Abstract
Mercury dynamics in hydroelectric reservoirs have been studied worldwide. In tropical reservoirs, especially in those of the Amazon, the influence of geochemistry on Hg levels along this aquatic system is not well understood. The main objective of the present study was to assess the influence of environmental conditions (physical and chemical water parameters, trace element concentrations of sediment and sediment geochemistry) on mercury levels of sediment along the Balbina Reservoir (Amazon basin, Brazil). Sediment was collected along the reservoir and in the main tributaries in May 2015 (n = 10). These samples were assessed for labile iron (LFe), manganese (LMn), aluminum (LAl) and mercury (LHg) concentrations, total mercury (THg) concentrations, organic matter (OM) content, and granulometry. Concentrations in the sediment were 4–212 (LFe), 2–460 (LAl), 180–613 (LMn), < detection limit–256 (LHg), and 12–307 μg kg−1 dry weight (THg). In general, these concentrations decreased along the reservoir from upstream to downstream, reaching the lowest concentrations in the middle of the lake, and they increased in the sampling points near the dam. The lability and concentrations of mercury were influenced by the concentrations of LFe, LMn, LAl, and the granulometry and OM content of the sediment. Altogether, THg concentrations of sediments of the Balbina Reservoir encompass the range of concentrations of other reservoirs or natural lakes in the Amazon basin (from ten to a few hundred μg kg−1 dry weight).
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the financial support of Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Programa de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento da Energia Sustentável do Brasil, ANEEL/PD-6631-0001/2012) and for the post-graduate scholarship of Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (finance code 001). The authors also extend their thanks to Bruce R. Forsberg to provide the mercury analyzer instrument, to Jussival A. P. Novas for assistance with fieldwork and to Wllyane S. Figueiredo for assistance with map work. We are thankful to two anonymous reviewers that help to improve the text.
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(i) Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Programa de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento da Energia Sustentável do Brasil, ANEEL/PD-6631-0001/2012) and (ii) This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brasil (finance code 001).
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Conceptualization: Cássio A. S. Oliveira, Daniele Kasper, Ézio S. Junior, Marcos A. Bolson, Larissa Torrezani, Luiz F. Zara; Sampling and analysis: Cássio A. S. Oliveira, Ézio S. Junior, Marcos A. Bolson, Larissa Torrezani; Funding acquisition: Ézio S. Junior, Luiz F. Zara; Data interpretation and writing: Cássio A. S. Oliveira, Daniele Kasper, Ézio S. Junior, Marcos A. Bolson, Larissa Torrezani, Luiz F. Zara.
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da Silva Oliveira, C.A., Kasper, D., Sargentini Junior, É. et al. Influence of environmental conditions on the mercury levels of the sediment along the Balbina Reservoir, Brazilian Amazon. Environ Monit Assess 193, 50 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08837-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08837-7