Mercury contamination in river systems due to historic and current Hg releases is a persistent concern for both wildlife and human health. In larger rivers, like the Ohio River, USA, it is difficult to directly link Hg discharges to bioaccumulation due to the existence of multiple industrial Hg sources as well as the varied dietary and migratory habits of biota. To better understand how industrial effluent influences the cycling and bioaccumulation of Hg within the Ohio River, Hg stable isotope analysis was applied to various nonbiological and biological media. High Hg concentrations in suspended particulate matter suggest this vector was the largest contributor of Hg to the water column, and distinct Hg source signatures were observed in effluent particulates from different industrial processes, such as chlor‐alkali activity (δ²⁰²Hg = −0.52‰) and coal power plant discharge (δ²⁰²Hg = −1.39‰). Despite this distinction, average sediments (δ²⁰²Hg = −1.00 ± 0.23‰) showed intermediate isotopic signatures that suggest the accumulation of a mixed Hg source driven by multiple industrial discharges. Biota in the system were shown to have a conserved range of δ²⁰²Hg and estimation approaches related these signatures back to particulate matter within Hannibal Pool. Mussels were found to conserve Hg isotopes signatures independently of food web drivers and served as ideal water column indicators of bioaccumulated Hg sources. This study highlights the complexity of Hg cycling within an industrialized river and shows that an isotope tracer approach can provide insight to water column sources of Hg. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:233−242. Published 2020. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

中文翻译：

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在美国俄亥俄河汉尼拔池中使用稳定同位素方法深入了解汞源识别和生物积累。

由于历史和当前的汞排放导致河流系统中的汞污染一直是野生动物和人类健康关注的问题。在美国俄亥俄河等较大的河流中，由于存在多种工业汞源以及生物群的不同饮食和迁徙习惯，很难将汞排放与生物蓄积直接联系起来。为了更好地了解工业废水如何影响俄亥俄河内汞的循环和生物积累，将汞稳定同位素分析应用于各种非生物和生物介质。悬浮颗粒物中的高 Hg 浓度表明该载体是 Hg 对水柱的最大贡献者，并且在来自不同工业过程的流出颗粒物中观察到不同的 Hg 来源特征，例如氯碱活性（δ²⁰² Hg = -0.52‰）和燃煤电厂排放（δ ²⁰² Hg = -1.39‰）。尽管有这种区别，但平均沉积物（δ ²⁰² Hg = -1.00 ± 0.23‰）显示出中间同位素特征，表明由多个工业排放驱动的混合汞源的积累。系统中的生物群被证明具有 δ ^{202的保守范围}汞和估计方法将这些特征与汉尼拔池中的颗粒物联系起来。贻贝被发现可以独立于食物网驱动因素保存汞同位素特征，并作为生物蓄积汞来源的理想水柱指标。这项研究强调了工业化河流中汞循环的复杂性，并表明同位素示踪方法可以提供对汞水柱来源的洞察。集成环境评估管理2021；17:233−242。2020 年出版。本文是美国政府的作品，在美国属于公共领域。