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In Sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to formalize the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector under legal frameworks and to improve its environmental and health practices have largely failed as a result of top-down policy measures that make change complicated and burdensome for low-resource miners. Using evidence from a case study of the ASGM sector within areas of Senegal, this article demonstrates that ASGM has become an important source of income for many traditionally agricultural rural populations. The findings point toward the embedded nature of ASGM within customary management structures in Senegal, and demonstrate that customary authority is an important component of ASGM operations and development, and should be recognized and integrated into innovative formalization policies and better practices initiatives.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a crucial economic activity in Burkina Faso, however it is associated with significant mercury exposure and health concerns. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of mercury (Hg) vapour exposures and occupational behaviours at a representative site using Hg vapour monitor badges and questionnaires. To our knowledge this is the first time that personal exposure to Hg vapour during ASGM activities has been reported. The study population were ASGM workers who completed a questionnaire (n=100) or participated with an occupational exposure assessment using commercially available passive Hg vapour samplers (n=44). Occupational exposure to Hg was high during open-air burn events with a time weighted average (TWA) exposure of 7026±6857µg/m3 for burners, and 1412±2870µg/m3 for bystanders. Most (82%) of the people present at the burn exceeded the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 100µg/m3, and 11% exceeded the level considered to be Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) of 10,000µg/m3. Even control workers who were not present at the burn exceeded the PEL (24%), likely due to legacy Hg contamination producing latent Hg releases to the atmosphere. Similarly, 86% of the miners at the burn and 59% of control workers had an 8-h TWA that exceeded the Recommended Exposures Limit (REL). Several occupational behaviours that may contribute to Hg exposures were documented. This study corroborates previous studies suggesting that Hg exposure during amalgam burning is very high, and demonstrates the plausibility of using passive vapour monitoring badges rather than costly and logistically difficult biomonitoring methods. Mercury reduction and elimination interventions are strongly needed to reduce Hg exposure in ASGM communities, particularly as countries come into compliance with the Minamata Convention.

We measured Hg concentrations in 37 igneous rocks from an arc crustal section and in 30 mantle peridotites from ophiolite, orogenic massif and xenolith settings. Mercury is heterogeneously distributed in the igneous rocks and shows a ‘nugget effect’, suggesting it is concentrated in a trace phase, likely sulfide. The abundance of Hg in the crustal samples varies from 0.9 to 8 ppb and correlates with S and Cu but no other element indicative of differentiation. The average of our data produces 2.9 ± 2.6 Hg for the bulk crust, a factor of 10 lower than previous estimates. The mantle peridotites contained 0.2–5 ppb Hg and a correlation of Hg with Al, Cu, S or loss on ignition (LOI) depending on sample type. Secondary uptake of Hg due to low-temperature alteration or mantle metasomatism is evident in the ophiolite and orogenic massif samples, respectively. The primitive upper mantle (PUM) contains 0.4–0.6 ppb Hg based on the depletion/enrichment trends in the fresh xenolith samples that demonstrably retained primary Cu/S during emplacement. During mantle melting to produce the crust, Hg behaves as a mildly incompatible element (D Hg residue/melt ~ 0.1), not unlike Cu. For a chondritic abundance of 310 ppb Hg, our estimate for Hg in the mantle requires this element has a similar depletion to Se, Te or S in the bulk silicate Earth.

We examined movement patterns in two wide ranging species of freshwater fish, a putative resident species the slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus, and a migratory species the Arctic grayling, Thymallus arcticus. We attempted to trace the extent and patterns of movement over the life history of individual fish using elemental signatures deposited in otoliths of fish that reflect distinctive freshwater chemistries. Patterns of movement were highly variable within both species of fish among the rivers examined. Patterns included movement among major river systems, use of smaller tributaries within a river, but also some individuals exhibited limited movement. Although the diversity of water chemistry signatures varied among watersheds, this was not reflected in a difference between the two species. There was a tendency for less variability in elemental signatures during the older life stages of the fish, particularly for sculpin. The life history information gained in this study demonstrates that both species make extensive movements within a watershed during their life history. Our otolith microchemistry analysis suggests excellent dispersal abilities, and reveals that, despite being referred to as migratory and resident, putative movements by many individuals from both species were extensive.

The Brazilian Pantanal is an ecosystem of high biodiversity. This biodiversity is largely supported by the dynamic hydrology and landscape of the region. As part of the mosaic of this unique landscape, there are a variety of geochemically diverse lakes in the lower Nhecolândia (LN) sub-region. The goal of this study was to provide an inventory, spatial distribution, and geochemical analysis of the lakes, and the characteristics of the associated surrounding landscape of the LN region in the Pantanal, and to use that information to further add to the hypotheses on lake formation. To accomplish this, we made use of: (i) the spatial distribution of lakes and surrounding landscape units from a classification product generated from a combination of fine pixel resolution L-band ALOS/PALSAR, C-band Radarsat-2, and Envisat/ASAR; and (ii) in situ measured lake water geochemical properties.With an accuracy of 98 %, we found that the LN sub-region has 637 salinas and 8,214 baias. The greatest degrees of salinas clustering are located in the southeast portion of the study area, and are surrounded by forested savanna, which are in higher grounds less prone to flooding. Baias, however, are more broadly distributed in the region, and the highest occurrence is associated with the open mixed cover, comprised mostly of grasslands, which are in flood-prone areas. Geochemically, salinas present a pH > 9.0 and total dissolved solids (TDS) generally >1,000 mg/L, while baias have a circum-neutral pH not much higher than 7.0, and TDS 9.0, comparable to the salinas, but relatively lower TDS and conductivity, and significant lower chloride. The combination of the regional scale spatial data and associated geochemistry of lakes suggests that the geomorphological characteristics of the region, and consequent undulating terrains, create groundwater divides and groundwater-sheds that can develop local and regional flow systems and lead to lakes with different geochemistry. The mechanisms responsible for the formation of the diversity of lakes in the region is likely due to combination of isolation from ground water/surface water recharge, evaporation, episodic flushing, and biogeochemical processes in the lake’s watersheds.

