title: Total, methyl and organic mercury in sediments of the Southern Baltic Sea.
abstract: Distribution of sedimentary mercury in the Southern Baltic was investigated. Sediment samples were collected from the Southern Baltic in the period from 2009 to 2011, and concentrations of sedimentary total mercury (average 102 ng/g, range 5.8-225 ng/g) and methyl mercury (average 261 pg/g, range 61-940 pg/g) were measured in the manner that the influence of both patchiness and seasonal changes were assessed. Moreover, sedimentary mercury extracted with organic solvent- the so-called organic mercury was also analyzed (average 425 pg/g, range 100-1440 pg/g). There is a statistically significant dependence between organic mercury and both methyl mercury and total mercury concentrations in the sediments. Methyl mercury contribution to total mercury varied from 0.12% to 1.05%, while organic mercury contributed to 2% of total concentration on average. The area studied, although mercury concentrations exceed threefold the geochemical background, can be regarded as moderately contaminated with mercury, and methylmercury.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 197, Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bełdowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 197, Sopot, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miotk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanography, Gdansk University, Al. Pilsudskiego 46, Gdynia, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bełdowska
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 197, Sopot, Poland. Electronic address: pempa@iopan.gda.pl.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pempkowiak
mesh_terms: D001454:Baltic States; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Extraction; Organic mercury; Patchiness; Speciation