Abstract
Results from a large-scale study of Mersey Estuary, U.K. sediments are discussed. Correlations are drawn between total mercury, methyl mercury, silt and organic carbon contents of the sediments. These correlations are compared to earlier results, and coefficients range from 0.55 to 0.94. The influence of redox potential and the sulphide content of a sediment on both the ambient level of methyl mercury and the extent of a growth and decay effect in methyl mercury levels in sediments after sampling is discussed. The results show that in an esturary (Clyde, U.K.) where sulphide levels vary from 0 to 8.5 mg g −1 there is a maximum level of methyl mercury found at approximately 5.8 mg g −1 sulphide, suggesting that sulphide concentrations may control methyl mercury levels.
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