Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution
Tundra soils serve as major sources of mercury (Hg) input to the Arctic Ocean via river runoff and coastal erosion; yet little information is available on tundra soil Hg concentrations, pool sizes, origins, and dynamics. We present a detailed investigation of Hg in the active layer (upper ~100 cm su...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/ https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/2/Olson_et_al-2018-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005840 |
id |
ftunivbasel:oai:edoc.unibas.ch:74037 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivbasel:oai:edoc.unibas.ch:74037 2023-05-15T14:54:51+02:00 Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution Olson, C. Jiskra, M. Biester, H. Chow, J. Obrist, D. 2018 application/pdf https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/ https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/2/Olson_et_al-2018-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005840 eng eng Wiley https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/2/Olson_et_al-2018-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Olson, C. and Jiskra, M. and Biester, H. and Chow, J. and Obrist, D. (2018) Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 32 (7). pp. 1058-1073. doi:10.1029/2017GB005840 urn:ISSN:0886-6236 urn:ISSN:1944-9224 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed 2018 ftunivbasel https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005840 2023-03-05T07:24:02Z Tundra soils serve as major sources of mercury (Hg) input to the Arctic Ocean via river runoff and coastal erosion; yet little information is available on tundra soil Hg concentrations, pool sizes, origins, and dynamics. We present a detailed investigation of Hg in the active layer (upper ~100 cm subject to seasonal thaw) of tundra soils across 11 sites in Alaska. Soil Hg concentrations in organic horizons (151±7 µg kg-1) were in the upper range of temperate soil organic horizons, and concentrations in mineral horizons (98±6 µg kg-1) were much higher than in temperate soils. Soil Hg concentrations declined from inland to coastal sites, in contrast to a hypothesized northward increase expected because of proximity to coastal atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs). Principle component analyses and elemental ratios results show that exogenic sources dominated over geogenic sources-in A-horizons (66±4%), and mineral B-horizons (51±1%). 14C age-dating suggested recent origins of Hg in surface soils but showed that mineral soils (more than 7,300 years old) must have accumulated atmospheric inputs across millennia leading to high soil concentrations and pools. We estimated a total Northern Hemisphere (NH) active-layer tundra soil Hg pool of 184 Gg (range of 136 Gg to 274 Gg), suggesting a globally important Hg storage pool. Tundra soils are subject to seasonal thaw and freeze dynamics, thereby providing large inputs to rivers, lakes, and the Arctic Ocean. Understanding processes that mobilize Hg from tundra soils will be critical to understanding future Arctic wildlife and humans Hg exposures. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Tundra Alaska University of Basel: edoc Arctic Arctic Ocean Global Biogeochemical Cycles 32 7 1058 1073 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Basel: edoc |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbasel |
language |
English |
description |
Tundra soils serve as major sources of mercury (Hg) input to the Arctic Ocean via river runoff and coastal erosion; yet little information is available on tundra soil Hg concentrations, pool sizes, origins, and dynamics. We present a detailed investigation of Hg in the active layer (upper ~100 cm subject to seasonal thaw) of tundra soils across 11 sites in Alaska. Soil Hg concentrations in organic horizons (151±7 µg kg-1) were in the upper range of temperate soil organic horizons, and concentrations in mineral horizons (98±6 µg kg-1) were much higher than in temperate soils. Soil Hg concentrations declined from inland to coastal sites, in contrast to a hypothesized northward increase expected because of proximity to coastal atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs). Principle component analyses and elemental ratios results show that exogenic sources dominated over geogenic sources-in A-horizons (66±4%), and mineral B-horizons (51±1%). 14C age-dating suggested recent origins of Hg in surface soils but showed that mineral soils (more than 7,300 years old) must have accumulated atmospheric inputs across millennia leading to high soil concentrations and pools. We estimated a total Northern Hemisphere (NH) active-layer tundra soil Hg pool of 184 Gg (range of 136 Gg to 274 Gg), suggesting a globally important Hg storage pool. Tundra soils are subject to seasonal thaw and freeze dynamics, thereby providing large inputs to rivers, lakes, and the Arctic Ocean. Understanding processes that mobilize Hg from tundra soils will be critical to understanding future Arctic wildlife and humans Hg exposures. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Olson, C. Jiskra, M. Biester, H. Chow, J. Obrist, D. |
spellingShingle |
Olson, C. Jiskra, M. Biester, H. Chow, J. Obrist, D. Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
author_facet |
Olson, C. Jiskra, M. Biester, H. Chow, J. Obrist, D. |
author_sort |
Olson, C. |
title |
Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
title_short |
Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
title_full |
Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
title_fullStr |
Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution |
title_sort |
mercury in active-layer tundra soils of alaska: concentrations, pools, origins, and spatial distribution |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/ https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/2/Olson_et_al-2018-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005840 |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Tundra Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Tundra Alaska |
op_relation |
https://edoc.unibas.ch/74037/2/Olson_et_al-2018-Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles.pdf Olson, C. and Jiskra, M. and Biester, H. and Chow, J. and Obrist, D. (2018) Mercury in Active-Layer Tundra Soils of Alaska: Concentrations, Pools, Origins, and Spatial Distribution. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 32 (7). pp. 1058-1073. doi:10.1029/2017GB005840 urn:ISSN:0886-6236 urn:ISSN:1944-9224 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005840 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
32 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
1058 |
op_container_end_page |
1073 |
_version_ |
1766326599742914560 |