FAPESP NSERC United States Department of State (USDoS) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) post-doctoral fellowship from CNPq (Science Without Borders) post-doctoral fellowship from CIHR Artisanal Gold Council Ministry of the Environment Ministry of Mines Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso Mercury emissions from artisanal gold mining operations occurring in roughly 80 developing countries are a major workplace health hazard for millions of people as well as the largest contributor to global mercury pollution. There are no portable, cheap, and rapid methods able to inform workers or health practitioners of mercury exposure on site in remote locations. In this work, a proof of concept for a miniaturized mercury sampler, prepared by the direct reduction of gold into the porous nanostructures of Vycor glass (PVG), is introduced. Mercury retention on the PVG/Au sampler induces significant color changes, due to the formation of Au-Hg amalgam that affects the surface plasmon resonance characteristics of the material. The color change can potentially be quantified by the analysis of pictures obtained with a cell phone camera rapidly and onsite. Laboratory experiments showed the viability of using PVG/Au as passive sampler for monitoring of Hg degrees. PVG/Au samplers were then deployed in an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations in Burkina Faso and it was able to indicate personal mercury exposures. The amount of mercury quantified in the samplers for all miners was higher than the current personal exposure limit set by the US Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, Brazil Univ Victoria, Dept Chem, POB 3055, Victoria, BC V8W 3V6, Canada Univ Victoria, Dept Geog, Victoria, BC V8W 3P2, Canada Artisanal Gold Council, C100-633 Courtney St, Victoria, BC V8W 1B9, Canada Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Chem, POB 6154, BR-13081970 Campinas, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Chem, Funct Mat Lab, POB 6154, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, Brazil FAPESP: 2016/03559-7 FAPESP: 2013/22127-2 FAPESP: 2014/50906-9 United States Department of State (USDoS): S-LMAQM-15-GR-1178 United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): GF/RAF/12/001 Web of Science

Aquatic ecosystems are an essential component of the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg), as inorganic Hg can be converted to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) in these environments and reemissions of elemental Hg rival anthropogenic Hg releases on a global scale. Quantification of effluent Hg releases to aquatic systems globally has focused on discharges to the global oceans, rather than contributions to freshwater systems that affect local exposures and risks associated with MeHg. Here we produce a first-estimate of sector-specific, spatially resolved global aquatic Hg discharges to freshwater systems. We compare our release estimates to atmospheric sources that have been quantified elsewhere. By analyzing available quantitative and qualitative information, we estimate that present-day global Hg releases to freshwater environments (rivers and lakes) associated with anthropogenic activities have a lower bound of ~1000 Mg·a−1. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) represents the single largest source, followed by disposal of mercury-containing products and domestic waste water, metal production, and releases from industrial installations such as chlor-alkali plants and oil refineries. In addition to these direct anthropogenic inputs, diffuse inputs from land management activities and remobilization of Hg previously accumulated in terrestrial ecosystems are likely comparable in magnitude. Aquatic discharges of Hg are greatly understudied and further constraining associated data gaps is crucial for reducing the uncertainties in the global biogeochemical Hg budget.

Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the North Pacific Ocean are anadromous fish, and spend most of their life in the sea until spawning in natal streams. To identify the stock and habitat characteristics of chum salmon, the composition of chemical elements (Ca, Mn, Sr, Zn, and Ba) in otolith was examined using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Two main types of analytical work have been carried out; discrete spot analysis and line scan analysis of otolith sections. Salmon otoliths were obtained from the eastern (Canada and USA) and western (Japan and Korea) North Pacific during 1997–1999 spawning seasons. Spot analysis of otolith cores demonstrated significant differences in the element concentration among countries (p = 0.003). Line scanning from the core to the margin showed that Sr concentrations were elevated at the core of the otoliths, decreased during the freshwater stage, increased suddenly at a certain point, and oscillated periodically towards the margin matching with year-ring. The elevated Sr concentration at the core may reflect the maternal contribution to the egg, and the oscillations toward the margin may reflect salinity gradients between onshore/offshore or north/south migrations. The Zn profiles also oscillated and corresponded to the annual ring of the otolith. However, the profiles of Sr and Zn oscillated oppositely after salmon migrated to saline water and the Zn uptake declined toward the rim of the otolith while Sr uptake increased.

Juvenile movement patterns for coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from two large interior rivers of British Columbia, Canada, were examined. Otoliths from post-spawned fishes were collected on spawning grounds and elemental signatures were determined through transects from sectioned otoliths using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Large variations in otolith elemental signatures were found during the freshwater life stage indicative of movement downstream to rivers and tributaries that differed in elemental signature. This study highlights that downstream movements occur before migration to the ocean during the parr-smolt transformation. Extensive downstream movements of parr appear to be a successful life-history strategy based on variations observed in the otolith elemental signatures of spawners. Movements downstream in parr and the remarkable homing ability of adults also suggest that imprinting to natal streams must occur prior to the parr-smolt transformation.

The dissolution kinetics of carbonate rocks sampled from the Keg River Formation in Northeast British Columbia were measured at 50 bar pCO2 and 105 °C, in both natural and synthetic brines of 0.4 M ionic strength. Natural brines yielded reaction rates of −12.16 ± 0.11 mol cm−2 s−1 for Log RCa, and −12.64 ± 0.05 for Log RMg. Synthetic brine yielded faster rates of reaction than natural brines. Experiments performed on synthetic brines, spiked with 10 mmol of either Sr or Zn, suggest that enhanced reaction rates observed in synthetic brines are due to a lack of trace ion interaction with mineral surfaces. Results were interpreted within the surface complexation model framework, allowing for the discrimination of reactive surface sites, most importantly the hydration of the >MgOH surface site. Dissolution rates extrapolated from experiments predict that CO2 injected into the Keg River Formation will dissolve a very minor portion of rock in contact with affected formation waters.

Analysis of sediment cores from three lakes polluted by a smelter and located 3.8, 9.4, and 21.0 km from it revealed that mercury (Hg) in smelter fallout has an isotope signature which denotes enrichment in lighter isotopes by mass-dependent fractionation (MDF), suggesting volatilisation as isotopically light Hg(0) followed by oxidation to reactive gaseous Hg(II) by flue gas constituents. However, the signature was detected only in the lake closest to the smelter; elsewhere it was obliterated by MDF and mass-independent fractionation (MIF) due to natural processes, whose effects varied with environmental factors, including smelter emissions. MIF caused depletion in 199 Hg and 201 Hg in all three lakes and was enhanced by dissolved organic matter but inhibited by heavy metals from the smelter; yet inter-lake comparison showed that the inhibition increased with decreasing metal concentration (i.e. with increasing distance from the smelter). Inhibition of MIF by metals was strongest in acidic and oxidising environments, and the inhibitory effects of individual metals depended on the metal's atomic polarisability. MDF was controlled by different processes, was more sensitive to local conditions, correlated with sulphate concentrations in lake water, and showed weaker net inhibition by metals; and inhibition by individual metals depended on the standard enthalpy of formation of the aqueous metal cation. Moreover, the combined effects of MDF and MIF varied with the sediment's Zn/Cu ratio but not with its Zn or Cu concentration alone. MIF is attributable to activities of anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria which were inhibited by the metals, whose toxicity depended on the properties, speciation, bioavailability, and interactive effects of the metals. The exacerbation of metal toxicity under acidic and oxidising conditions, and with increasing distance from the smelter, can be explained by enhanced bioavailability. MDF, too, is attributable to effects of bacteria, metals, and environmental variables but involved different mechanisms and pathways.

