Mercury in Small Freshwater Lakes: A Case Study: Lake Velenje, Slovenia

Lake Velenje is located in one of the most polluted regions ofSlovenia, the ?alek Valley. The major source of pollution is the coal-fired thermal power plant in ?o?tanj (?TPP). In the past, dumping of coal ash directly into Lake Velenje and drainage water from the ash disposal site resulted in unique chemical characteristics of the lake water, such as very high pH (10–12) and high concentrations of heavy metals. The introduction of a closed cycle ash transport system in 1995resulted in a very fast recovery of the lake water quality. The aim of our study was to establish the sources, fate and distribution of mercury in Lake Velenje. In order to establishrecent sources of mercury, total mercury and methylmercury concentrations were measured in various environmental samples(lake inflows, outflow, rainwater, sediments, etc.). Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations were measured at thesurface and at different depths to establish mercury cycling, its transport and chemical transformations in the lake. Generalwater quality parameters (such as pH, Eh, O₂, temperature,TDS, conductivity) were also determined. The results show that the major sources of mercury in Lake Velenje are lake inflows and wet deposition. Total mercury andmethylmercury concentrations in the water column are very low (total mercury: 0.2–2.7 ng L^-1; methylmercury: 20–86 pg L^-1) and can be compared to other non-contaminated freshwater lakes. These results suggest that the major form of mercury emitted from thermal power plant stacks is volatile Hg⁰, whichhas no or very little influence on the nearby surroundings, but rather is subject to long-range atmospheric transport.     

土壤基质吸力与土壤微生物活性关系的研究

研究了土壤微生物活性与土壤基膜吸力的关系，将土壤发泡点，即土壤导气率由0突变为非0时的基质吸力，与微生物的最高呼吸活性相联系，试图证明土壤微生物的最高活性发生于略高于土壤发泡点的基模吸力。对粗沙土、细沙土和砂壤土三种轻质地土壤的测定表明，土壤微生物的最高呼吸活性发生在略高于土壤发泡吸力的基质吸力。土壤基模吸力较小时微生物活性到达最高值的速度较慢，土壤基模吸力在发泡点附近时，微生物活性到达最高值的速度较快。     

Contaminant Transport Through Initially Dry Soil

We combined dose-response analyses with a probabilistic exposure assessment to estimate the risks to native Canadians who ingest methylmercury via fish consumption from natural lakes and a reservoir in British Columbia. Available dose-response data included multivariate measurements of central nervous system functioning in Iraqi children exposed to methylmercury prenatally. We applied the method of principal components to simplify the data structure. The first principal component described close to 80% of the variability in the data, making it a reasonable choice as an index. The relationship between mercury in maternal hair and the probability of an abnormal neurological effects index was modeled with the logistic and Weibull functions. The goodness-of-fit of the two models is discussed and the results compared to other published dose-response analyses. Exposure distributions were developed to represent methylmercury dose by using observed data on methylmercury contamination in the lakes and reservoir and reasonable assumptions about other key parameters such as fish consumption. We estimated risks to the target population using Monte Carlo simulation. Consumption of reasonable quantities of fish from these bodies of water does not pose a significant risk to the aboriginal population.     

Mercury in precipitation and ambient air a new scenario

Theoretical calculations and experimental work, mainly consisting of bubbling ambient air through different synthetic solutions and natural waters and also bubbling Hg- and O₃-free air through precipitation samples, have given some new information. The oxidation process of Hg^o by means of O₃ in natural waters and in synthetic solutions has been clarified. The primary products are water soluble Hg-compounds which are reduced by SnCl₂. Subsequently volatile or nonvolatile Hg-species may be formed. These are not reduced by SnCl₂. Further it has been shown that in precipitation those Hg-forms, which are not reducible with SnCl₂ consist of non volatile species only. The dominant one seems to be highly dispersed and easily sorbed on to solid surfaces. It is reducible with NaBH₄. Besides this there is another one consisting of larger particles. Their core contains some Hg which can be released as Hg^o by a high temperature thermal process. Species with the same properties have also been observed in ambient air but in very low concentrations.     

