Bindler R, Renberg I, Appleby P G, Anderson N J, Rose N L
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Environ Sci Technol. 2001 May 1;35(9):1736-41. doi: 10.1021/es0002868.
The Arctic is recognized as an important focus for long-range transport of contaminants, such as mercury (Hg), from industrial regions at lower latitudes. In addition to large geographic gaps, there are few long-term retrospective time trends in arctic research, besides the Greenland ice record, to assess the onset of atmospheric pollution as well as to establish the rates of change in the terrestrial environment. In a study of sediments from 21 lakes along a 150 km transect from the coast to the ice sheet margin in the Søndre Strømfjord (Kangerlussuaq) region, we present stratigraphic evidence for elevated Hg inputs to this ice-free region on Greenland's west coast. Nineteen study lakes showed Hg concentration enrichments (HgEFconc) in surface compared to deeper sediments, with a mean HgEFconc of 3. Higher HgEFconc are found in lakes closest to the ice margin. The existence of this Hg gradient is supported by pollution Hg inventories in three 210Pb-dated cores. While 210Pb inventories and Pb pollution are higher at the coast, pollution Hg inventories are nearly 3-fold higher at the ice margin (570 micrograms m-2) than at the coast (210 micrograms m-2). These dated cores also indicate an onset of Hg pollution in the region beginning at least by the late 19th century but possibly as early as the 17th century.
北极被认为是来自低纬度工业区的污染物（如汞（Hg））长距离传输的重要关注区域。除了巨大的地理差距外，除了格陵兰冰芯记录外，北极研究中几乎没有长期回顾性时间趋势来评估大气污染的开始以及确定陆地环境的变化速率。在一项对从 Søndre Strømfjord（康克鲁斯瓦格）地区海岸到冰盖边缘 150 公里横断面沿线 21 个湖泊沉积物的研究中，我们提供了格陵兰西海岸这个无冰区域汞输入增加的地层证据。19 个研究湖泊的表层汞浓度相对于深层沉积物有富集（HgEFconc），平均 HgEFconc 为 3。在最靠近冰缘的湖泊中发现了更高的 HgEFconc。三个 210Pb 测年岩芯中的污染汞存量支持了这种汞梯度的存在。虽然海岸处的 210Pb 存量和铅污染较高，但冰缘处的污染汞存量（570 微克/平方米）几乎是海岸处（210 微克/平方米）的 3 倍。这些测年岩芯还表明，该地区汞污染至少从 19 世纪后期开始，但可能早在 17 世纪就已开始。
