Introduction to the biogeochemistry of the trace elements themed issue
Guest editors Elsie Sunderland and Lenny Winkel introduce the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts themed issue on biogeochemistry of the trace elements.
Tutorial Review
Environmental significance of trace elements in the Athabasca Bituminous Sands: facts and misconceptions
The distribution of trace elements (TEs) in the bituminous sands is dichotomous: V, Ni, Mo, Se and Re are found predominantly in the bitumen fraction, and all other TEs in the mineral fraction.
Crystal lattice defects in nanocrystalline metacinnabar in contaminated streambank soils suggest a role for biogenic sulfides in the formation of mercury sulfide phases
At mercury (Hg)-contaminated sites, streambank erosion can act as a main mobilizer of Hg into nearby waterbodies.
Extracellular polymeric substances enhance dissolution and microbial methylation of mercury sulfide minerals
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) enhance the dissolution of bulk and nano-scale cinnabar (α-HgS), leading to the release of mercury species that are available for microbial methylmercury (MeHg) production.
Paper
Effects of aluminum incorporation on the schwertmannite structure and surface properties
Aluminum in schwertmannite structure increases the proportion of covalent bonding with adsorbed arsenates.
Paper
Hydrobiogechemical interactions in the hyporheic zone of a sulfate-impacted, freshwater stream and riparian wetland ecosystem
Biogeochemical cycling of S, Fe, and C in the hyporheic zone is influenced by dynamic hydrologic conditions.
Paper
Thallium adsorption onto phyllosilicate minerals
We studied the extent and mode of thallium adsorption onto several phyllosilicate minerals. Thallium, in analogy to cesium, strongly adsorbs onto micaceous phyllosilicates in soils and sediments via complexation in siloxane cavities.
Response of sediment phosphorus partitioning to lanthanum-modified clay amendment and porewater chemistry in a small eutrophic lake
Porewater geochemistry in a lanthanum-remediated lake reveal that phosphorus mobility depends on the interplay between carbon and iron.
Paper
Two decades of changing anthropogenic mercury emissions in Australia: inventory development, trends, and atmospheric implications
Australian anthropogenic emissions of mercury have decreased by a factor of two since 2000, with implications for atmospheric mercury concentrations and deposition to the Australian continent.
Arsenate decreases production of methylmercury across increasing sulfate concentration amendments in freshwater lake sediments
Methylmercury production rates in freshwater sediments significantly decreased with increasing arsenate concentrations, regardless of sulfate concentrations amended to the sediments.
Relationship between surface dissolved iron inventories and net community production during a marine heatwave in the subarctic northeast Pacific
Marine heatwave conditions diminished (micro)macronutrient vertical transport, reducing (micro)macronutrient inventories and net community production when external nutrient sources were absent.
Paper
Evaluating atmospheric mercury (Hg) uptake by vegetation in a chemistry-transport model
We study the uptake of atmospheric mercury by vegetation in a chemical transport model and available observations. Due to the importance of this sink in the global mercury cycle, perturbations to forested areas can elevate mercury risks.
Impact of abiotic and biogeochemical processes on halogen concentrations (Cl, Br, F, I) in mineral soil along a climatic gradient
Halogens in soil are closely linked to abiotic processes, biota and pedogenesis, and thus to the availability of water; vertical halogen depth patterns become less pronounced with increasing dryness.
Paper
Selenium concentration in herring from the Baltic Sea tracks decadal and spatial trends in external sources
We link selenium concentrations in herring muscle and liver spanning four decades and twenty stations along the Swedish coastline to spatio-temporal variability in deposition and riverine source loads.
Organic carbon, and major and trace elements reside in labile low-molecular form in the ground ice of permafrost peatlands: a case study of colloids in peat ice of Western Siberia
The low molecular weight fraction of peat porewater is enriched in DOC, anions, oxyanions, alkalis and some trace metals. An increase in the active layer depth can liberate a large amount of labile metals and nutrients from the peat.
Selenium distribution and speciation in waters of pristine alpine lakes from central-western Pyrenees (France–Spain)
The distribution and chemical speciation of micronutrient selenium is reported for the first time in twenty alpine lakes (Pyrenees, France–Spain).
Paper
Demystifying mercury geochemistry in contaminated soil–groundwater systems with complementary mercury stable isotope, concentration, and speciation analyses
A holistic multi-analyses (led by Hg stable isotope analysis), multi-media, multi-site approach to improving contaminated site Hg geochemistry, particularly process tracing.
Incorporating concentration-dependent sediment microbial activity into methylmercury production kinetics modeling
Including concentration-dependent microbial activity may improve model description of mercury methylation and methylmercury demethylation kinetics.
Paper
Investigating the dynamics of methylmercury bioaccumulation in the Beaufort Sea shelf food web: a modeling perspective
We used a modeling approach to explore how toxicokinetics and food-web trophodynamics affect MeHg bioaccumulation in the Beaufort Sea shelf.
About this collection
Guest Edited by Lenny Winkel (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) and Elsie Sunderland (Harvard University) this themed issue showcases advances in research on the biogeochemistry of trace elements, highlighting the wide range of biogeochemical processes and environmental impacts of essential as well as toxic trace elements.