Kvicksilver i avrinningsområdet med sjön Two-Boat Lake, Grönland : Analys av kvicksilver i markprover och sedimentprover

Mercury is regarded as a pollution element and is transported via the atmosphere. Mercury binds to organic matter and my results show that this is the case also in the drainage area of Two- Boat Lake. Silty peat samples show the same trend in mercury concentrations with depth as those of organic matter concnetratrions. A long sediment core (30 cm) show the similar trend in mercury with depth as silty peat cores, with higher levels close to the top of the profiles as can be explaned by the industrialization that started around year 1850. Soil samples with vegetation by grass and birch show higher mercury than in the soil without vegetation (mineral soil), but wetlands with silty peat contains both higher mercury concnetrations and higher mercury inventories (mg Hg m-2). Lake sediment samples show higher carbon level in sediment taken from shallow areas with aquatic plants, but the mercury concentrations still increase with increased water depth. This is because light mineral particles and degraded organic material rich in Hg preferentially accumulate in the deep basin of the lake. Throughout the area, the terrestrial pool contains more mercury than the aquatic pool. In the terrestrial system, peat contains most mercury even though it has the smallest area and mercury per square meter is highest in peat