Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed bioaccumulative neurodegenerative pollutant. The main way Hg enters the ecosystem is via stomatal uptake of gaseous Hg and subsequent sequestration into the soil via leaf litterfall. Thus, determining litterfall Hg concentrations will help our understanding of a key flux in Hg biogeochemistry. Concentrations of Hg in terrestrial ecosystem compartments are not well known in South-east Asia, so to rectify this deficit we determined Hg concentrations in litterfall and soil in two contrasting forest types in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. We collected litterfall and soils (bulk: < 2 mm and fine: < 63 μm) from forest and heath vegetation types over coarse sandy soils and assessed Hg by an acid digestion (HCl and HNO3) and hydride generation ICP–OES technique. Litterfall Hg was 42.6 ± s.e. 2.17 ng g−1, and bulk soil Hg was 10.1 ± 2.30 ng g−1, whereas the fine soil fraction was 173 ± 20.9 ng g−1. There were correlations between Hg and macronutrient elements (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) in soil but not leaves. Total Hg return to the soil via litterfall was estimated as 16.8 μg Hg m−2 yr−1 which compares well with other global studies. Overall, our research implies that this ‘unpolluted’ location in Malaysia has Hg input comparable to other global studies, but we note that other forests in this region with greater biomass may return more Hg to the soil.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barkdull, N. M., Carling, G. T., Rey, K., & Yudiantoro, D. F. (2019). Comparison of mercury contamination in four Indonesian watersheds affected by artisanal and small-scale gold mining of varying scale. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 230(9), 214.
Bishop, K., Shanley, J. B., Riscassi, A., et al. (2020). Recent advances in understanding and measurement of mercury in the environment: terrestrial Hg cycling. Science of the Total Environment, 721, 137647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137647
Brearley, F. Q., Sellan, G., McKendry, D., Sumail, S., & van der Ent A. (2023). Soil mercury along an elevation gradient in northern Borneo. In A. Kallel, M. Barbieri, J. Rodrigo-Comino, H., et al. (Eds.), Selected studies in environmental geosciences and hydrogeosciences (pp. 99–102). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43803-5_22
Dent, D., Bagchi, R., Robinson, D., Majalap-Lee, N., & Burslem, D. F. R. P. (2006). Nutrient fluxes via litterfall and leaf litter decomposition vary across a gradient of soil nutrient supply in a lowland tropical rain forest. Plant and Soil, 288(1–2), 197–215.
Fernández-Martínez, R., Loredo, J., Ordóñez, A., & Rucandio, I. (2014). Mercury availability by operationally defined fractionation in granulometric distributions of soils and mine wastes from an abandoned cinnabar mine. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 16(5), 1069–1075.
Gómez-Armesto, A., Bibián-Núñez, L., Campillo-Cora, C., Pontevedra-Pombal, X., Arias-Estévez, M., & Nóvoa-Muñoz, J. C. (2018). Total mercury distribution among soil aggregate size fractions in a temperate forest podzol. Spanish Journal of Soil Science, 8(1), 57–73.
Huang, B., Yuan, Z., Li, D., Zheng, M., Nie, X., & Liao, Y. (2020). Effects of soil particle size on the adsorption, distribution, and migration behaviors of heavy metal(loid)s in soil: a review. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 22(8), 1596–1615.
Jamilah, M. S., Nur-Faiezah, A. G., Siti Kehirah, A., Siti Mariam, M. N., Razali, M. S. (2014). Woody plants on dune landscape of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Forest Science, 26(2), 267–274.
Limbong, D., Kumampung, J., Ayhuan, D., Arai, T., & Miyazaki, N. (2005). Mercury pollution related to artisanal gold mining in north Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 75(5), 989–996.
Lofthouse, S. (no date). Determination of mercury using a basic vapour system and the iCAP 6000 Series ICP. Thermo Scientific Sales Team Note.
Miyamoto, K., Rahajoe, J. S., Kohyama, K., & Mirmanto, E. (2007). Forest structure and primary productivity in a Bornean heath forest. Biotropica, 39(1), 35–42.
Niiyama, K., Ripin, A., Yasuda, M., Sato, T., Zamah Shari, N. H. (2019) Data paper: Long-term litter production in a lowland dipterocarp forest, Peninsular Malaysia from 1992 to 2017. Ecological Research 34(1), 30.
