Articles | Volume 21, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1461-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1461-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Mar 2024
Research article |
| 20 Mar 2024
| 20 Mar 2024
Above- and belowground plant mercury dynamics in a salt marsh estuary in Massachusetts, USA
Ting Wang
Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Buyun Du
Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
College of Environment and Ecology, Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing, 210005, China
Inke Forbrich
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Department of Environmental Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
Joshua Polen
Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Elsie M. Sunderland
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Prentiss H. Balcom
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Celia Chen
Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
Daniel Obrist
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
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Ashu Dastoor, Hélène Angot, Johannes Bieser, Flora Brocza, Brock Edwards, Aryeh Feinberg, Xinbin Feng, Benjamin Geyman, Charikleia Gournia, Yipeng He, Ian M. Hedgecock, Ilia Ilyin, Jane Kirk, Che-Jen Lin, Igor Lehnherr, Robert Mason, David McLagan, Marilena Muntean, Peter Rafaj, Eric M. Roy, Andrei Ryjkov, Noelle E. Selin, Francesco De Simone, Anne L. Soerensen, Frits Steenhuisen, Oleg Travnikov, Shuxiao Wang, Xun Wang, Simon Wilson, Rosa Wu, Qingru Wu, Yanxu Zhang, Jun Zhou, Wei Zhu, and Scott Zolkos
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 2747–2860, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2747-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2747-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This paper introduces the Multi-Compartment Mercury (Hg) Modeling and Analysis Project (MCHgMAP) aimed at informing the effectiveness evaluations of two multilateral environmental agreements: the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The experimental design exploits a variety of models (atmospheric, land, oceanic ,and multimedia mass balance models) to assess the short- and long-term influences of anthropogenic Hg releases into the environment.
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Short summary
The strong seasonal increases of Hg in aboveground biomass during the growing season and the lack of changes observed after senescence in this salt marsh ecosystem suggest physiologically controlled Hg uptake pathways. The Hg sources found in marsh aboveground tissues originate from a mix of sources, unlike terrestrial ecosystems, where atmospheric GEM is the main source. Belowground plant tissues mostly take up Hg from soils. Overall, the salt marsh currently serves as a small net Hg sink.
The strong seasonal increases of Hg in aboveground biomass during the growing season and the...
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