Total mercury and methylmercury levels in blood of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) from the Antarctic Peninsula area.

Antarctica is one of the most remote regions on the planet, where many species of penguins inhabit. One of these species is the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), which occupies a high trophic level. Blood is an important indicator of short-term exposure to mercury (Hg) in avian species, however there are few publications investigating methylmercury (MeHg) in Antarctic penguin blood.

Coastal Mussel (Mytilus spp.) Soft Tissues as Bioindicators of Methylmercury: Exploring the Relationship Between Condition Index and Methylmercury Concentrations.

We investigated total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in coastal mussels (Mytilus spp.) sampled from the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy and evaluated the relationship with condition index (CI). THg concentrations were low in sediment (mean THg = 5.

A Quantitative Method to Measure the Kinetics of Elemental Mercury Emissions From Black Shale (Nova Scotia, Canada).

A controlled chamber method using continuous gold trap atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS) (Tekran 2537X) for the analysis of Hg(0) emissions from moderate mass rock samples was developed and tested. A series of black shale and other bedrock samples from Nova Scotia, Canada, were used to test the method and its reproducibility. Hg(0) emissions at 170°C were measured to quantify both free surficial Hg(0) and Hg(0) that had penetrated the rock structure.

Ecology and environmental characteristics influence methylmercury bioaccumulation in coastal invertebrates.

Quantifying mercury (Hg) concentrations in invertebrates is fundamental to determining risk for bioaccumulation in higher trophic level organisms in coastal food webs. Bioaccumulation is influenced by local mercury concentrations, site geochemistry, individual feeding ecologies, and trophic position. We sampled seven species of invertebrates from five coastal sites in the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, and determined body concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg), total mercury (THg), and stable isotopes of nitrogen (δN) and carbon (δC).

Salinity and total suspended solids control mercury speciation in a tidal river: Comparisons with a photochemical mercury model.

Daytime volatilization of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) is a significant mechanism for mercury removal from aquatic systems and potentially limits the production and bioaccumulation of methylmercury. Changes in incoming solar radiation (in the ultraviolet range), dissolved organic matter, salinity, and total suspended particles were investigated concurrently with several mercury species (Hg(0), dissolved total mercury (THg), easily reducible mercury (ERM), and mercury associated with total suspended solids (THg)) during daylight hours near the mouth of a hypertidal river. There were no predictable temporal changes observed for Hg(0) in unfiltered surface water.