The light field and its relationship with biogeochemical variables were investigated in the Solimoes, Negro, Amazon, Madeira, Uatuma, Trombetas, and Tapajos Rivers. In high suspended sediment rivers, total suspended matter is the primary control on light attenuation (r = 0.8), with colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) being secondary (r = −0.6) due to scattering and absorption, respectively. Photosynthetically active radiation was the lowest (

In Brazil, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) produces in the range of 6 tonnes of gold (Au) per annum, and employs approximately 200,000 people. Most of this mining activity is in the Amazon region, where miners have been extracting gold for more than 40 years. In the Tapajos River Basin, assessments indicate that around 99% of miners operate without the environmental and mining permits required by law. This is a result of a combination of unrealistic or lack of proper policies and regulations, lack of political will, lack of infra-structure to enforce the existing regulations and lack of incentives to miners to comply with legal requirements. In this article, we analyze a group of 20 laws, decrees and resolutions in Brazil, focusing on how idiosyncrasies in these regulations reveal gaps between policy and reality in ASGM areas. Artisanal miners operate in vast and remote areas and the government lacks the resources (personnel, vehicles, information and materials) to enforce the laws. Our analysis emphasizes the need for creating new government commitments and identifying priority areas where government agents can focus their efforts. There is no single solution for the environmental, health, technical and socio-economic problems associated with ASGM. However, a realistic approach should consider improving the level of education of miners, creating government programs to provide technical assistance in the field, simplifying administrative procedures and ensuring adequate measures for enforcement.

Worldwide, the environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) are extensive. Annual losses from mercury, which is used to amalgamate gold, are in the range of 1000 tonnes, and at advanced sites, there is the additional threat of cyanide contamination. Recent developments in The Brazilian Amazon, an area populated by 200,000 small-scale gold miners, have the potential to reduce these impacts considerably. In the locality of Garimpo Ouro Roxo, miners are presently using amalgamation and cyanidation in vat-leaching. Each cycle typically recovers 50% of the gold and lasts 20 days (per tank), consuming around 3300 kg NaCN/month. A new process has been developed and implemented in a pilot plant in this area, involving gravity concentration followed by cyanidation in a ball mill. Concentrate leaching is conducted with a PVC capsule filled with activated carbon inserted in the cyanide solution in the mill. The cycle takes less than 24 h and recovers up to 98% of the gold in the concentrate. The main advantages of wide adoption of this method, apart from a reduced gold recovery cycle and improved recovery, include possible phase out of amalgamation altogether, and marked reductions in cyanide consumption (from current 22,000 kg–980 kg annually).

This paper provides an up-to-date assessment of global mercury emissions from anthropogenic and natural sources. On an annual basis, natural sources account for 5207 Mg of mercury released to the global atmosphere, including the contribution from re-emission processes, which are emissions of previously deposited mercury originating from anthropogenic and natural sources, and primary emissions from natural reservoirs. Anthropogenic sources, which include a large number of industrial point sources, are estimated to account for 2320 Mg of mercury emitted annually. The major contributions are from fossil-fuel fired power plants (810 Mg yr−1), artisanal small scale gold mining (400 Mg yr−1), non-ferrous metals manufacturing (310 Mg yr−1), cement production (236 Mg yr−1), waste disposal (187 Mg yr−1) and caustic soda production (163 Mg yr−1). Therefore, our current estimate of global mercury emissions suggests that the overall contribution from natural sources (primary emissions + re-emissions) and anthropogenic sources is nearly 7527 Mg per year, the uncertainty associated with these estimates are related to the typology of emission sources and source regions.

We assess the potential of using otolith chemistry to differentiate quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger) within Puget Sound, Washington, where two distinct population segments (DPS) have been identified. Using opportunistic collections (1993-2003) of quillback rockfish (n=77; age range of 2-65 yrs.) we first sought to determine whether fish from different sites and regions could be differentiated based on the trace elemental concentrations at the edge of their otoliths (i.e., the chemical record of the fish’s recent history). Results of our quadratic discriminant function analysis (QDFA) indicated significant spatial variability for fish collected at relatively large (regions) and small (sites) spatial scales. Specifically, fish collected from regions in 2002 (San Juan Islands and southern Puget Sound) and 2003 (eastern and western Strait of Juan de Fuca) were correctly classified with 100% and 65% accuracy (based on jack-knife classification), respectively, while fish collected from sites in 1998 (Mukilteo and Foulweather) were classified with 100% accuracy. We also investigated whether we could differentiate fish that were collected from different DPS and regions by using elemental concentrations from their whole otolith (which represents environmental information over the lifetime of a fish). Results from the QDFAs indicated relatively high classification success (80%) when comparing fish collected from either different DPS (i.e., Northern Puget Sound and Puget Sound Proper DPS) or regions (i.e., western and eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca). Findings from this study highlight the value of otolith chemistry in the study of population structure of quillback rockfish in Puget Sound.

– We used laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry line scans to determine the elemental composition of otoliths, pectoral fin rays and scales of Arctic grayling. Elemental signatures of otoliths and pectoral fin rays effectively provide life-history information on individual fish, important for management of grayling, and potentially all freshwater teleosts. Bulk elemental signatures measured in the otoliths and fin rays were highly correlated to the stream chemistries where the fish were captured. A surprising result of this study was that fin rays showed the strongest relationship with water chemistry for strontium. Scale strontium concentrations were not correlated to water chemistries suggesting that other physiological mechanisms, or remobilisation, may be influencing the deposition of trace elements within scales. Linear discriminant function analyses for otolith and fin ray elemental signatures (and intriguingly also for scales) separated fish from different rivers for all three structures; thus, this technique can be used effectively as a means to discriminate origin of capture.

Summary 1 Fluvial environments are lost following construction of dams and flooding of river valleys. Rivers flowing into newly created reservoirs are still connected, but whether fluvial species of fish use or migrate through the newly formed lacustrine habitat is not known. We determined chemical composition of otoliths using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to assess patterns of movement in Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) from a fluvial system flooded by dam construction to assess the reservoir impact on fish populations. 2 Rivers examined within the upper Peace River watershed in British Columbia had considerable differences in water chemistry. Elemental signatures measured in grayling otoliths were highly correlated to the stream chemistries where the fish were captured. Shifts between chemically distinct environments could be detected for grayling; some fish experienced significant changes in water chemistry while others did not. 3 Discriminant function analyses for otolith chemistry suggested that Arctic grayling formed four main populations: Parsnip watershed, Nation watershed, Omineca watershed and Ingenika watershed. There also appeared to be groupings according to smaller watersheds (subpopulations) within these systems. 4 Synthesis and applications. Construction of the WAC Bennett hydroelectric dam and formation of the Williston Reservoir may have created a barrier for migration of fluvial Upper Peace River Arctic grayling. Populations that were thought to have remained healthy into the 1980s were likely impacted immediately but this was not obvious due to the presence of residual ‘prereservoir’ fish. Natural chemical markers in otoliths revealed that Arctic grayling in our study did not move into the reservoir and may now be restricted only to a number of tributary systems with no interconnectivity. Future management must take account of this new, fragmented distribution.

