Priya M. Ganguli

All the Lead in China

Lead contamination in China has been extensively documented by scientists in China and elsewhere over the past two decades, as summarized in this review of articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Sources of that contamination include (a) deposits from previous emissions of leaded gasoline, which was finally eliminated in the past decade; (b) previous and continuing emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which are increasing markedly with the rapid industrialization of China; (c) previous and continuing emissions from other industrial activities, including mining, smelting and municipal waste incineration; and (d) previous and continuing additions of contaminated fertilizers, sewage, and untreated wastewater to agricultural fields. Lead concentrations of some Chinese agricultural produce are also elevated by acid rain and acidic fertilizers, which increase the solubility and bioavailability of both natural and contaminant lead in soil. In addition, some Chinese products are contaminated with lead during their production, processing, packaging, and transport. As a consequence of the long-range transport of industrial lead emissions from China and the global market for its products, the problem of lead pollution in China is a global problem.

Mercury speciation and transport via submarine groundwater discharge at a southern California coastal lagoon system.

We measured total mercury (Hg(T)) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in coastal groundwater and seawater over a range of tidal conditions near Malibu Lagoon, California, and used (222)Rn-derived estimates of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to assess the flux of mercury species to nearshore seawater. We infer a groundwater-seawater mixing scenario based on salinity and temperature trends and suggest that increased groundwater discharge to the ocean during low tide transported mercury offshore. Unfiltered Hg(T) (U-Hg(T)) concentrations in groundwater (2.2-5.9 pM) and seawater (3.3-5.2 pM) decreased during a falling tide, with groundwater U-Hg(T) concentrations typically lower than seawater concentrations. Despite the low Hg(T) in groundwater, bioaccumulative MMHg was produced in onshore sediment as evidenced by elevated MMHg concentrations in groundwater (0.2-1 pM) relative to seawater (∼0.1 pM) throughout most of the tidal cycle. During low tide, groundwater appeared to transport MMHg to the coast, resulting in a 5-fold increase in seawater MMHg (from 0.1 to 0.5 pM). Similarly, filtered Hg(T) (F-Hg(T)) concentrations in seawater increased approximately 7-fold during low tide (from 0.5 to 3.6 pM). These elevated seawater F-Hg(T) concentrations exceeded those in filtered and unfiltered groundwater during low tide, but were similar to seawater U-Hg(T) concentrations, suggesting that enhanced SGD altered mercury partitioning and/or solubilization dynamics in coastal waters. Finally, we estimate that the SGD Hg(T) and MMHg fluxes to seawater were 0.41 and 0.15 nmol m(-2) d(-1), respectively - comparable in magnitude to atmospheric and benthic fluxes in similar environments.

Role of oceanic circulation on contaminant lead distribution in the South Atlantic

Abstract Both the relatively high lead concentrations and their characteristic anthropogenic isotopic compositions attest to the widespread contamination of industrial lead in the western Equatorial and South Atlantic Ocean. Spatial gradients in those isotopic signatures evidence the conservative lateral transport of lead in oceanic water masses, while the discrete isotopic signatures in deep oceanic waters substantiate the complementary hypothesis that the release of lead from settling particles is relatively small on a decadal time-scale. Specifically, the relatively low radiogenic lead (e.g., 206Pb/207Pb=1.148±0.009) in the Lower-North Atlantic Deep Water (l-NADW) south of 10° North is primarily attributed to US industrial lead emitted in the Northern Hemisphere prior to 1965, and the more radiogenic lead (e.g., 206Pb/207Pb=1.180±0.006) in the Upper-North Atlantic Deep Water (u-NADW) is primarily attributed to subsequent industrial lead emissions in that hemisphere. In contrast, the relatively radiogenic lead (e.g., 206Pb/207Pb=1.186±0.007) in the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) seemingly reflects a mixture of natural and anthropogenic lead sources within the Southern Hemisphere; and its isotopic dissimilarity with that (e.g., 206Pb/207Pb=1.159±0.002) of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) and the AABW may be due to differences in either their aeolian or water-mass inputs.

