title: Linking landscape development intensity within watersheds to methyl-mercury accumulation in river sediments.
abstract: An indicator of the disturbance of natural systems, the landscape development intensity (LDI) index, was used to assess the potential for land-use within watersheds to influence the production/accumulation of methyl-mercury (MeHg) in river sediments. Sediment samples were collected from locations impacted by well-identified land-use types within the Mobile-Alabama River Basin in Southeastern USA. The samples were analyzed for total-Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations and the obtained values correlated to the calculated LDI indexes of the sampled watersheds to assess the impact of prevalent land use/land cover on MeHg accumulation in sediments. The results show that unlike THg, levels of MeHg found in sediments are impacted by the LDI indexes. Overall, certain combinations of land-use types within a given watershed appear to be more conducive to MeHg accumulation than others, therefore, pointing to the possibility of targeting land-use practices as potential means for reducing MeHg accumulation in sediments, and ultimately, fish contamination.
authors.affiliation: Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, P.O. Box 116450, Gainesville, FL, 32611-6450, USA. bonzongo@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude J
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bonzongo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG56, Legon, Ghana. augdonkor@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Augustine K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Donkor
authors.affiliation: Faculté des Sciences, Université Marien Ngouabi, B.P. 69, Brazzaville, Congo. attisattibayeba@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Attibayeba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Attibayeba
authors.affiliation: Manufacturing Technology & Engineering, Corning Incorporated, Decker Building, Corning, NY, 14831, USA. jgao.uf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000407:Alabama; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D005845:Georgia; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D008922:Mississippi; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Ecological Disturbance index; LDI; Mercury; Watersheds