1. The Pantanal wetland in South America is being threatened by human development, such as the construction of hydropower dams in the upper Paraguay River and the Hydrovia. The consequences of these developments are difficult to predict, but will potentially cause irreversible loss of habitat and biodiversity. 2. Radar satellite imagery can be used to establish baseline information that is crucial for monitoring changes in this region. In the case of the Pantanal, the pixel spacing of the imagery is a major concern if the goal is to count, map, and monitor lakes. To address this, Radarsat and JERS-1 data were acquired and used to produce a series of coarser-resolution images in order to understand the capabilities of the various resolutions to map Pantanal lake ecosystems. The simulations included resolutions of the existing JERS-1 mosaics (100 m resolution) and the proposed ALOS/PALSAR mosaics (50 m resolution). 3. Using the 15 m data it was found that in the Nhecolândia region of the Pantanal, only about 7% of lakes have an area larger than 0.2 km2, 47% have an area larger than 0.05 km2, and 50% are smaller than 0.05 km2. Therefore, it is important to consider the substantial number of lakes smaller than 0.05 km2. 4. The size of the errors in determining lake area depends on lake size, lake shape, and the image pixel spacing — long and small lakes have greater errors, and 100 m resolution images show unacceptable errors. The error in estimating lake area associated with the pixel spacing of the Radarsat ScanSAR image is 12.5% and 25%, and for the proposed mosaics of ALOS/PALSAR it is 30% and 47% for lakes larger and smaller than 0.05 km2 respectively. Therefore, based on simulated results, the spatial resolution of the observing SAR was an important determining factor in the capacity to discriminate small lakes in the Pantanal. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

1. The size of lakes and the size distribution of lakes are important parameters controlling lake function, and how lakes interact with landscapes, the atmosphere and ecosystems. A baseline digital database of lakes could be used to improve understanding of lake function, to extrapolate lake information to regional and global scales, and as a basis for detecting future changes to lakes. 2. This paper examines the capabilities of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery produced by the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) to map the number and size distribution of lakes in western Arctic Canada, Central Canada and the Pantanal (Brazil). 3. For the Arctic and Pantanal, the total area found within one lake size category increases towards smaller lakes. The opposite was true for the area in Central Canada. The number of lakes in the smallest size category, 0.01 to 0.1 km2, was underestimated for all regions owing to the resolution of the mosaics — 100 × 100 m. The number of large lakes in the Pantanal was over-estimated through confusion with intermittent floodways that are scrubby grasslands and bare sand in the dry season and which exhibit low backscattering and therefore appear dark like lakes. 4. The lake distributions were combined with existing data to produce preliminary regional estimates of carbon accumulation. Lakes may accumulate as much as 1.7 and 1.3 t C km−2 yr−1 for the Arctic Canadian and Central Canadian areas, respectively. No estimates were produced for the Pantanal because there are no applicable data on carbon accumulation rates available for that region. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulates in the aquatic food chain in the form of methylmercury, a compound well known for its neurotoxicity. We analyzed total mercury (THg) in hair collected from 209 harbour seals captured at 10 sites in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (USA) between 2003 and 2010. In addition, laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) allowed for a highly refined analysis of THg accumulation over time by examining nine whiskers taken from 4- to 6-week-old pups. We estimate that THg concentrations in pups increased sharply at a point corresponding to mid- to late gestation of their time in utero (4.7 ± 0.8 and 6.6 ± 1.3 µg/g dry weight (dw), respectively), and then again at the onset of nursing (8.1 ± 1.3 µg/g dw). These abrupt changes highlight the importance of both pre- and post-natal THg transfer from the mother to the growing fetus and the newborn pup. While THg levels varied among sites, hair analyses from seals collected at the same site demonstrated the influence of age in THg accumulation with pups (5.3 ± 0.3 µg/g) and juveniles (4.5 ± 0.5 µg/g) having lower levels than those in adults (8.3 ± 0.8 µg/g). Our results revealed that 33 % of the pups sampled (n = 167) had THg levels that surpassed a mammalian hair threshold for neurochemical alterations. This study suggests that Hg could represent a health concern to marine wildlife, especially as atmospheric emissions of this toxic element from human activities in the Pacific Rim and worldwide continue.

South America's Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, contains hundreds of thousands of geochemically diverse lakes, ranging from dilute to brackish to saline in composition. These lakes form the backbone of the habitat that supports the highly diverse flora and fauna of the Pantanal, yet the natural processes that create and destroy them are largely unknown. The quantities and types of lakes in the Pantanal and their spatial distribution are therefore essential, but missing information required to understand the dynamics of the Pantanal ecosystem. RADARSAT S1 and S7, and JERS-1 imagery were integrated with field measurements of water geochemistry and characteristics of emergent aquatic vegetation for fresh and brackish lakes of the Nhecolândia region of the Brazilian Pantanal. A supervised classification was used to classify forest, pasture, bare soil, and lakes. A mask is then applied to produce an image of only lakes. The radar backscattering values were found to have a strong relationship with the emergent aquatic plant assemblages of the lakes—S1 imagery was the most useful. The plant assemblages, in turn, were observed to be strongly controlled by the total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH of the lakes. The relationships between backscattering values, plant assemblages, and geochemistry were then exploited to map the type and distribution of the lakes in the study area. Threshold rules were used to perform Level 1 and Level 2 classifications of the lakes. For the Level 1 classification, the σ o values of RADARSAT S1 effectively separated brackish (10,000 > TDS > 1000 mg/kg) from fresh water lakes (TDS σ o values of RADARSAT S1 effectively separated lakes into three geochemical groups: brackish (10,000 > TDS > 1000 mg/kg), hard with only Typha (1000 > TDS > 100 mg/kg), and fresh water lakes (TDS mg/kg

