Understanding the relationships between mercury concentration and certain water quality characteristics in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fisher S. 2016. Understanding the relationships between mercury concentration and certain water quality characteristics in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
From March through October, 2007-2009, periodic sampling of precipitation, throughfall, litterfall, soil and streamwater was carried out at high elevation sites; Clingmans Dome, and Noland Divide experimental watershed, and at a low elevation site on Noland Creek about a mile upstream from its confluence with Fontana Lake. Estimates of total input of mercury in 2008 are 17.93 ug m2 per year and output as streamflow 2.72 ug m2 per year, respectively. The difference (total input - output) or the unaccounted for mercury is 15.21 ug m-2 per year or 84.8% of the total input, consistent with values reported in the literature. This gap in the mercury budget is presumably accounted for by re-emission (volatilization) of mercury from soil and canopy surfaces and by retention in soil. The re-emission of mercury is a critical link in determining what fraction of mercury is newly deposited versus that which is merely recycled within the environment. Mean (± standard error) volume-weighted throughfall concentrations (direct deposit on the soil) for the two years of this study fell between 11.24 and 18.52 ng/L. Litterfall concentrations (mercury on or taken into the leaves and then added to the soil in the autumn) were between 32.03 to 72.66 ng/g.
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Fisher, Suzanne
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10-11
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, GRSM Permitted Study ID: GRSM-00449, SER, Southeast Region
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry