Abstract
We sampled several Ontario Hydro reservoirs to deteimine the changes in mercury (Hg) and organic profiles of sediment cores with reservoir development We also examined Hg methylation among reservoirs of different age and water chemistry. In sediment cores from four Ontario reservoirs, reservoir (watershed) specific differences appeared to supersede general trends, with the differences between headpond and run-of-river reservoirs particularly important In general, the rate of Hg and organic accumulation appeared to increase with reservoir impoundment, but we were unable to discern consistent changes in concentrations of Hg or loss on ignition (LOI) with reservoir impoundment We also observed significant positive correlations of sediment Hg with concentrations of chlorophyll derivatives and bacterial photopigments. Our results are in agreement with earlier studies which indicated that an increase in Hg supply caused by erosion and release from flooded soils is central to the changes in Hg dynamics within reservoirs following impoundment Although Hg methylation activity of sediments, from a series of reservoirs on the Mississagi River was positively correlated with organic content of the sediment, the observed rates were sufficiently variable that the potential effects of reservoir age or preparation methods could not be resolved. Similarly, in our measurements of net methylmercury (MeHg) flux in two older reservoirs, the large range of variation in net MeHg flux observed among replicate samples obscured the potential effects of differences in geology and water chemistry. Future studies should focus on resolving the underlying causes of this variability and in consolidating the ‘microscale’ measurements obtained using sediment core incubation techniques and the ‘macroscale’ values obtained by whole lake mass balance techniques.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appleby, P.G. and Oldfield, F.: 1978, Catena 5, 1–8.
Benoit, J.M., Andren, A.W., Babiarz, C.L., Hurley, J.P. and Krabbenhoft, D.P.: 1994, this volume.
Bloom, N.S.: 1989, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46, 1131–1140.
Bloom, N.S.: 1992, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 49, 1010–1017.
Evans, R.D.: 1986, Arch. Environ. Contain. Toxicol. 15, 505–512.
Furutani, A. and Rudd, J.W.M.: 1980, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 40, 770–776.
Gilmour, C.C. and Henry, E.A.: 1991, Environ. Pollut. 71, 131–169.
Gilmour, C.C., Henry, E.A., Mitchell, R.: 1992, Environ. Sci. Technol. 26, 2281–2287.
Han, X.: 1993.Palaeopigment accumulation and implications for paleolimnology over the last century for two Ontario lakes. Msc. Thesis, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ont., Canada.
Huckabee, J.W., Elwood, J.W., Hildebrand, S.G.: 1979, Accumulation of mercury in freshwater biota. In Nriagu, J.O., Ed.:The Biogeochemistry of Mercury in the Environment Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, New York, USA, 277–302.
Hultberg, H., Parkman, H. and Renberg, I.: 1994, this volume.
Jackson, T.A.: 1988, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45, 97–121.
Johnston, T.A., Bodaly, R.A. and Mathias, J.A.: 1991, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 48, 1468–1475.
Jones, M.J., Cunningham, G.L., Marmorek, D.R., Stokes, P.M., Wren, C. and DeGraaf, D.: 1986. Mercury release in hydroelectric reservoirs. Canadian Electrical Association, Montreal, Quebec, Report No. 185 G 399. 156p.
Korthals, E.T. and Winfrey, M.R.: 1987, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 53, 2397–2404.
Louchouarn, P., Lucotte, M.; Mucci, A. and Pichet, P.: 1993, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 269–281.
Mierle, G.: 1990, Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9, 843–851.
Ontario Ministry of Energy and Environment and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMEE/OMNR). 1993.Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish 1993–1994 seventeenth edition, revised. Queen's Printer, Toronto, Ontario.
Potvin, C. and Roff, D.A.: 1993, Ecology 74, 1617–1628.
Rada, R.G., Wiener, J.G., Winfrey, M.R., Powell, D.E.: 1989, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 18, 175–181.
Rada, R.G., Powell, D.E. and Wiener, J.G.: 1993, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 865–873.
Ramal, P.S., Kelly, C.A., Rudd, J.W.M. and Furutani, A.: 1993, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 50, 972–979.
SAS Institute Inc (SAS). 1987. SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers, Version 6 Edition. SAS institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA.
Sellers, P., Kelly, C.A., Rudd, J.W.M., St.Louis, V.: 1994, this volume.
St.Louis, V.L., Rudd, J.W.M., Kelly, C.A., Beaty, K.G., Bloom, N.S. and Flett, R.J.: 1994. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51, 1065–1076.
Swain, E.B., Engstrom, D.R., Brigham, M.E., Henning, T.E., Brezonik, P.L.: 1992, Science 257, 784–787.
Winfrey, M.R. and Rudd, J.W.M.: 1990, Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 9, 853–869.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodgers, D.W., Dickman, M. & Han, X. Stores from old reservoirs: Sediment Hg and Hg methylation in Ontario hydroelectric developments. Water Air Soil Pollut 80, 829–839 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01189734
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01189734