Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most toxic species of mercury (Hg), and is an important ecosystem contaminant. In wetlands on the Canadian Shield, in NW Ontario, MeHg concentrations in peat and peat porewater ranged from 0.3 to 53 ng $ rm g sp{-1}$ and $<$0.1 to $ rm 7.3 ng l sp{-1},$ respectively. The greatest concentrations of MeHg occurred just below the water table, emphasizing the importance of redox reactions in Hg methylation. Methylmercury partition coefficients between peat and peat porewater ranged from $1.6 times 10 sp3$ to $8.6 times 10 sp5.$ No significant correlations between MeHg and concentrations of $ rm H sp+, NH sb4 sp+, NO sb3 sp-, NO sb2 sp-,$ total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), $ rm SO sb4 sp{2-},$ and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the porewater of the wetlands were found. / Following shallow impoundment of a wetland, MeHg concentrations in the upper metre of peat porewater increased from $ rm 0.2 pm 0.2 ng l sp{-1}$ to $ rm 0.8 pm 0.8 ng l sp{-1}.$ Total mercury (T-Hg) and MeHg concentrations were determined in decomposing sedge, spruce needles, and Sphagnum moss, placed in a headwater wetland and the impounded wetland. The amount of T-Hg decreased in all tissues regardless of location. the amount of MeHg increased by as much as an order of magnitude in the tissues placed in the impounded wetland and wet areas (hollows and lawns) of the headwater wetland, but decreased in tissue placed in the dry areas (hummocks) of the headwater wetland. Therefore, it is during anaerobic decomposition of plant material that MeHg is produced in wetlands. / Incubations of peat were performed with addition of Hg, molybdate, $ rm SO sb4 sp{2-}, S sp{2-}, NH sb4NO sb3,$ pyruvate, and upland DOC. Methylmercury production was increased only after addition of $ rm SO sb4 sp{2-}$ and retarded only by $ rm NH sb4NO sb3.$ Although $ rm SO sb4 sp{2-}$ may not be required to methylate Hg, the increased availability of $ rm SO sb4 sp{2-}$ may influence the size and composition of the population of sulfate reducing bacteria in peat, thereby increasing the potential for Hg methylation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.40361 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Heyes, Andrew. |
| Contributors | Moore, T. R. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Geography.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001538790, proquestno: NN19730, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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