This review critically evaluates the available mercury (Hg) data in Arctic marine biota and the Inuit population against toxicity threshold values. In particular marine top predators exhibit concentrations of mercury in their tissues and organs that are believed to exceed thresholds for biological effects. Species whose concentrations exceed threshold values include the polar bears (Ursus marit...

The high mass transport caused by ultrasonic radiation in the preconcentration of trace metal species in anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), leads to an order of magnitude enhancement in sensitivity. A Nafion-coated mercury thin-film working electrode is placed in a specially designed small-volume sonovoltammetric cell. The preparation and curing procedure for the Nafion film on a glassy carbon...

The relative contributions of proximity to mercury sources and trophic ecology to realized axial muscle mercury concentrations were explored for three deep-water chondrichthyans (Etmopterus princeps, Centroscymnus coelolepis, and Hydrolagus affinis), two species of which are harvested for human consumption. Samples were taken at three North Atlantic Ocean locations: the Azores, the Charlie Gibb...

In this study, concentrations of mercury (Hg) and 16 other elements as well as methylmercury speciation were quantified in muscle and liver of two commercial fish species. It was also our intention to evaluate potential risks to human health associated with seafood consumption. The fish species, Mullet and Kutum (Caspian White fish) fishes, were obtained from Tonekabon at the Iranian waters of ...

An automatic microgravimetric screening system based on piezoelectric detection and the use of acidic stannous chloride as reductant was developed for the fast detection and determination of total mercury in water. Reduced mercury is detected as an amalgam by using a gold-coated piezoelectric crystal, the sensor subsequently being regenerated by passing it through a peroxydisulfate solution. Th...

Mercury is emitted to the atmosphere from various natural and anthropogenic sources, and degrades with difficulty in the environment. Mercury exists as various species, mainly elemental (Hg(0)) and divalent (Hg(2+)) mercury depending on its oxidation states in air and water. Mercury emitted to the atmosphere can be deposited into aqueous environments by wet and dry depositions, and some can be ...

Five regional scale models with a horizontal domain covering the European continent and its surrounding seas, one hemispheric and one global scale model participated in an atmospheric mercury modelling intercomparison study. Model-predicted concentrations in ambient air were compared against mercury species observed at four monitoring stations in Central and Northern Europe and a station on the...

Combustion of fossil fuels is the main anthropogenic source of mercury. The efficiency of methods for removing mercury from coal syngas or flue gases mainly depends on the chemical forms of mercury. Despite the fact that temperature fractionation is a common approach to defining mercury species in solid samples, the accuracy of known results is still questionable. For developing the method of t...

Mercury contamination in the Florida Everglades has reportedly played a role in the recent decline of wading birds, although no studies have identified a mechanism leading to population-level effects. We assessed feather mercury levels in great egret (Ardea alba; n=91) and white ibis (Eudocimus albus; n=46) nestlings at breeding colonies in the Florida Everglades during a year (2006) with excel...

[1] We present results from a new global atmospheric mercury model coupled with a mixed layer slab ocean. The ocean model describes the interactions of the mixed layer with the atmosphere and deep ocean, as well as conversion between elemental, divalent, and nonreactive mercury species. Our global mean aqueous concentrations of 0.07 pM elemental, 0.80 pM reactive, and 1.51 pM total mercury agre...