Mercury monitoring in the coastal areas of the Republic of Korea using the black-tailed gull egg as an indicator

Abstract

In the southeast and east coasts of the Republic of Korea, it is essential to monitor mercury accumulation in coastal organisms in view of the higher mercury distribution in sediments and human samples. However, mercury pollution monitoring in organisms, especially higher trophic-level organisms that can exhibit high mercury accumulation, is limited. Here, we examined the applicability of the eggs of the black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris), which belongs to a high trophic level, for mercury monitoring in coastal areas. Breeding sites were selected in West, Southeast, and East Seas with different mercury concentrations in other matrices (sediment and biological samples of residents). The 5-year mean total mercury concentration in eggs collected during the breeding seasons from 2016 to 2020 was lower in Baengnyeongdo (705 ± 81 ng/g dry weight (dry), West Sea) than in Hongdo (1,207 ± 214 ng/g dry, Southeast Sea) and Ulleungdo (1,095 ± 95 ng/g dry, East Sea). The different patterns of mercury concentration in gull eggs among the breeding sites was consistent with those in the other matrices among the coastal areas. These results support the applicability of the black-tailed gull egg as an indicator for establishing a monitoring framework in the coastal areas of the Republic of Korea.