The preparation and characterization of a soil reference material (SOIL-1) from a site polluted with mercury due to the past mercury mining in Idrija, Slovenia is reported. Homogeneity tests and intercomparison exercises for total (T-Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) were performed. In addition, selective sequential extraction was applied for Hg fractionation, and multielemental analyses were performed by k(0) standardization neutron activation analysis (k(0)-INAA) and inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for other trace elements. Comparison of different analytical methods, as well as the distribution of data were critically evaluated using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Due to the nugget effect (cinnabar particles representing more than 90% of the mercury), homogeneity for T-Hg determination was difficult to achieve. The intercomparison exercise indicated that in order to obtain comparable results for total mercury (T-Hg) sample decomposition by HF must be performed. These data are then in good agreement with non-destructive methods such as k(0)-INAA. Accepted reference values calculated taking into account the results obtained by six and three laboratories, respectively, were 67.1+/-11.3 mg kg(-1) for T-Hg and 4.0+/-1.3 ng g(-1) for MeHg (95% confidence intervals). However, the results obtained for Hg fractionation displayed significant differences in the organically bound fraction and elemental Hg. Results obtained by two laboratories using totally different analytical protocols for other elements showed excellent agreement for most elements. In summary, the results obtained for the SOIL-1 sample were of sufficient quality to suggest its use for quality control in laboratories dealing with mercury contaminated soils.

Ninety-nine lakes were sampled at varying distances up to 75 km from the Horne smelter at Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, to study the influence of the smelter versus other factors on metal concentrations in lake sediments. Most of these lakes lie within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, a zone of extensive base metal and gold mineralization and the focus of a mining and smelting economy for almost a century. Lake sediment cores, c . 25 cm long, were collected and sampled at the top (0–2 cm) and the bottom (18–20 cm) to capture sediment that was deposited after the smelter was in operation (‘post-industrial’) and well before the mining and smelting activity was started (‘pre-industrial’). Additionally, nine cores were sampled in 1 cm increments to depths of up to 50 cm to study temporal patterns and potential element remobilization in detail. The cores were analysed for an extensive suite of elements. This paper focuses on those elements that are emitted by the smelter for which there are records of emissions through time, namely As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. A spatial statistical approach – a logistic model of metal content versus distance from the smelter – was used investigate the relationship of sediment chemistry with smelter emissions and other possible influences. Using Cu as a representative proxy for the other emitted metals, this analysis demonstrates that elements are enriched in lake sediments by a factor of about three times around the smelter, that the impact of the smelter is detectable in lakes to a distance of at least 50 km, and that there is no obvious association between sediment Cu concentration and bedrock geology, land-use, lake pH, or lake morphometry (lake area/lake catchment area). The nine lakes studied in detail show enrichment towards the sediment–water interface (SWI) and relatively steady concentrations below depths of c . 10 cm. However, depth profiles do not match changes in the magnitude of smelter emissions through time, nor do they match changes in emission chemistry (element ratios) through time. Element ratios do generally move towards the chemistry of the emissions, suggesting smelter influence, but do not do so predictably. For example, (i) trends in the Cu/Pb ratio continue to the very bottom of cores into material deposited hundreds of years before industrialization, and (ii) proximity to the smelter does not lead to greater similarity between sediment and emission chemistry. These results suggest that significant element remobilization is occurring and that it differs from lake to lake and from element to element. We conclude that lakes within 50 km of the smelter have elevated metal concentrations in their near-surface sediments due to stack emissions but, due to element cycling and mobility, it is difficult to quantitatively determine the magnitude of metal increase attributable to the smelter. We also suggest that due to upward remobilization, the duration of industrial metal enrichments in surface sediments (the residence time) may be increased, thereby making surface enrichments more persistent than would be predicted by the sedimentation rate.

The application of a sequential extraction scheme provides information on the phase association of elements in a sample, such phases being described, for example, as ‘exchangeable/adsorbed’, ‘amorphous Fe/Al oxides’ and ‘soluble organics’. It is therefore critical to maintain the chemistry of a sample from the time of collection to its analysis and during its preparation for analysis. This paper focuses on the redistribution of elements, amongst five operationally defined phases, that occurs on air-drying of the sample; the effect of subsequent storage of the sample is not addressed. Two lake sediment cores (‘Green Lake’, 31 cm, and ‘Gravel Pit Lake’, 19 cm) were sampled at 1-cm intervals and divided into two sets immediately prior to sequential leach analysis of the ‘wet’ sample. The other set was air-dried prior to sequential leach analysis. Most of the 39 elements determined in the Green Lake sediment showed, on drying, a redistribution to more labile forms. For example, increases in Fe concentration in the oxide phases were observed with a concomitant decrease in the crystalline forms of Fe reporting to the final aqua regia digestion. These changes are generally small in magnitude (

Water samples from the Fraser, Skeena and Nass River basins of the Canadian Cordillera were analyzed for dissolved major element concentrations (HCO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+), δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC), and δ34S of dissolved sulfate (δ34SSO4) to quantify chemical weathering rates and exchanges of CO2 between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Weathering rates of silicates and carbonates were determined from major element mass balance. Combining the major element mass balance with δ34SSO4 (−8.9 to 14.1‰CDT) indicates sulfide oxidation (sulfuric acid production) and subsequent weathering of carbonate and to a lesser degree silicate minerals are important processes in the study area. We determine that on average, 81% of the riverine sulfate can be attributed to sulfide oxidation in the Cordilleran rivers, and that 25% of the total weathering cation flux can be attributed to carbonate and silicate dissolution by sulfuric acid. This result is validated by δ13CDIC values (−9.8 to −3.7‰ VPDB) which represents a mixture of DIC produced by the following weathering pathways: (i) carbonate dissolution by carbonic acid (−8.25‰) > (ii) silicate dissolution by carbonic acid (−17‰) ≈ (iii) carbonate dissolution by sulfuric acid derived from the oxidation of sulfides (coupled sulfide-carbonate weathering) (+0.5‰). δ34SSO4 is negatively correlated with δ13CDIC in the Cordilleran rivers, which further supports the hypothesis that sulfuric acid produced by sulfide oxidation is primarily neutralized by carbonates, and that sulfide-carbonate weathering impacts the δ13CDIC of rivers. The negative correlation between δ34SSO4 and δ13CDIC is not observed in the Ottawa and St. Lawrence River basins. This suggests other factors such as landscape age (governed by tectonic uplift) and bedrock geology are important controls on regional sulfide oxidation rates, and therefore also on the magnitude of sulfide-carbonate weathering—i.e., it is more significant in tectonically active areas. Calculated DIC fluxes due to Ca and Mg silicate weathering by carbonic acid (38.3 × 103 mol C · km−2 · yr−1) are similar in magnitude to DIC fluxes due to sulfide-carbonate weathering (18.5 × 103 mol C · km−2 · yr−1). While Ca and Mg silicate weathering facilitates a transfer of atmospheric CO2 to carbonate rocks, sulfide-carbonate weathering can liberate CO2 from carbonate rocks to the atmosphere when sulfide oxidation exceeds sulfide deposition. This implies that in the Canadian Cordillera, sulfide-carbonate weathering can offset up to 48% of the current CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering in the region.

