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Hg distribution and speciation in Antarctic soils of the Fildes and Ardley peninsulas, King George Island

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2012

Renato Pereira De Andrade ,
Roberto Ferreira Machado Michel ,
Carlos Ernerto Gonçalves Reynaud Schaefer ,
Felipe Nogueira Bello Simas  and
Cláudia Carvalhinho Windmöller
Renato Pereira De Andrade
Affiliation:
Minas Gerais Federal Center for Technological Education, 35790-000, MG Brazil
Roberto Ferreira Machado Michel
Affiliation:
State Environment Foundation of Minas Gerais, 31630-900, MG Brazil
Carlos Ernerto Gonçalves Reynaud Schaefer
Affiliation:
Federal University of Viçosa, Soil Science Department, 36570-000, MG Brazil
Felipe Nogueira Bello Simas
Affiliation:
Federal University of Viçosa, Soil Science Department, 36570-000, MG Brazil
Cláudia Carvalhinho Windmöller*
Affiliation:
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Chemistry Department, 31270-901, MG Brazil
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

Data on the content and speciation of mercury (Hg) in the soils of Antarctica are scarce and vary greatly between the regions studied, but overall Hg concentrations found were generally very low. We investigated the Hg quantity and speciation by solid-phase Hg pyrolysis and chemical fractionation in selected maritime Antarctic soils, comparing ornithogenic and non-ornithogenic areas of the Fildes and Ardley peninsulas of King George Island. The total Hg contents ranged from 4.3–256 ng g-1, and values for ornithogenic soils were the highest recorded for Antarctic soils. A close correlation between Hg and organic matter was observed in the ornithogenic soils, with levels decreasing with depth. In the non-ornithogenic soils, a correlation between Hg content and soil depth was also observed, but the values were found to increase with depth. Thermograms showed that all Hg was in the 2+ oxidation state and was predominantly linked to organic matter, corroborating the chemical fractionation results for the ornithogenic soils. These results show the need for further refined studies about the interactions of Hg with organic matter in order to better understand the biogeochemistry of this metal in the Antarctic environment.

Keywords

direct mercury analyserHg contaminationornithogenic soilssoil analysistotal mercury
Type
Earth Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , 17 July 2012 , pp. 395 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2012

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