Permafrost degradation enhances the risk of mercury release on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has been degrading in the past decades. While the degradation may mobilize previously protected material from the permafrost profile, little is known about the stocks and stability of mercury (Hg) in the QTP permafrost. Here we measured total soil Hg in 265 samples from 15 permafrost cores ranging from 3 to 18 m depth, and 45 active layer (AL) soil samples from different land cover types on the QTP. Approximately 21.7 Gg of Hg was stored in surficial permafrost (0–3 m), with 16.58 Gg of Hg was stored in the active layer. Results from six permafrost collapse areas showed that much of the thawed Hg is mobile, with decreases in total Hg mass of 17.6–30.9% for the AL (top 30 cm) in comparison with non-thermokarst surfaces. We conclude that the QTP permafrost region has a large mercury pool, and the stored mercury is sensitive to permafrost degradation.