Precipitation samples were collected from July 2001 through June 2002 to determine sources of anthropogenic heavy metal pollutants to Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia using Pb isotope ratios. Generally, Mean annual Pb concentrations (0.116 μg l −1 ) and depositional fluxes (151 μg m −2 ) are lower than other reported mid-Atlantic coastal regions. Pb isotope compositions may be explained by binary mixing of anthropogenic emissions from US and Canadian sources, indicating long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants from populated and industrial regions of northeastern US and southeastern Canada. The 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios in precipitation ranged from 1.165 to 1.201, with an annual weighted mean 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratio of 1.181, indicating that on an annual basis, US and Canadian sources contribute 61% and 39%, respectively, of the anthropogenic Pb (and likely other similarly behaved metal pollutants) reaching Kejimkujik Park. These results differ from those estimated by using epiphytic lichens due to one or a combination of the following possibilities: (1) some of the Pb in the lichens reflects more radiogenic local bedrock sources; (2) there has been an overall increase in the proportion of Canadian inputs since the early 1990s; (3) there was an unusually higher proportion of Pb inputs from Canadian sources during the study period; or (4) possible shifts in the isotopic composition of the Canadian and US sources that may have occurred due to increased international trade in lead and a lesser dependency on national production. As well, seasonal variations in the sources were observed, with summer and fall months having a lower mean 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratio of 1.178 (more Canadian) than the winter and spring months with 206 Pb/ 207 Pb of 1.185 (more American).

Abundances of 35 elements and ions were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, and ion chromatography, in samples of snowpack obtained using ultraclean procedures, along three 50-km radial transects emanating from the Horne base metal smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. This was done to constrain: what is emitted; regional background concentrations of elements in snow; the rate of anthropogenic deposition on the surrounding landscape; how far emissions are transported; and what processes control their deposition. The approach used is at least as effective as methods based on isotopic ratios but has the added advantage of providing direct constraint on a large suite of elements, and of being independent of changes in the isotopic composition of emissions. Reproducibility of the method was determined using field duplicates and blanks. This accounts for snow heterogeneity, analytical precision, reagent quality, and sample handling and was determined to be ±20%. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn near the smelter are 525, 353, and 149 μg/Lmeltwater, respectively, and drop to 2.1, 3.5, and 3.1 μg/L by 45 km distance. The level of enrichment of these elements, relative to upper crustal abundances, similarly drops from about 10,000 to 100 from proximal through to distal sites, forming an “enrichment gradient.” This is the result of a binary mix of smelter emissions and regional background concentrations. Elements that display a significant gradient must therefore be emitted by the smelter. This method shows that Cu, Ag, In, Sb, Pb, As, Tl, Mo, Zn, Cd, Co, Be, Ni, Na, Ba, Fe, Cr, V, Ti, Y, Al, U, Ce, Li, S, La, and Sr are deposited on the landscape by the smelter. For many elements, the slope of this binary mixing line is still non-zero at a distance of 50 km, indicating that the impact of the smelter is still detectable, and that regional background levels have not yet been reached. Data from more distant sites are used to estimate regional background concentrations to be 1.1, 1.7, and 1.6 μg/Lmeltwater for Cu, Pb, and Zn, respectively. We quantify the partitioning of elements between the dissolved phase (meltwater) and the solid phase (particulates) in melted snow. It varies with distance from the smelter but is element specific. Representative end-members are: Tl, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Sb with 78, 68, 67, 55, and 20% in the dissolved phase near the smelter, respectively, vs. 4, 60, 73, 80, 58% at distances greater than 35 km. This is due to changes in mineralogy and particle size. The significance of this is, that for those elements with high variation such as Tl and Sb, only the total load (meltwater + particulate) can reliably reflect atmospheric deposition. For those elements that vary little such as Cu and Pb, measurement of just the dissolved load (meltwater) can be used as an adequate proxy for the total deposition. Observed patterns of deposition suggest that inside 15 km radius, it occurs by wet+dry mechanisms whereas beyond 15 km wet deposition dominates. Emissions transported beyond 15 km are therefore available for long-range transport during dry weather and likely have an atmospheric residence time similar to that of water vapour. A well fitting mathematical model supports this interpretation. Using modelled background concentrations, the model can account for only 49, 15, 23, and 9% of reported emissions of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd within 50 km of the smelter, respectively. Using lower (minimal) background concentrations based on observations at more distant sites, these numbers increase to 78, 19, and 43%, respectively (Cd excluded), and can be considered maximums. The rest of the emissions are therefore transported further distances during dry weather.

Exploration successes for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, such as Kudz Ze Kayah, Wolverine and Fyre Lake in the Yukon–Tanana Terrane and Slide Mountain Terrane (southern Yukon Territory) have spurred interest in the correlative rocks in the Big Salmon Complex in northern British Columbia. In an effort to further the utility of multi-media stream geochemistry in exploration frontiers that are forested, heavily drift covered, or buried, the primary streams of 19 watersheds from the East Teslin Lake (National Topographic System (NTS): 104N/9, 16) and Teh Creek areas (NTS: 104O/11, 12, 13, 14) of the Big Salmon Complex were analyzed for Cu, Pb, and Zn and other parameters in the dissolved load, suspended load and bed load. Traditionally, exploration based on stream geochemistry has employed the bed load and more recently the dissolved load chemistry, but almost never the suspended load despite strong differences in the geochemical signatures of the three media. Here, we document that copper, lead, and zinc partition into the dissolved, suspended, and bed loads differently and that the magnitude of anomalies is different for each media. The adsorbing capacity of the suspended load may make it a more sensitive indicator of mineral deposits on a regional basis than either the trace-element-poor dissolved load or the bulk-rock-diluted bed load which are likely better indicators of local mineralization. It is clear that each phase contributes unique information about the distribution of elements in the watershed that could be considered in exploration models. We also show that summing standardized element concentrations and summing the sums across media appears to be an effective method to reduce the data without loss of important information. We likewise investigated the utility of calculating major element normalized enrichments for exploration and find that it is a promising approach.

