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Comparing ecosystem gaseous elemental mercury fluxes over a deciduous and coniferous forest

Author

Listed:
  • Jun Zhou

    (University of Massachusetts
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Silas W. Bollen

    (University of Massachusetts)

  • Eric M. Roy

    (University of Massachusetts
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • David Y. Hollinger

    (Northern Research Station)

  • Ting Wang

    (University of Massachusetts)

  • John T. Lee

    (University of Maine)

  • Daniel Obrist

    (University of Massachusetts
    University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources)

Abstract

Sources of neurotoxic mercury in forests are dominated by atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) deposition, but a dearth of direct GEM exchange measurements causes major uncertainties about processes that determine GEM sinks. Here we present three years of forest-level GEM deposition measurements in a coniferous forest and a deciduous forest in northeastern USA, along with flux partitioning into canopy and forest floor contributions. Annual GEM deposition is 13.4 ± 0.80 μg m−2 (coniferous forest) and 25.1 ± 2.4 μg m−2 (deciduous forest) dominating mercury inputs (62 and 76% of total deposition). GEM uptake dominates in daytime during active vegetation periods and correlates with CO2 assimilation, attributable to plant stomatal uptake of mercury. Non-stomatal GEM deposition occurs in the coniferous canopy during nights and to the forest floor in the deciduous forest and accounts for 24 and 39% of GEM deposition, respectively. Our study shows that GEM deposition includes various pathways and is highly ecosystem-specific, which complicates global constraints of terrestrial GEM sinks.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun Zhou & Silas W. Bollen & Eric M. Roy & David Y. Hollinger & Ting Wang & John T. Lee & Daniel Obrist, 2023. "Comparing ecosystem gaseous elemental mercury fluxes over a deciduous and coniferous forest," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-38225-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38225-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Obrist & Yannick Agnan & Martin Jiskra & Christine L. Olson & Dominique P. Colegrove & Jacques Hueber & Christopher W. Moore & Jeroen E. Sonke & Detlev Helmig, 2017. "Tundra uptake of atmospheric elemental mercury drives Arctic mercury pollution," Nature, Nature, vol. 547(7662), pages 201-204, July.
    2. Nahuel Bautista & Bruno D. V. Marino & J. William Munger, 2021. "Science to Commerce: A Commercial-Scale Protocol for Carbon Trading Applied to a 28-Year Record of Forest Carbon Monitoring at the Harvard Forest," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Jacqueline R. Gerson & Natalie Szponar & Angelica Almeyda Zambrano & Bridget Bergquist & Eben Broadbent & Charles T. Driscoll & Gideon Erkenswick & David C. Evers & Luis E. Fernandez & Heileen Hsu-Kim, 2022. "Amazon forests capture high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
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