Pathways of chemical recovery in acidified,metal-contaminated lakes near Sudbury,Ontario, Canada

This paper describes the recovery pathways of two lakes situated near the Coniston nickel-copper smelter. These lakes were exposed to very intense airborne pollution, including SO₂, H₂SO₄, Ni and Cu, during the 60 year operation of the smelter. After the closure of the Coniston smelter in 1972 and the subsequent improvement in air quality, the water quality in both lakes began to improve. Despite their proximity and exposure to similar inputs, the lakes differed both in the rate and magnitude of recovery. This study demonstrates the capacity of lakes to recover from chemical stresses over a very short period. Changes in Cu and Ni concentration could be predicted, while changes in pH, measured as H⁺, could not. The reasons for this discrepancy as well as the processes and lake parameters that control chemical recovery are discussed.     

Genesis of the silty sands and loams within the periglacial zone in the center of the Russian Plain and the properties of soils developed from them

The genesis and spatial differentiation of the silty sands and loams deposited during the Late Valdai glaciation have been studied in the central part of the Russian Plain within the Mologa-Sheksna Lowland and on terraced slopes of the Ovinishchensk Upland (Yaroslavl oblast). The stratigraphy of these sediments on different elements of the local topography and data on their particle-size distribution suggest that they belong to the same paragenetic group. Some differences in the particle-size distribution can be explained by the specificity of sedimentation in periglacial lakes found at different geomorphic levels (from 102 to 180 m a.s.l.) during the Ostashkov phase of the Valdai glaciation. For the first time, statistically significant differences in the properties of Holocene soils developed at different hypsometric levels have been revealed. The degree of textural differentiation of the soils developed from silty loams increases with an increase in the absolute height of the surface. The analysis of factual materials makes it possible to suggest that a system of impounded lakes existed in this area during the Ostashkov (maximum) phase of the Valdai cryochron; the water level in these lakes reached a maximum height of 180 m a.s.l.     

Methylmercury in Flood-Control Impoundments and Natural Waters of Northwestern Minnesota, 1997–99

We studied methylmercury (MeHg) and totalmercury (Hg_T) in impounded and natural surface waters innorthwestern Minnesota, in settings ranging from agriculturalto undeveloped. In a recently constructed (1995) permanent-pool impoundment, MeHg levels typically increased from inflowto outflow during 1997; this trend broke down from late 1998 toearly 1999. MeHg levels in the outflow reached seasonal maximain mid-summer (maximum of 1.0 ng L^-1 in July 1997) andlate-winter (maximum of 6.6 ng L^-1 in February 1999), andare comparable to high levels observed in new hydroelectricreservoirs in Canada. Spring and autumn MeHg levels weretypically about 0.1–0.2 ng L^-1. Overall, MeHg levels inboth the inflow (a ditch that drains peatlands) and outflowwere significantly higher than in three nearby referencenatural lakes. Eleven older permanent-pool impoundments andsix natural lakes in northwestern Minnesota were sampled fivetimes. The impoundments typically had higher MeHg levels(0.071–8.36 ng L^-1) than natural lakes. Five of six lakesMeHg levels typical of uncontaminated lakes (0.014–1.04 ngL^-1) with highest levels in late winter, whereas ahypereutrophic lake had high levels (0.37–3.67 ng L^-1)with highest levels in mid-summer. Seven temporary-poolimpoundments were sampled during summer high-flow events. Temporary-pool impoundments that retained water for about 10–15days after innundation yielded pronounced increases in MeHgfrom inflow to outflow, in one case reaching 4.6 ng L^-1,which was about 2 ng L^-1 greater than the mean inflowconcentration during the runoff event.     

Specificity of the chemical and mineralogical composition of salts in solonchak playas and lakes of the Kulunda steppe

The chemical composition of water in 44 lakes of the Kulunda steppe has been studied. It is shown that solute concentrations in different lakes vary from 1 to 390 g/l. Four chemical types of the water salinity—chloride, sulfate, chloride-sulfate with the presence of sodium bicarbonate, and sodic waters—are distinguished. The nature of the water alkalinity has been studied in 12 lakes. In the lakes with neutral chloride and sulfate salts, the total alkalinity does not exceed 16.56 meq/l. In the lakes with the presence of soda, it reaches 189 meq/l. In sodic waters, the total alkalinity varies from 600 to 1504.6 meq/l. In the latter case, the water alkalinity is conditioned by the presence of soda and borate salts. Salt minerals in the bottom sediments and in the salt crusts of solonchakous playas around the lakes are represented by halite, calcite, dolomite, and thenardite. In two salt crusts, the presence of soda and trona has been diagnosed.     

