Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
A Synthesis Of Rates And Controls On Elemental Mercury Evasion In The Great Lakes Basin, Joseph S. Denkenberger, Charles T. Driscoll, Brian A. Branfireun, Chris S. Eckley, Mark Cohen, Pranesh Selvendiran
A Synthesis Of Rates And Controls On Elemental Mercury Evasion In The Great Lakes Basin, Joseph S. Denkenberger, Charles T. Driscoll, Brian A. Branfireun, Chris S. Eckley, Mark Cohen, Pranesh Selvendiran
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Rates of surface-air elemental mercury (Hgo) fluxes in the literature were synthesized for the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). For the majority of surfaces, fluxes were net positive (evasion). Digital land-cover data were combined with representative evasion rates and used to estimate annual Hgo evasion for the GLB (7.7 Mg/yr). This value is less than our estimate of total Hg deposition to the area (15.9 Mg/yr), suggesting the GLB is a net sink for atmospheric Hg. The greatest contributors to annual evasion for the basin are agricultural (~55%) and forest (~25%) land cover types, and the open water of the Great …
Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Mercury Accumulation In Lacustrine Sediments Across The Laurentian Great Lakes Region, Paul E. Drevnick, Daniel R. Engstrom, Charles T. Driscoll, Edward B. Swain, Steven J. Balogh
Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Mercury Accumulation In Lacustrine Sediments Across The Laurentian Great Lakes Region, Paul E. Drevnick, Daniel R. Engstrom, Charles T. Driscoll, Edward B. Swain, Steven J. Balogh
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Data from 104 sediment cores from the Great Lakes and “inland lakes” in the region were compiled to assess historical and recent changes in mercury (Hg) deposition. The lower Great Lakes showed sharp increases in Hg loading c. 1850-1950 from point-source water dischargers, with marked decreases during the past half century associated with effluent controls and decreases in the industrial use of Hg. In contrast, Lake Superior and inland lakes exhibited a pattern of Hg loading consistent with an atmospheric source - gradual increases followed by recent (post-1980) decreases. Variation in sedimentary Hg flux among inland lakes was primarily attributed …