Preliminary data on enviornmental distribution of mercury in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Concentrations of mercury were measured in soil and two species of epilithic macrolichens ( Umbilicaria decussata and Usnea antarctica ) collected along of the coast of northern Victoria Land coast. Most of the soil samples had a very low mercury content, whereas lichens had levels higher than in ot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Authors: Bargagli, R., Battisti, E., Focardi, S., Formichi, P.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1993
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102093000021
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102093000021
Description
Summary:Concentrations of mercury were measured in soil and two species of epilithic macrolichens ( Umbilicaria decussata and Usnea antarctica ) collected along of the coast of northern Victoria Land coast. Most of the soil samples had a very low mercury content, whereas lichens had levels higher than in other remote areas. Although a possible contamination of samples cannot be completely excluded, the relevance to bioaccumulation of the very slow growth rate of lichens and of volcanic activity are discussed.