Mercury offloaded in Northern elephant seal hair affects coastal seawater surrounding rookery

Significance Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in food webs, posing a global threat to environmental health. Marine mammals are common sentinel species for studying marine pollution; however, their potential role as vectors of contaminants to local ecosystems has rarely been addressed. By quantifying the concentration and chemical form of mercury in seawater affected by Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) colonization, we demonstrated here that marine mammal behavioral ecology can substantially influence nearshore mercury cycling. Elevated methylmercury (MeHg) levels in seawater adjacent to the rookery during the molting season may become bioavailable to lower trophic levels, indicating that large marine mammal assemblages represent an important source of MeHg to nearshore food chains and coastal marine fisheries, thereby threatening ecosystem health. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxin that is biomagnified approximately 1–10 million-fold in aquatic carnivores such as the Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), whose excreta and molted pelage, in turn, constitute a source of environmental MeHg contamination at the base of marine food chains. The potential for this top-down contamination is greatest in coastal areas with productive marine ecosystems that provide ideal habitats for large marine mammal colonies that can number in the thousands. This recycling of MeHg was evidenced by comparing total mercury (HgT) and MeHg concentrations in seawater, and HgT in molted pelage of M. angustirostris, at the Año Nuevo State Reserve pinniped rookery with concentrations at neighboring coastal sites in Central California. Seawater MeHg concentrations around the rookery (average = 2.5 pM) were markedly higher than those at the comparison coastal sites (average = 0.30 pM), and were as high as 9.5 pM during the M. angustirostris molting season. As a consequence, excreta and molts from this marine mammal colony, and presumably other marine predator populations, constitute a major source of MeHg at the base of the local marine food chain.

Mercury accumulation and attenuation at a rapidly forming delta with a point source of mining waste

The Walker Creek intertidal delta of Tomales Bay, California is impacted by a former mercury mine within the watershed. Eleven short sediment cores (10 cm length) collected from the delta found monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 11.4 ng/g (dry wt.), with lower concentrations occurring at the vegetated marsh and upstream channel locations. Algal mats common to the deltas sediment surface had MMHg concentrations ranging from 7.5 to 31.5 ng/g, and the top 1 cm of sediment directly under the mats had two times greater MMHg concentrations compared to adjacent locations without algal covering. Spatial trends in resident biota reflect enhanced MMHg uptake at the delta compared to other bay locations. Eighteen sediment cores, 1 to 2 m deep, collected from the 1.2 km2 delta provide an estimate of a total mercury (Hg) inventory of 2500+/-500 kg. Sediment Hg concentrations ranged from pre-mining background conditions of approximately 0.1 microg/g to a post-mining maximum of 5 microg/g. Sediment accumulation rates were determined from three sediment cores using measured differences of (137)Cs activity. We estimate a pre-mining Hg accumulation of less than 20 kg/yr, and a period of maximum Hg accumulation in the 1970s and 1980s with loading rates greater than 50 kg/yr, corresponding to the failure of a tailings dam at the mine site. At the time of sampling (2003) over 40 kg/yr of Hg was still accumulating at the delta, indicating limited recovery. We attribute observed spatial evolution of elevated Hg levels to ongoing inputs and sediment re-working, and estimate the inventory of the anthropogenic fraction of total Hg to be at least 1500+/-300 kg. We suggest ongoing sediment inputs and methylation at the deltaic surface support enhanced mercury levels for resident biota and transfer to higher trophic levels throughout the Bay.

Ground-truthing electrical resistivity methods in support of submarine groundwater discharge studies: Examples from Hawaii, Washington, and California

ABSTRACT Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important conduit that links terrestrial and marine environments. SGD conveys both water and water-borne constituents into coastal waters, where these inflows may impact near-shore ecosystem health and sustainability. Multichannel electrical resistivity techniques have proven to be a powerful tool to examine scales and dynamics of SGD and SGD forcings. However, there are uncertainties both in data aquisition and data processing that must be addressed to maximize the effectiveness of this tool in estuarine or marine environments. These issues most often relate to discerning subtle nuances in the flow of electricity through variably saturated media that can also be highly conductive (i.e., seawater). Three contrasting field sites were examined for this study to assess the effectiveness of electrical resistivity techniques in varying coastal settings by comparing resistivity data to direct salinity and resistivity observations, quantifying changes in litho...

Presence of artisanal gold mining predicts mercury bioaccumulation in five genera of bats (Chiroptera)

Mercury, a toxic trace metal, has been used extensively as an inexpensive and readily available method of extracting gold from fine-grained sediment. Worldwide, artisanal mining is responsible for one third of all mercury released into the environment. By testing bat hair from museum specimens and field collected samples from areas both impacted and unimpacted by artisanal gold mining in Perú, we show monomethylmercury (MMHg) has increased in the last 100 years. MMHg concentrations were also greatest in the highest bat trophic level (insectivores), and in areas experiencing extractive artisanal mining. Reproductive female bats had higher MMHg concentrations, and both juvenile and adult bats from mercury contaminated sites had more MMHg than those from uncontaminated sites. Bats have important ecological functions, providing vital ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Natural populations can act as environmental sentinels and offer the chance to expand our understanding of, and responses to, environmental and human health concerns.