江苏里下河地区小湖泊的热效应

通过对小湖泊的气候考察，分析了水域与周围环境的温度差异，水体上方气流的变性以及热量传输状况，水体增温效应及共对邻近农田的影响，建立了不同尺度水体热效应程度及影响范围的计算模式。     

90年代以来几次冬季寒害对广东农业生产的影响与对策

对９０年代以来出现的几次冬季寒害给广东农业生产的严重影响进行了分析，指出冬季寒害是开发利用广东科季气候资源、发展高产优势高效农业的主要威胁和障碍。在分析冬季寒害的基础上，提出了防御寒害的对策 。     

The history of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and perylene as recorded in dated lake sediments

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were analyzed in sediment cores from five small forest lakes in Finland. The catchments of the lakes were undisturbed (2 lakes) or only very slightly disturbed by human activity (3 lakes). None of the lakes had runoff delivery of PAH from their shores. Lead-210 dating of four lakes enabled the calculation of individual PAH fluxes over the past 100 to 150 yr. The sedimentary distribution of abiotic PAH in these lakes appears to be indicative of the development of combustion-generated energy production in Finland and adjacent countries. This development is reflected in an overall increase in sedimentary PAH since about 1850. After World War II the rate of accumulation of PAH continues to increase. The large variation between the PAH fluxes of different lakes indicates different trapping efficiencies and/or different preservation of the PAH compounds due to limnological differences between the lakes.     

SOURCES OF TRACE METALS IN STREAMS AND HEADWATER LAKES IN FINLAND

Distributions of Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, As, and Cd in Finnish surface waters were studied by comparing two data sets: samples from 154 headwater lakes collected by the Water and Environment Administration in 1992 and samples from 1165 headwater streams collected during the environmental geochemical mapping program of the Geological Survey of Finland in 1990. It was expected that headwater lakes with catchments smaller than 1 km² and high lake percentage (ratio of lake area to catchment size) would be more influenced by atmospheric trace metal deposition than the streams, with average catchment size of 30 km². The lakes with highest arsenic concentrations lie in an area with greenstones and arsenic-rich black schists. The same lakes have high copper concentrations, which evidently are derived from the Cu-rich greenstones of the catchment. The high copper concentrations of streams and lakes in the industrialized region of the southwest coast are due to several anthropogenic sources. The highest concentrations of chromium occur in brown stream and lake waters rich in humic matter, while manganese and zinc concentrations, which are controlled by acidity, tend to be elevated in low-pH waters. The high nickel concentrations in lakes in southwestern Finland probably are due to anthropogenic input, while Ni anomalies in stream and lake water in eastern Finland are correlated with high Ni contents of glacial till. The lead concentrations in lakes are mainly of airborne anthropogenic origin. The pattern of atmospheric deposition is reflected in the concentrations of Cd, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni in headwater lakes, but land-use, the natural distribution of metals in the overburden, water acidity, and the amount of humic substances influence the distribution of trace metals in both lakes and streams. Thus the trace metal distribution in headwater lakes cannot be used alone to estimate the contribution of anthropogenic atmospheric deposition to metal anomalies in Finnish surface waters.     

THE RELATION BETWEEN BULK DENSITY, AVAILABLE WATER CAPACITY, AND AIR CAPACITY OF SOILS

The effect of bulk density on moisture content at 50 mb tension in four soils of different textures was studied. The volumetric water content increased linearly with bulk density over a wide range of densities. Depending on texture, a maximum bulk density was reached above which continued compaction decreased the water content. This is shown to be the point at which the air capacity of the soil at this tension approaches zero. Accepting that the gravimetric wilting point depends mainly on texture, the available water capacity varies in a manner similar to the 50 mb water content. If the relationships described are valid in the field, the available water capacity and air capacity may be optimized using cultivation techniques to adjust the bulk density. The available water capacity of coarse-textured droughty soils may be increased by increasing the bulk density provided that the air capacity remains above acceptable lower limits (10–15 per cent). Conversely, the air capacity of compacted soils with large available-water capacities could be increased by reducing the bulk density to a value corresponding to an acceptable available-water capacity. In very compacted soils a decrease in bulk density will benefit both available-water capacity and air capacity.     

