Abstract
The concentration of Hg was studied in runoff from drained and undrained peatlands in the south and central parts of Sweden, from 1987 to 1989. Mercury was speciated into total Hg, water-soluble Hg (Hg II) including reactive Hg (Hg IIa) and non-reactive Hg (Hg IIb), and methyl Hg. The aim of the study was to investigate if normally low concentrations of different species of Hg in runoff from peatland were elevated at drained mires with peat-harvesting. Five drained mires with different nutrient statuses were studied, and compared with undrained controls. The highest concentration of total Hg (5.3 to 21.3 ng L−1) was found in runoff from an undrained, oligotrophic bog with low pH (3.79 to 4.08). Mires in south Sweden showed in general higher concentrations of all species of Hg in runoff compared to central Sweden. The concentrations of total Hg, Hg IIa and Hg IIb in runoff from peatland showed similar levels as runoff from forested areas. No data showed that the drained peatland leached more total Hg than the undrained areas.
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