The residual signals of the physical and chemical processes undergone in a river basin are stored in the isotopic composition of river water and are used here to isolate and quantify fluxes of water, energy and carbon for a large boreal river basin. The integrated nature of the river signal is exploited to provide meaningful basin-wide annual averages for fluxes difficult to quantify and extrapolate by studying highly variable interface exchanges at discrete locations. The slope of the linear regression of deuterium (δD) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes for the Ottawa River is ∼6.0, considerably less than the slope of the local meteoric water line (7.7). This discrepancy is a consequence of evaporative loss from open water bodies and soils and, through a new method, is calculated to be 8.1% of annual precipitation. As well, on the basis of thirty years of daily meteorological and discharge data, annual evapotranspiration for the Ottawa River basin is calculated to be 53.1%. Combining the evaporation and evapotranspiration calculations apportions 45% of the water losses to transpiration. The energy required to drive these cycles is calculated to be 8% of annual solar radiation for total evapotranspiration and 13% of growing season solar radiation for transpiration. These energies are transformed into latent heat. The water use efficiency ratio is used to estimate total fixation of carbon (gross primary production (GPP)) for the basin at 15.6 mol C m−2 yr−1. This rate is substantially greater than the export of carbon via rivers plus rates estimated for carbon respiration in the literature, indicating that the boreal forest is a plausible component of the postulated “missing” carbon sink. Comparison of accumulation rates of C in peatlands and the rates required to account for the missing sink suggest that peat accumulation rates are ∼20 times too slow to account for the missing sink flux. Speculatively, the living biomass of the boreal forest is the dominant sink. Accepting this, the respiration rate needed for a steady state balance between the calculated boreal forest GPP and the missing global carbon sink is found to be around 5.6 mol C m−2 yr−1.

Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon ( δ 13 C DIC ) in the Ottawa River basin is about −8 and −16‰ for lowland carbonate and upland silicate tributaries, respectively. This suggests that (1) the source of DIC to the Ottawa River is soil respiration and carbonate weathering, (2) exchange with the atmosphere is unidirectional or volumetrically unimportant, and (3) in-river respiration and photosynthesis are not significant influences on the river carbon budget. Accepting these constraints, chemical and isotopic data are used to reconstitute soil pCO2 for tributary catchments. Averages for upland silicate, mixed, and lowland carbonate basins are calculated to be roughly 2000, 5000, and 30,000 ppm, respectively. These values are used as input to model the pathway of carbon through the watershed—rain water to soil water to river water. The flux of carbon from the Ottawa River as DIC is calculated to be 4.3×1010 mol C/a. Utilizing carbon isotopes, 75% and 25% of the Ca2++Mg2+ flux is calculated to originate from carbonate and silicate weathering, respectively, and 61% of the DIC is calculated to originate from organic respiration. The latter represents some 6% of respired carbon in the basin, assuming an average respiration rate of 0.5 mmol C m−2 h−1. Based on a diffusion model, CO2 evasion to the atmosphere from the Ottawa River and its tributaries is estimated to be 1.3×1010 mol C/a or 30% of the DIC flux.

Chemical and stable isotope analyses of the St. Clair, Detroit, Niagara, and St. Lawrence rivers (“St. Lawrence” system) and their tributaries show that the chemical and isotopic compositions of the waters are strongly controlled by the geology of their drainage basins. Tributaries draining the Canadian Shield have very low TDS, HCO3−, SO42−, Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3−, Sr2+, higher Si and Fetotal, and high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.710–0.713). The Grand and Thames rivers that drain Paleozoic limestones, dolostones, and evaporites are characterized by opposite attributes. The “St. Lawrence” and the tributaries draining the Canadian Appalachians fall between these two endmembers. The St. Clair, Detroit, and Niagara rivers do not show any pronounced seasonal variations in major component chemistry due to buffering by the Great Lakes. In contrast, pronounced seasonal variations characterize the lower St. Lawrence mainly because of significant tributary inputs into the overall water budget. The δD and δ18O in the “St. Lawrence” range from −60.9 to −44.5‰ and from −8.5 to −6.1‰ SMOW, respectively, much heavier than the comparative values measured for the tributaries (−92.8 to −58.3‰ and −13.1 to −8.5‰). This is a consequence of evaporative loss that, over the residence time of water of 102 years, equals about 7% of the water volume in the Great Lakes. The strontium and sulfur isotopic values for the “St. Lawrence” system are relatively uniform, with measured values from 0.70927 to 0.71112 for 87Sr/86Sr and from 4.3 to 5.6‰ for sulfate δ34S. Their seasonal variations are also minor. The strontium and sulfur fluxes of the St. Lawrence river are calculated to be 7.84 × 108 and 1.09 × 1011 mol/a, respectively. The relative contributions of the Great Lakes, tributaries, and other sources to these fluxes are 73:16:11% for strontium and 64:13:23% for sulfur. Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC) in the “St. Lawrence” system ranges from −4.7 to +0.7‰, considerably heavier than the values for the tributaries (−16.5 to −6.7‰). The light δ13CDIC values for the tributaries suggest that CO2 from bacterial respiration plays an important role in the isotopic composition of riverine DIC. However, in the main stem river(s), this bacterial signal is masked by isotopic equilibration with atmospheric CO2 due to the long residence time of water in the Great Lakes. Seasonally, the main stem river(s) have heavier δ13C values in the fall than in the spring, a consequence of preferential 12C consumption by photosynthetic plants in the epilimnion of the Great Lakes during the growth season. In the down-stream portion of the St. Lawrence river, influx of isotopically light tributary waters causes progressive 13C depletion, from −1.3 to −2.0‰ and −1.4 to −3.0‰ in the fall and spring, respectively. The total DIC carbon flux of the St. Lawrence river is calculated to be 3.9 × 1011 mol/a. Mass balance calculations show that the relative contributions of the Great Lakes, tributaries, decay of organic matter, exchange with the atmosphere, and dissolution of carbonates to this total DIC flux are 81:13:2:-6:10% in the spring, and 83:15:-2:4:0% in the fall, respectively.

International audience; Research on rivers has traditionally involved concentration and flux measurements to better understand weathering, transport and cycling of materials from land to ocean. As a relatively new tool, stable isotope measurements complement this type of research by providing an extra label to characterize origin of the transported material, its transfer mechanisms, and natural versus anthropogenic influences. These new stable isotope techniques are scalable across a wide range of geographic and temporal scales. This review focuses on three aspects of hydrological and geochemical river research that are of prime importance to the policy issues of climate change and include utilization of stable water and carbon isotopes: (i) silicate and carbonate weathering in river basins, (ii) the riverine carbon and oxygen cycles, and (iii) water balances at the catchment scale. Most studies at watershed scales currently focus on water and carbon balances but future applications hold promise to integrate sediment fluxes and turnover, ground and surface water interactions, as well as the understanding of contaminant sources and their effects in river systems.

