title: Mercury transfer from soil to olive trees. A comparison of three different contaminated sites.
abstract: Mercury contents in soil and olive tree leaves have been studied in 69 plots around three different source areas of this element in Spain: Almadén (Ciudad Real), Flix (Tarragona) and Jódar (Jaén). Almadén was the world's largest cinnabar (HgS) mining district and was active until 2003, Flix is the oldest Spanish chlor-alkali plant (CAP) and has been active from 1898 to the present day and Jódar is a decommissioned CAP that was active for 14 years (1977-1991). Total mercury contents have been measured by high-frequency modulation atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman effect (ZAAS-HFM) in the soils and olive tree leaves from the three studied areas. The average soil contents range from 182 μg kg(-1) in Flix to 23,488 μg kg(-1) in Almadén, while the average leaf content ranges from 161 μg kg(-1) in Jódar to 1213 μg kg(-1) in Almadén. Despite the wide range of data, a relationship between soil-leaf contents has been identified: in Almadén and Jódar, multiplicative (bilogarithmic) models show significant correlations (R = 0.769 and R = 0.484, respectively). Significant correlations were not identified between soil and leaf contents in Flix. The continuous activity of the Flix CAP, which remains open today, can explain the different uptake patterns for mercury, which is mainly atmospheric in origin, in comparison to the other two sites, where activity ceased more than 10 years ago and only soil uptake patterns based on the Michaelis-Menten enzymatic model curve are observed.
authors: Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E.I.M.I. Almadén, 13400, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Spain. Pablo.higueras@uclm.es.
authors: Pablo L
authors: PL
authors: Higueras
authors: Escuela de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Ciudad Real and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava 7, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors: José Á
authors: JÁ
authors: Amorós
authors: Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E.I.M.I. Almadén, 13400, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors: José Maria
authors: JM
authors: Esbrí
authors: Escuela de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Ciudad Real and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava 7, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors: Caridad
authors: C
authors: Pérez-de-los-Reyes
authors: Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E.I.M.I. Almadén, 13400, Almadén, Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: López-Berdonces
authors: Escuela de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Ciudad Real and Instituto de Geología Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava 7, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors: Francisco J
authors: FJ
authors: García-Navarro
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D017669:Mercury Compounds; D008906:Mining; D031658:Olea / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010944:Plants; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D017669:Mercury Compounds; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D008628:Mercury; C034211:cinnabar
keywords: Almadén; Chlor-alkali; Flix; Foliar uptake; Jódar; Mercury; Plant uptake