Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chun-Mao Tseng, Shin-Jing Ang, Yi-Sheng Chen, Jen-Chieh Shiao, Carl H. Lamborg, Xiaoshuai He, John R. Reinfelder
Summary: Research shows that the mercury accumulation rate in bluefin tuna is highest in the Mediterranean Sea, decreases in the North Pacific, Indian Ocean, and North Atlantic Ocean, correlating with the concentrations of MeHg in regional seawater and zooplankton. These differences are related to the levels of mercury in each ocean subbasin, geogenic enrichment, and anthropogenic contamination.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael S. Bank, Sylvia Frantzen, Arne Duinker, David Amouroux, Emmanuel Tessier, Kjell Nedreaas, Amund Maage, Bente M. Nilsen
Summary: Mercury pollution in the ocean, particularly in marine apex predators like Greenland halibut, has been a global concern. A study on Greenland halibut showed a decrease in Hg bioaccumulation in fillet tissue over a ten-year period, with methylmercury being the predominant form. The decrease in Hg concentrations was attributed to factors such as declines in Hg air emissions, estimated trophic position, and trophic shifts in the food web dynamics.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tianyu Zhang, Yi Qu, Qianqian Zhang, Jia Tang, Ruiwen Cao, Zhijun Dong, Qing Wang, Jianmin Zhao
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of ocean acidification and warming on the herbivorous gastropod Trochus niloticus, showing that both factors can lead to physiological disturbances, impaired immune functions, oxidative balance, neurotoxicity, and disorder of energy metabolism. Integrated biomarker response confirmed that the overall fitness of T. niloticus was deleteriously impacted and more stressed under the co-exposure condition, indicating potential long-term impairments to the viability of T. niloticus in the future ocean, leading to degradation of coral reef ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eileen H. Bates, Lindsay Alma, Tamas Ugrai, Alexander Gagnon, Michael Maher, Paul McElhany, Jacqueline L. Padilla-Gamino
Summary: The study compared trace metal concentrations in tissue of Mediterranean mussels and Olympia oysters at different sites in Puget Sound, Washington to understand differences in bioaccumulation based on species, location, and shellfish size. The research found that metal concentrations in shellfish varied between sites and were influenced by factors such as water chemistry and shellfish size.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhuoan Bai, Nan Wang, Min-Sub Kim, Young Hwan Lee, Jae-Seong Lee, Da-Zhi Wang, Minghua Wang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of warmer temperature (26 degrees C) and mercury pollution (1 mu g/L) on the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus across three generations (F0-F2). Phenotypic traits, mercury accumulation, and proteomic analysis were performed. The results showed that both warmer temperature and mercury exposure significantly impacted the phenotypic traits. Combined exposure increased mercury bioaccumulation and its toxicity in each generation. Proteomic analysis revealed that warmer temperature upregulated the determination of adult lifespan pathway but compromised fitness. Mercury pollution caused energy depletion and reduced defense performance, leading to decreased reproduction. Importantly, warmer temperature aggravated mercury toxicity by disrupting energy metabolism and impairing detoxification systems. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of T. japonicus response to coastal warming and mercury pollution.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qianyun Zhong, Lianzhen Li, Mengchang He, Wei Ouyang, Chunye Lin, Xitao Liu
Summary: Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the toxicity of antimony (Sb) to earthworms in four different agricultural soils. The earthworms clearly avoided the Sb spiked soils, and the avoidance response was correlated to the exposure dose. Different toxic effects of Sb were observed in the four types of soils, with antimony being more toxic in sandy alkaline soil. The study provided comprehensive data on the toxicological effects of Sb in agricultural soil, which can contribute to ecological risk assessments.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jihun Kim, Dhongil Lim, Dohyun Jeong, Zhaokai Xu, Haryun Kim, Jonguk Kim, Dongsung Kim
Summary: The study investigates the characterization of mercury in the deep-sea ridge environment, focusing on its concentration, chemical forms, and isotopic compositions in surface sediments from the Central Indian Ridge. The results show that hydrothermal activity driven by serpentinization is associated with highly elevated mercury concentrations in sediments near hydrothermal vents. The dominant sources of mercury are syngenetic magmatic or mantle-derived materials, with preferential precipitation of lighter isotopes during sulfide formation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sarah E. Janssen, Christopher J. Kotalik, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Gale B. Beaubien, Joel C. Hoffman, Greg Peterson, Marc A. Mills, David M. Walters
