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Article

Mercury Cycling in Stream Ecosystems. 1. Water Column Chemistry and Transport

Supporting Info

Mark E. Brigham*^†, Dennis A. Wentz^‡, George R. Aiken^§ and David P. Krabbenhoft

U.S. Geological Survey, 2280 Woodale Drive, Mounds View, Minnesota 55112, U.S. Geological Survey, 2130 S.W. Fifth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Suite E-127, Boulder, Colorado 80303, and U.S. Geological Survey, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562

Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, 43 (8), pp 2720–2725

DOI: 10.1021/es802694n

Publication Date (Web): March 11, 2009

* Corresponding author phone: 763-783-3274; e-mail: mbrigham@usgs.gov.

†

USGS, Mounds View, Minnesota.

‡

USGS, Portland, Oregon.

USGS, Boulder, Colorado.

USGS, Middleton, Wisconsin.

Abstract

We studied total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in eight streams, located in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida, that span large ranges in climate, landscape characteristics, atmospheric Hg deposition, and water chemistry. While atmospheric deposition was the source of Hg at each site, basin characteristics appeared to mediate this source by providing controls on methylation and fluvial THg and MeHg transport. Instantaneous concentrations of filtered total mercury (FTHg) and filtered methylmercury (FMeHg) exhibited strong positive correlations with both dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and streamflow for most streams, whereas mean FTHg and FMeHg concentrations were correlated with wetland density of the basins. For all streams combined, whole water concentrations (sum of filtered and particulate forms) of THg and MeHg correlated strongly with DOC and suspended sediment concentrations in the water column.

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