We estimate mercury releases from artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) based on available data about mercury and gold exports and imports by country and from field reports from the countries known to have active ASGM communities. The quality of the estimates ranges from reasonable to poor across the countries. This paper aims to give a first order estimate of the amount and location of mercury being released into the environment globally by ASGM, to motivate stakeholders to improve the quality of these estimates, to illustrate the linkages between global mercury trade and its use in ASGM, and the fourth objective is to provide a practical outline of the options available for reducing mercury use in ASGM. We estimate that artisanal and small scale gold mining releases between 640 to 1350 Mg of mercury per annum into the environment, averaging 1000 Mg yr-1, from at least 70 countries. 350 Mg yr-1 of this are directly emitted to the atmosphere while the remainder (650 Mg yr-1) are released into the hydrosphere (rivers, lakes, soils, tailings). However, a significant but unknown portion of the amount released into the hydrosphere is later emitted to the atmosphere when it volatilizes (latent emissions). Considering that ASGM is growing, latent emissions conservatively amount to at least 50 Mg yr-1 bringing the total emission of mercury to the atmosphere from ASGM to 400 Mg yr-1. This estimate of emission to the atmosphere differs from the previous one provided in the 2002 UNEP Global Mercury Assessment both in terms of its magnitude (400 Mg yr-1, versus 300 Mg yr-1) and in the way the estimate has been made. The current estimate is based on a better understanding of ASGM and on a wider variety of information sources, more field evidence, better extrapolation methods, and independent testing by analysis of official trade data.

This chapter provides an up-to-date overview of global mercury emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources at country and regional/continental scale. The information reported in Chapters 2–8 is the basis of the assessment reported in this chapter, however, emissions data related to sources and regions not reported in chapters 2–8 have been derived, to the extent possible, from the most recent peer-reviewed literature and from official technical reports. Natural sources, which include the contribution from oceans and other surface waters, rocks, top soils and vegetation, volcanoes and other geothermal activities and biomass burning are estimated to release annually about 5207 Mg of mercury, part of which represent previously deposited anthropogenic and natural mercury from the atmosphere to ecosystem-receptors due to historic releases and part is a new contribution from natural reservoirs. Current anthropogenic sources, which include a large number of industrial point sources are estimated to release about 2917 Mg of mercury on an annual basis, the major contribution is from fossil fuel-fired power plants (1422 Mg yr-1), artisanal small scale gold mining (400 Mg yr-1), waste disposal (187 Mg yr-1), non-ferrous metals manufacturing (310 Mg yr-1) and cement production (236 Mg yr-1). Our current estimate of global emissions suggest that summing up the contribution from natural and anthropogenic sources nearly 8124 Mg of mercury is released annually to the global atmosphere. The evaluation of global emissions presented in this report differs from previous published assessments because in the past, emissions from several sources, i.e., forest fires and coal-bed fires have not been accounted for, and also because of improved knowledge of some anthropogenic and natural sources (i.e., emissions from oceans, vegetation) as suggested by the most up-to-date literature.

Organisms of the planktonic food web convey essential nutrients as well as contaminants to animals at higher trophic levels. We measured concentrations of methyl mercury (MeHg) and essential fatty acids (EFAs, key nutrients for aquatic food webs) in four size categories of planktonic organisms - seston (10-64 microm), micro-(100-200 microm), meso-(200-500 microm), and macrozooplankton (>500 microm) - as well as total mercury (THg) and EFAs in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in coastal lakes. We demonstrate that, in all lakes during this summer sampling, MeHg concentrations of planktonic organisms increase significantly with plankton size, independent of their taxonomic composition, and that their MeHg accumulation patterns predict significantly THg concentrations in rainbow trout (R2=0.71, p

August 2004, sediment cores were drilled at three selected sites in the Balhua Reservoir. The three sites from upstream to downstream, named the Yanjiaozhai site, the Matou site and the Bengfang site were located. Total mercury (THg) in porewater was analyzed respectively by BrC1 oxidation, SnC12 reduction, gold trap collection and CVAFS. MeHg in sediment samples was analyzed by CH2C12 extraction, NaBEt4 ethylation, Tenax trap collection and GC-CVAFS. The same methods were applied for MeHg in porewater except CH2C12 pretreatment. MeHg content in sediment samples varied between 0.6 ng/g and 27.5 ng/g. THg and MeHg concentrations in porewater samples were 6.1-5863.9 ng/L and 0.67-16.27 ng/L, respectively.

LA-ICP-MS line scans can provide equivalent or better information about the distribution of elements in heterogeneous solids than discrete spot analysis; and at much reduced time and cost. However, to do so, the spatial resolution for given instrumentation and operating conditions must be known. Here, we present a quantitative and reproducible method to do this that requires line scans across a sandwich of three glasses of varying certified concentrations of trace elements. To produce sufficient counting statistics, only Ca, Sr, Rb, and Pb were analysed. Raw data (counts per second) are reduced to “instantaneous concentration” and then filtered to produce concentration profiles that contain the same dimensions as the original data. The spatial resolution is empirically determined from these profiles by using a statistical “confidence” window. Spatial resolution is controlled by the magnitude of concentration gradients, the direction of concentration shifts, and the instrumental configuration and settings such as cell size and shape, and the speed of the scan. Spatial resolution is better for increasing concentration profiles than decreasing ones by a factor of 2. The relationship between the magnitude of the concentration gradient and the spatial resolution is linear. Therefore, once the range of concentration variation is known in any target, a minimum resolution can be determined from this linear relationship. The spatial resolutions of the three elements examined are observed to be the same suggesting that element specific ablation behaviours are not a significant control on spatial resolution. A Sr concentration profile from a natural sample (fish otolith) is generated, and the resolutions from the glass sandwich are applied. For the concentrations observed and the settings and hardware used, a minimum spatial resolution of 50 µm was calculated. Concentration variations at smaller scales can be detected but not quantified.

The government of British Columbia and Spectra Energy are partnering to explore the potential of CCS in British Columbia to reduce emissions from Spectra Energy’s Fort Nelson gas processing facility. This work is part of a site characterization study, which aims to assess the viability of such a project in the province. Dissolution rates of Keg River carbonates immersed in Keg River brines collected in May 2009 were measured. Experimental conditions simulating injection and formation conditions were CO 2 at 50 bar and 105 °C. Results are higher but within an order of magnitude of literature values at similar pressure temperature conditions with values of Log R up to −8.45 mol⋅cm −2 ⋅s −1 . Experiments showed a strong effect of rock and fluid composition on reaction kinetics. The same experimental materials and conditions but using a synthetic 0.1M NaCl brine produced elevated reaction rates, potentially due to a lack of compositional inhibition that are caused by more complex mixtures. A full reactive transport simulation using these results would help constrain the spatial extent dissolution throughout the saline formation being considered for injection.