title: The role of transport processes of particulate mercury in modifying marine anthropogenic secondary sources, the case of Haifa bay, Israel.
abstract: We have assessed the redistribution of a secondary source of sedimentary anthropogenic mercury in the Haifa bay (HB) area (SE Levantine basin), which is the northern sink for Nile-driven sand. A long-term (30years) ~80% decrease of the total sedimentary mercury concentrations (THg) was recorded in the inner bay, while an up to 3-fold increase was recorded in the top sediments of the outer bay. Sedimentary THg depth profiles and their temporal variability were used to model the main re-distribution processes, mainly resuspension associated with winter storm-derived transport. This mechanism transforms a secondary, sandy and well-aerated sink into a tertiary, more silty and hypoxic source at adjacent peripheral areas, affecting mercury bioavailability. We revisited the concept of environmental relaxation, i.e. the rate of return of a polluted environment to an acceptable state, showing that sedimentary transport processes may affect the associated ecological risks, mainly at shallow-water coastal sites.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences, Leon H.Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel; Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa 31080, Israel.
authors.forename: Merav M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bareket
authors.affiliation: Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences, Leon H.Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: rbookman@univ.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Revital
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bookman
authors.affiliation: Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences, Leon H.Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Katsman
authors.affiliation: Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), NL-1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Stigter
authors.affiliation: Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences, Leon H.Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel; Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: barak@ocean.org.il.
authors.forename: Barak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Herut
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D007557:Israel; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Anthropogenic pollution; Marine sediment; Mediterranean; Mercury; Resuspension