Feng Xinbin, Wang Xun, Jia Longyu, Yuan Wei, Lu Meng, Liu Nantao, Wu Fei, Cai Xinyuan, Wang Feiyue, Lin Che-Jen
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Natl Sci Rev. 2024 Nov 15;12(1):nwae414. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwae414. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Wetlands in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are a unique and fragile ecosystem undergoing rapid changes. We show two unique patterns of mercury (Hg) accumulation in wetland sediments. One is the 'surface peak' in monsoon-controlled regions and the other is the 'subsurface peak' in westerly-controlled regions. The former is attributed to the combined effects of increasing anthropogenic emissions and climate-induced changes in the cryosphere and wetland hydrology in the last 100-150 years. The climate changes in westerly-controlled regions in the last 50-70 years led to a fluctuation in hydrology and Hg peak in the sediment subsurface. The increase in legacy Hg input from soil erosion has largely enhanced the Hg accumulation rate in wetlands since the 1950s, especially in the proglacial wetlands. We highlight that accelerated glacier melting and permafrost thawing caused by global warming have altered geomorphology and hydrology, and affected Hg transport and accumulation in wetlands.
青藏高原的湿地是一个独特而脆弱的生态系统，正经历着快速变化。我们展示了湿地沉积物中汞（Hg）积累的两种独特模式。一种是季风控制区的“表层峰值”，另一种是西风控制区的“次表层峰值”。前者归因于过去100 - 150年间人为排放增加以及冰冻圈和湿地水文的气候诱导变化的综合影响。过去50 - 70年间西风控制区的气候变化导致了水文波动和沉积物次表层的汞峰值。自20世纪50年代以来，土壤侵蚀带来的遗留汞输入增加在很大程度上提高了湿地中的汞积累速率，尤其是在冰前湿地。我们强调，全球变暖导致的冰川加速融化和永久冻土解冻改变了地貌和水文，并影响了湿地中汞的迁移和积累。
