Total mercury, methyl mercury, and carbon in fresh and burned plants and soil in Northwestern Ontario.
Terrestrial plants and soil contain substantial amounts of organic carbon (C) and mercury. Flooding terrestrial areas stimulates microbial methyl mercury (MeHg) production and fish obtain elevated MeHg concentrations. Our purpose was to determine the loss of C, total mercury (THg), and MeHg from boreal plants and soil after burning to assess the potential of burning before flooding to lower MeHg. Fresh plants contained 4 to 52 ng g(-1) dry weight (dw) of THg and 0.1 to 1.3 ng g(-1) dw of MeHg. Upland soils contained 162+/-132 ng g(-1) dw of THg and 0.6+/-0.6 ng g(-1) dw of MeHg. Complete burning caused plants to lose 96, 98, 97, and 94% of the mass, C, THg, and MeHg, respectively. Upland soil lost 27, 95, 79, and 82% of the mass, C, THg, and MeHg, respectively. Our results demonstrated that a substantial loss of C, THg, and MeHg was caused by burning.
Mailman
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Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man. R3T 2N2, Canada. mailmanma@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Bodaly
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D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005390:Fires; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D009864:Ontario; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014881:Water Supply
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002244:Carbon; D008628:Mercury