2024/11/14 by Qinqin Chen, Wu Qingru, Yuying Cui +1 · 1 voice · 6 citations
Chemistry · Environmental Science · #Archaeology #Atmospheric sciences #Biology #Chemistry #Computer science #Deposition (geology) #Ecology #Ecosystem #Environmental chemistry #Environmental science #Geography #Geology #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Mercury (programming language) #Mercury impact and mitigation studies #Natural (archaeology) #Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
paper · doi:10.1093/nsr/nwae417
published in National Science Review 11(12), nwae417 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2024/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
ABSTRACT Global ecosystems face mercury contamination, yet long-term data are scarce, hindering understanding of ecosystem responses to atmospheric Hg input changes. To bridge the data gap and assess ecosystem responses, we compiled and compared a mercury accumulation database from peat, lake, ice and marine deposits worldwide with atmospheric mercury deposition modelled by GEOS-Chem, focusing on trends, magnitudes, spatial–temporal distributions and impact factors. The mercury fluxes in all four deposits showed a 5- to 9-fold increase over 1700–2012, with lake and peat mercury fluxes that generally mirrored atmospheric deposition trends. Significant decreases in lake and peat mercury fluxes post-1950 in Europe evidenced effective environmental policies, whereas rises in East Asia, Africa and Oceania highlighted coal-use impacts, inter alia. Conversely, mercury fluxes in marine and high-altitude ecosystems did not align well with atmospheric deposition, emphasizing natural influences over anthropogenic impacts. Our study underscores the importance of these key regions and ecosystems for future mercury management.