Summary: The transfer of aquatic contaminants, specifically mercury, to terrestrial animals through shoreline spiders has been studied, but there are still uncertainties regarding the estimation of mercury sources. This study collected spiders and aquatic insect larvae from different habitats to examine the transfer of mercury. The results showed a connection between benthic mercury sources and the aquatic food web, and highlighted the importance of selecting appropriate spider taxa for mercury monitoring efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dhiraj Kumar Chaudhary, Hwansuk Kim, Danny Reible, Mikyung Lee, Sunyoung Kim, Lan Hee Kim, Sungpyo Kim, Yongseok Hong
Summary: This study investigated the seasonal trends in bioaccumulation potential and toxic effects of mercury in Asian clams and microbial community. The results showed that mercury accumulation in clams and pore water was highest during the summer season at contaminated sites. The upregulation of biomarker genes in clams indicated their response to mercury contamination. High levels of mercury negatively affected bacterial and metabolic diversities.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hui Zhang, Xian Wu, Qianwen Deng, Leiming Zhang, Xuewu Fu, Xinbin Feng
Summary: A method was developed to preconcentrate dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) and reactive mercury (RHg) in freshwater for stable isotope analysis. Laboratory tests and field measurements demonstrated that this method accurately measures the isotopic compositions of DGM and RHg in freshwater.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jacqueline R. Gerson, Rebecca Dorman, Collin Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, David Walters
Summary: Research shows that selenium exposure may reduce MeHg bioaccumulation and toxicity, but does not affect the MeHg concentration in diatoms under high MeHg treatment. Only in high MeHg treatment, the addition of SeMet leads to a decrease in mayfly MeHg concentrations and biomagnification factors. However, Se is toxic to mayflies, causing negative effects such as reduced escape behavior and prolonged metamorphosis time.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Gabriela A. Santiago, Victor Diego Faria, Felipe Dalmazzo Cirineu, Lucas Luan de Lima Queiroz da Silva, Emerson Carlos de Almeida, Nubya Goncalves Cavallini, Jose Cavalcante Souza Vieira, Ana Angelica Henrique Fernandes, Camila Pereira Braga, Luis Fabricio Zara, Marilia Afonso Rabelo Buzalaf, Jiri Adamec, Pedro de Magalhaes Padilha
Summary: The study aimed to identify mercury-associated protein spots in the liver tissue of rats exposed to low concentrations of mercury and examine their physiological and functional aspects. Proteomic analysis of the liver tissue of Wistar rats exposed to mercury chloride was conducted, revealing 10 mercury-associated protein spots. LC-MS/MS analysis identified 11 metal binding proteins in these spots, with some showing higher mercury concentrations and downregulation, and others being expressed only in the Hg-60 group. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that these proteins, such as GSTM2, Acaa2, and Bhmt, may serve as potential biomarkers for mercury exposure.
Article
Oceanography
Yu Hong, Ying Zhang, Yan Du
Summary: The Southern Ocean is an important region for absorbing and storing anthropogenic heat. This study focuses on the south Indian Ocean and finds distinct warming minimum/cooling and freshening in the subtropical ocean thermocline. The freshening anomaly is advected to the north and subducted into the ocean interior, leading to fresher, deeper, and cooler isopycnal surfaces. This has implications for the future heat storage in the Southern Ocean.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jin Zhang, Chengjun Li, Wenli Tang, Mengjie Wu, Mingying Chen, Huan He, Pei Lei, Huan Zhong
Summary: Wetlands are important areas for studying mercury (Hg) biogeochemistry and have attracted global attention. A literature analysis of 15,813 publications on Hg in wetlands was conducted, revealing the changing focus of research over time. The research priorities for future studies include understanding the factors controlling methylmercury (MeHg) production, demethylation processes, bioaccumulation, and the role of wetlands in Hg circulation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Claudia Cosio, Davide Degli-Esposti, Christine Almunia, Veronique Gaillet, Herve Sartelet, Jean Armengaud, Arnaud Chaumot, Olivier Geffard, Alain Geffard
Summary: The study found that invertebrates fed with methyl-Hg (MeHg) from cell walls of plants had higher concentrations of Hg, potentially triggering different threshold of proteomic response.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)