Proctor, J., Anderson J M, Fogden S C L, Vallack H W. (1983). Ecological studies in four contrasting lowland rain forests in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. II. Litterfall, litter-standing crop and preliminary observations on herbivory. Journal of Ecology, 71(1), 261–283.
Roslan, I., Shamshuddin, J., Fauziah, C. I., & Anuar, A. R. (2010). Occurrence and properties of soils on sandy beach ridges in the Kelantan-Terengganu plains, Peninsular Malaysia. Catena, 83(1), 55–63.
Siau, Y. F., Le, D. Q., Suratman, S., Jaamana, S., Tanaka, K., & Kotaro, S. (2021). Seasonal variation of total mercury transfer through a tropical mangrove food web, Setiu Wetlands. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 162, 111878.
Tomiyasu, T., Hamada, Y. K., Bransono, C., Kodamatani, H., Matsuyama, A., Imura, R., Hidayati, N., & Rahajoe, J. S. (2020). Mercury concentrations in paddy field soil and freshwater snails around a small-scale gold mining area, West Java, Indonesia. Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences, 12(1), 23–29.
Wang, X., Bao, Z., Lin, C.-J., Yuan, W., & Feng, X. (2016). Assessment of global mercury deposition through litterfall. Environmental Science and Technology, 50(16), 8548–8557.
Wolswijka, G., Satyanarayana, B., Le, D. Q., Siau, Y. F., Ali, A. N. B., Saliu, I. S., Fisol, M. A. B., Gonnelli, C., Dahdouh-Guebas, F. (2020). Distribution of mercury in sediments, plant and animal tissues in Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, Malaysia. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 387, 121665.
Zhou, J., Obrist, D., Dastoor, A., Jiskra, M., & Ryjkov, A. (2021). Vegetation uptake of mercury and impacts on global cycling. Nature Reviews: Earth and Environment, 2(4), 269–284.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Table 1
Table 1
Litterfall and soil (bulk < 2 mm and fine < 63 μm) pH and macronutrient concentrations at the Jambu Bongkok Forest Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. Values are mean ± standard error.
Soil (<2 mm) | Soil (<63 μm) | Litterfall | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forest | Heath | Forest | Heath | Forest | Heath | |
pH | 3.88 ± 0.02 | 4.09 ± 0.07 | – | – | – | – |
C (%) | 7.71 ± 2.36 | 7.79 ± 0.99 | 27.4 ± 3.15 | 32.0 ± 0.59 | 47.7 ± 0.61 | 48.4 ± 0.62 |
N (%) | 0.36 ± 0.11 | 0.37 ± 0.05 | 1.23 ± 0.15 | 1.50 ± 0.04 | 1.02 ± 0.04 | 0.99 ± 0.04 |
P (mg kg−1) | 35.8 ± 11.9 | 34.8 ± 1.3 | 523 ± 117 | 677 ± 50 | 419 ± 46.7 | 424 ± 46.8 |
K (mg kg−1) | 25.8 ± 8.67 | 33.5 ± 1.84 | 504 ± 68.2 | 828 ± 76.2 | 1180 ± 81.2 | 1160 ± 152 |
Ca (mg kg−1) | 104 ± 45.2 | 112 ± 14.3 | 1630 ± 387 | 2140 ± 271 | 5760 ± 464 | 5540 ± 427 |
Mg (mg kg−1) | 93.2 ± 32.4 | 52.0 ± 3.96 | 1340 ± 289 | 1060 ± 123 | 2220 ± 98.8 | 2610 ± 137 |
S (mg kg−1) | 98.7 ± 33.4 | 96.4 ± 6.12 | 1630 ± 293 | 2160 ± 197 | 1270 ± 45 | 1170 ± 84.5 |
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Brearley, F.Q., Mohd Salim, J. (2024). Mercury Concentrations in Coastal Heath Forests of Peninsular Malaysia. In: Chenchouni, H., et al. Recent Advancements from Aquifers to Skies in Hydrogeology, Geoecology, and Atmospheric Sciences. MedGU 2022. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47079-0_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47079-0_34
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-47078-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-47079-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)