The methylmercury to total mercury ratio in selected marine,freshwater, and terrestrial organisms

Total and methylmercury concentrations were determined in muscle and organ tissue from a wide variety of marine and terrestrial organisms spanning several trophic levels. Sediment and water samples from many of the tissue sampling sites were also analyzed to assess the degree of mercury contamination to which the animals were exposed. The methylmercury to total mercury ratios were examined to determine whether this ratio is indicative of elevated exposure to organic or inorganic mercury and how it varies relative to tissue type and position in the food chain. As an ancillary study, a subset of these tissues was analyzed as 1) wet tissue, and 2) freeze-dried, ball-milled tissue to determine whether the form of sample preparation can adversely affect mercury analysis. Results indicate that the methylmercury to total mercury ratios generally approach unity only in muscle tissue of higher food chain carnivorous fish residing in waters that are relatively uncontaminated with respect to inorganic mercury species. Herbivorous terrestrial mammals and low food chain marine organisms tend to have very low methylmercury to total mercury ratios. Marine animals placed higher on the food chain, such as crabs and lobsters, exhibit somewhat higher methylmercury to total mercury ratios and can exhibit a large variation in this ratio between, organ tissue and muscle tissue of the same animal. The samples analyzed as both wet and freeze-dried, ball-milled tissue indicate that freezedrying and ball-milling in no way result in mercury loss or contamination and, in fact, result in better replicate analyses and create a sample sufficiently stable to be archived for several years without refrigeration.     

Methylmercury in ambient air. Method of determination and some measurement results

When air containing CH₃HgY (Y stands for a monovalent anion) is bubbled through pure water (MQ), part of the airborne CH₃HgY, depending on the actual distribution constant (air/water), will be retained in the liquid phase. The resulting concentration, although usually very low, is now in many cases possible to determine, using the very sensitive analytical procedure developed by Bloom and Fitzgerald (1988). By means of an evaluation method, described in this paper, the concentration data, obtained in this way, can be used to give the average original concentration of CH₃HgY in the air which had entered the bubbler and its distribution constant (air/water) as well.     

Metals in sediment of lakes in Northern Sweden

The concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Fe were measured in sediment from 54 soft water lakes in the inland part of central and northern Sweden in order to study the regional impact of metals to lakes. An evident regional distribution due to environmental pollution was found concerning Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu. In the southern part of the studied region, the enrichment factors in the top sediment layers were about 50, 7, 4, and 2, respectively. Further to the north, the contamination of the top sediments gradually decreased. In a large part of the northern region, the sediment analyses showed no general vertical gradients of Zn and Cu, indicating non-polluted conditions. Lead was the most widespread and pronounced pollutant with marked enhancements in most parts of the region. In the northernmost areas, the top sediment showed increased concentrations of Pb and Cd of about a factor of 2, suggesting that strictly non-polluted conditions concerning these two metals can not be found anywhere in the studied region. The regional distribution of Fe differed from the other metals and gave no evidence of a large-scale anthropogenic contribution. The natural enrichment of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd in the surface sediment is probably of minor importance in these kinds of lakes. The regional distribution of metals in sediments indicate that there is a large scale impact of Ph, Cd, Zn, and Cu on Swedish forest lakes, caused by anthropogenic factors.     

Methyl Mercury Production and Distribution in River Water-Sediment Systems Investigated Through Radiochemical Techniques

The toxicological consequences of Hg releases to the environment are largely governed by the conversion ofinorganic Hg to the most toxic methylmercury (MeHg), that is biomagnified through aquatic food chains. To gain further insight on the biological and physico-chemical factors controlling MeHg production and distribution among freshwater sediments and water, we used a sensitive and specific radiochemical procedure, developed at the National Institute for Minamata Disease. Systems containing ²⁰³Hg²⁺-spiked sediment cores (0.7 μg total Hg g^-1 d.w.) and overlying water, both from a pristine mountain stream in Southern Japan, were incubated for 21–38 days in different conditions. Inorganic Hg and MeHg in sediment and water were extracted in dithizone-benzene and measured after separation by thin-layer chromatography. The conversion of added Hg to MeHg was 3.0 to 13.7% in sediments, with a tendency for higher proportions in the top layers. Surprisingly, more MeHg was found in the sediment (11.3%) and water (66.5%) of a system bubbled with air than in one bubbled with nitrogen (4.2 and 44.1%). Artificially increased levels ofbioturbation reduced by half the MeHg concentrationsand % of added total Hg in sediment and water. In allsystems, 55–68% of total Hg and MeHg in water wereassociated to suspended particles >1μm. MeHgbioaccumulation factors (BFs) from water ranged270–8100 and from sediment, 0.2–5.7 (wet weight basis). BFs in relation to water where 3 times higher for MeHg than for total Hg.     

