Variation and distribution of total mercury in water, sediment and soil from northern Lake Victoria, East Africa

Abstract

Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical freshwater lake, is an important resource, ecologi- cally and economically. THg distribution in the northern parts of the lake are not well known, so to answer this gap, patterns in total mercury (THg) in water, soil and two dated sediment cores from north- ern Lake Victoria were determined. Water THg concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 5.8 ng/L, and there were no apparent differences observed between Napoleon and Winam Gulfs. Two precipitation samples had Hg concentrations of 7 and 31 ng/L. Surface soil samples collected from various agricultural sites around Jinja, Napoleon Gulf, have THg concentrations between 12.7 and 48.4 ng/g dry weight; they were correlated with organic carbon, total phosphorus and % clay. A near-shore core taken in Itome Bay in Napoleon Gulf, and an offshore core collected from the deepest part of the lake had similar THg concentrations and profiles (78 to 458 ng/g dry weight). The increase in THg concentration in the pro- files of both cores began around 1960 and peaked around 1980. The similar sedimentary THg profiles and fluxes in the cores suggest that the THg sources to L. Victoria are primarily atmospheric, with some erosion inputs, and that equatorial African ecosystems are not exempt from the global increase in base- line THg concentrations.