Perch mercury content is related to acidity and color of 26 Russian lakes

Abstract

We determined mercury in fish (perch Perca fluviatilis) from 26 Russian lakes in three regions over four years. The lakes ranged in size from 2 to 395,000 ha, in pH from 4.5 to 10.0, and in color from 3 to 190 hazen. Sixteen lakes were drainage lakes, with permanent outlets, and 10 were seepage lakes, with no permanent inlets or outlets. The lakes were generally located in forested regions with little or no human habitation in the watershed. The three regions were geologically distinct: Precambrian Shield granitic bedrock covered with thin soil; Triassic bedrock covered with thick glacial tills; and Triassic bedrock covered with thin sediments. At each lake water samples were collected and analyzed for pH, add neutralizing capacity (ANC), major cations, and anions. Dissolved mercury species were estimated with a thermodynamic equilibrium model (MINTEQA2). Mercury content of dorsal muscle varied from 0.04 to 1.0 μg/g wet weight, and was linearly related to calculated HgCH3Cl (r20.68, p<0.001). Lake HgCH3Cl, in turn, was related to lake pH (r2=0.86, p<0.001). Stepwise multiple regression selected lake HgCH3Cl and color as the factors most highly related to fish mercury content, with the model accounting for 75% of the variation.