Snowcover Components in Northern Japan

Snowcover surveys were carried out in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Snowpack samples were collected using a steel pipe at 80 sites in 1988, 69 sites in 1992, and 66 sites in 1996 and 2000 during the time when the water equivalents of the snowcover are the greatest. Spatial distribution maps of water equivalents and of the concentrations and the accumulated amounts of hydrogen, non-sea-salt sulfate and non-sea-salt calcium ion of the snowcover drawn by Kriging method are discussed. The distribution maps show that water equivalents and the accumulated amounts of hydrogen and non-sea-salt sulfate in all the sample years were largest in the Japan Sea region, as were the ion concentrations of hydrogen and non-sea-salt sulfate. It was estimated this was caused by air pollutants transported from a great distance. The ratio of areas below pH 5.0 increased temporally from 1988 (20%) to 1992, 1996 and 2000 (66–80%). This trend was estimated to be affected by a decline of non-sea-salt calcium concentrations derived from alkaline road dust. In addition, the effect of snowcover components was assessed by comparison between the acid loads of the snowcover and the acid neutralizing capacity of lake water. We found that lakes in the middle of the Japan Sea coast have the potential to be acidified by snowmelt.     

Selected ecosystem relationships in the mercury contaminated Wabigoon-English river system,Canada, and their underlying causes

Mercury concentrations in basic ecosystem compartments of the Wabigoon-English River system are interrelated. Statistically significant correlations are evident between Hg levels in various biotic-young northern pike (Esox lucius), yearling yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and crayfish (Orconected virihs) and abiotic compartments (water, surface sediments). Highly significant positive correlations are found between methyl-mercury in water and Hg in biota. Highly significant positive correlations also exist between Hg levels in different organisms, despite differences in habitat, diet, uptake routes and proportion of bodyburden that is in the methyl form. A plausible basis for these relationships is the rapid equilibration between methyl and inorganic Hg in and between various abiotic components of the ecosystem and subsequent incorporation into food webs. As sediment-water partitioning for inorganic and methylmercury is also rapid it is likely that in lakes and slow moving river reaches, local environmental variables probably largely govern Hg body burdens in biota.     

Complexity in the Biological Recovery of Tatra Mountain Lakes from Acidification

Alpine lakes of the Tatra Mountains were severely affected by acidification, with minimum recorded values of pH ～4.5 in the mid-1980s. Since the 1990s, a dramatic decrease in the deposition of acidifying compounds has led to a considerable reversal in lake water chemistry (to pH～5 in the most severely affected lakes). We studied changes of planktonic crustaceans and chironomid occurrence during the acidification period and the following period of recovery from acidification in three categories of 50 Tatra Mountain lakes (non-acidified, acidified and strongly acidified, according to their status at the beginning of the 1980s). In acidified and strongly acidified lakes, the planktonic crustaceans completely disappeared already by about 1976 except for a few individuals of ubiquitous species in littoral zone due to acidification-induced oligotrophication. In strongly acidified lakes, the original planktonic crustaceans disappeared and littoral species became more abundant already before 1976 due to acidification-induced eutrophication and aluminium toxicity. These processes were quickly reversed following the increase in lake water pH. Extinct species started to return to several acidified and strongly acidified lakes already in the beginning of 1990s. The process of recovery was delayed in many other lakes of the same categories, however, or it did not even start before 2008 despite the improved water chemistry and feeding resources (concentration of chlorophyll-a). Compared to planktonic crustaceans, the reaction of chironomids to acidification and recent recovery has been less pronounced. An analysis of sediment records showed that fluctuations in relative abundance of the dominant chironomid taxa and a decrease of their density occurred. In spite of the fact that chironomid fauna exhibited clear signs of recovery in the last two decades, the recovered assemblage does not exactly reflect the pre-acidification status in the lake. The occurrence and higher proportion of more thermophilous chironomid species in some alpine lakes of all categories could be correlated with increasing air temperature. The considerable effect of climatic factors may thus prevent the full re-establishment of the original status even when the acidification stress completely ceases. The delayed return of planktonic crustaceans to some recovered lakes could be a consequence of the short water residence time of these lakes. In addition, a shortening of the water residence time in recent decades, probably related to recent climate change, in interaction with the ecology of planktonic crustaceans, may possibly be causing further delays in their return.