Uncertainty in Paleoecological Studies of Mercury in Sediment Cores

Increased recognition of the ecological damage of mercury (Hg) has focused attention on quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of Hg deposition. Studies are commonly based on core chronologies and use a combination of techniques to measure parameters such as bulk density, percent solids, Hg concentration, and radionuclide activity. Little attention is generally devoted to the propagated error associated with these measurements. We identified the impact of sources of uncertainty on stratigraphic Hg determinations for Florida Everglades and Lake Erie cores. Large errors may be introduced by converting wet sample Hg content to dry-weight concentrations. Drying of sediments at 55 °C caused Hg losses of 18%. Samples, air-dried at room temperature, retained considerable moisture and required corrections for remaining water content. Frozen sediments did not lose Hg during a 72-day storage. Random error in radionuclide analysis of cores resulted in dating uncertainty of ±1.2 yr in 10 yr old deposits. This error increased to ±20 yr in 100 yr old sediments. Propagation of small errors in each step of the analysis (while adhering to strict QA/QC criteria) produced compounded uncertainties of ±11 and ±29% in Hg concentrations under different analytical rigor, and errors of up to ±73% in Hg accumulation rates in older sediments. Enrichment factors, comparing uncertain recent and historic Hg accumulation rates, differed by as much as ±48%. Uncertainty in paleoecological studies of mercury needs to be documented in order to correctly evaluate trends and remediation efforts.     

Pesticide Accumulation Rates in a Managed Marsh along Lake Erie

Cores from two marshes along the southern shore of Lake Erie were ²¹⁰Pb age-dated and analyzed for persistent pesticide pollutants using column chromatographic separation and analysis with gas chromatography. Soils in both watersheds have low to very low permeability and are dominated by a very poorly drained silty clay. Land-use practices in the watersheds of either marsh changed little since 1950; however, both watersheds are marked by decreased area dedicated to orchards and concurrent increase in residential and road area. The increase in grain size in recent years may be associated with a period of high water in Lake Erie since the early 1970s. The pesticide accumulation rates were calculated and indicate an airborne source for HCHs and endrin and possibly current illegal usage of DDT. The ratio of metabolite to parent molecule did not appear to change with sediment age. Also, there appeared to be a delay between pesticide application and deposition in the marshes.     

Mercury accumulation trends in Florida Everglades and Savannas Marsh flooded soils

Global and regional increases in atmospheric mercury (Hg) concentrations have previously been identified as the cause of increased mercury accumulation rates in north temperate lakes in Sweden, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Atmospheric deposition can often account for elevated Hg concentrations in fish from these systems. Mercury levels in sportfish collected from some areas of the Florida Everglades and Savannas Marsh exceed limits that are acceptable for human consumption. Forty five soil cores and soil grab samples were retrieved from the Everglades and Savannas Marsh wetlands. Eighteen sediment cores were dated radiochemically with²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷Cs using γ-ray spectroscopy to determine modern and historic mercury accumulation rates for these subtropical wetland systems. Recent (“post-1985”) Hg accumulation rates averaged 53 μg m^?2 y^?1 (23 to 141, n=18) corresponding to an average rate increase of 4.9 times (1.6 to 19.1) over those observed around the turn of the century. This accumulation seems to result more from either global or regional atmospheric deposition rather than from lateral transport via overlying surface water. The trends for mercury accumulation match those reported for lakes in Sweden and the northern United States, even though these systems are distinctly different in their climate, vegetational composition, and location. We provide the first data on accumulation of mercury in subtropical wetland systems, and demonstrate the feasibility of radiochemical dating of wetland sediment.