Distribution of mercury in six lake sediment cores across the UK

Abstract

Six sediment cores, from Lochnagar, Loch Chon and Loch Grannoch in Scotland, Burnmoor Tarn in the English Lake District, Llyn Llagi in the Snowdonia region of Wales and Banbury Reservoir in London, were taken in order to study the distribution of Hg temporally and historically in lake sediments across the UK. These cores were dated using the spheroidal carbonaceous particle technique. The cores show that all sites across the UK have been contaminated by Hg. There is a rapid increase in Hg concentration during the last approximately 200 years at all rural sites. In the 95 year record from Banbury Reservoir in London the sediments show high Hg concentrations (380–840 ng g −1) throughout. Inter-site differences in Hg concentrations and profiles may be explained by impacts of afforestation, composition of the sediments and the provenance of the Hg including catchment in-wash influences. For example, catchment contributions result in a sharp peak (1606 ng g −1) in the Hg concentration profile in the core taken from Loch Chon in the Trossachs region of Scotland. Mercury fluxes were calculated for the sediment cores and show that over the last few decades these UK sites, except Lochnagar, would fall into the upper range for European rural areas.