Accelerated Hg loss and increased methylmercury covary with soil organic matter mineralization and dissolved organic matter humification under warming conditions in permafrost marsh, Northeast China

Abstract

Currently, little is available on how mercury (Hg) methylation couples with soil organic matter decomposition in degraded permafrost in high northern latitudes, where the climate is becoming warmer rapidly. Here, we revealed the complex interactions between soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization, dissolved organic matter (DOM) and methylmercury (MeHg) production based on an 87-day anoxic warming incubation experiment. Results supported remarkably promotion effects of warming on MeHg production, by 130%–205% on average. Total mercury (THg) loss under warming treatment depended on marsh types but showed an increasing trend on the whole. Warming yielded higher proportions of MeHg to THg (%MeHg), increased by 123%–569%. As expected, greenhouse gas emission was significantly enhanced by warming. Warming also strengthened fluorescence intensities of fulvic-like and protein-like DOM, with contributions to total fluorescence intensities of 49%–92% and 8%–51%, respectively. DOM and its spectral features explained 60% variation of MeHg, and the explanation increased to 82% in conjunction with greenhouse gas emissions. The structural equation model implied that warming, greenhouse gas emission, and humification of DOM had positive effects on Hg methylation potential, while microbial-derived DOM showed negative effects on MeHg. These results showed that accelerated Hg loss and increased methylation covaried with greenhouse gas emission and DOM formation under warming conditions in permafrost marsh.