Enhanced Susceptibility of Methylmercury Bioaccumulation into Seston of the Laurentian Great Lakes.

ABSTRACT: Mercury concentrations in the Laurentian Great Lakes waters are among the lowest reported in the literature, while game fish concentrations approach consumption advisory limits, particularly in Lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan, indicating efficient methylmercury transfer from water to game fish. To determine if increased transfer efficiency is evident within the lower food web, we measured (2010-2018) mercury and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in water, and in size-sieved seston, dietary tracers (carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios), phytoplankton methylmercury bioaccumulation, and methylmercury biomagnification between increasing seston size fractions. We observed consistently low filter-passing methylmercury (<0.010 ng L^-1) and comparatively variable DOC (1.1 to 3.4 mg L

SUBMITTER: Ogorek JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10630952 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature