lake are found for respectiveyear. The most contaminated area is located in the north, closeto the major point source (a former chlor-alkali industry).This is also the area with the largest improvement, as a directresponse to the reduction in load. Further from the outlet, therecovery is more affected by burial and transport processes outinto the deeper basins.
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Danielsson, Å., Wihlborg, P. & Rahm, L. Large-Scale Mercury Variations in Lake Vänern (Sweden) 1974–98. Environ Monit Assess 75, 223–234 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014809716445
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014809716445