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1. Regional variation in fish mercury

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01062-2  

   Schartup, Amina T; Choy, C Anela (October 2024, Nature Food)

   The bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish and its biomagnification through the food chain is a major public health concern. Differences in fish methylmercury concentration observed between China and the United States highlight the need for a better understanding of region-specific factors that drive its formation and biological uptake. 

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2. New Approaches to Understand Mercury in Trees: Radial and Longitudinal Patterns of Mercury in Tree Rings and Genetic Control of Mercury in Maple Sap

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04601-2  

   Yanai, Ruth D.; Yang, Yang; Wild, Adam D.; Smith, Kevin T.; Driscoll, Charles T. (May 2020, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution)

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3. Observed in-plume gaseous elemental mercury depletion suggests significant mercury scavenging by volcanic aerosols

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EA00063J  

   Koenig, Alkuin M.; Magand, Olivier; Rose, Clemence; Di Muro, Andrea; Miyazaki, Yuzo; Colomb, Aurelie; Rissanen, Matti; Lee, Christopher F.; Koenig, Theodore K.; Volkamer, Rainer; et al (October 2023, Environmental Science: Atmospheres)

   Terrestrial volcanism is known to emit mercury (Hg) into the atmosphere. However, despite many years of investigation, its net impact on the atmospheric Hg budget remains insufficiently constrained, in part because the transformations of Hg in volcanic plumes as they age and mix with background air are poorly understood. Here we report the observation of complete gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) depletion events in dilute and moderately aged (∼3–7 hours) volcanic plumes from Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion Island. While it has been suggested that co-emitted bromine could, once photochemically activated, deplete GEM in a volcanic plume, we measured low bromine concentrations in both the gas- and particle-phase and observed complete GEM depletion even before sunrise, ruling out a leading role of bromine chemistry here. Instead, we hypothesize that the GEM depletions were mainly caused by gas–particle interactions with sulfate-rich volcanic particles (mostly of submicron size), abundantly present in the dilute plume. We consider heterogeneous GEM oxidation and GEM uptake by particles as plausible manifestations of such a process and derive empirical rate constants. By extrapolation, we estimate that volcanic aerosols may scavenge 210 Mg y−1 (67–480 Mg y−1) of Hg from the atmosphere globally, acting effectively as atmospheric mercury sink. While this estimate is subject to large uncertainties, it highlights that Hg transformations in aging volcanic plumes must be better understood to determine the net impact of volcanism on the atmospheric Hg budget and Hg deposition pathways. 

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4. Isolation and Identification of Mercury–Dissolved Organic Matter Complexes in Mercury–Humic Acid Suspensions

   https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.9986  

   Qasim, Ghulam Hussain; Harris, Lisa; Mangal, Vaughn; Montesdeoca, Mario; Todorova, Svetoslava; Driscoll, Charles (January 2025, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry)

   ABSTRACT RationaleThe complexation with dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a pivotal factor influencing transformations, transport, and bioavailability of mercury (Hg) in aquatic environments. However, identifying these complexes poses a significant challenge because of their low concentrations and the presence of coexisting ions. MethodsIn this study, mercury–dissolved organic matter (Hg‐DOM) complexes were isolated through solid‐phase extraction (SPE) from Hg–humic acid suspensions, and complexes were putatively identified using ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR‐MS). ResultsDissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total Hg analysis before and after SPE showed an increase in DOC:Hg ratio. The DOC:Hg ratio was lower in extracts from cartridges with silica structure bonded with hydrocarbon chains (C18) than priority pollutant (PPL) cartridges at circumneutral pH, indicating that C18 was more effective at extracting DOM complexed Hg. These results were confirmed with FTICR‐MS analysis, where two Hg‐DOM complexes were putatively identified from PPL extracts as opposed to eight from C18 (Winnow score > 75%). In addition, C₈H₁₃HgN₂O₂S, a molecular formula with am/zratio of 403.04, was identified across three separate extractions using a C18 cartridge, suggesting that the complexes were preserved during extraction and, presumably, electrospray ionization. ConclusionsThe results highlight the effectiveness of the methodology developed in this study—SPE coupled with FTICR‐MS for isolating and identifying Hg‐DOM complexes. This approach allows for the exploration of the elemental and structural composition of Hg‐DOM complexes, which affects Hg speciation, bioavailability, and transformations in aquatic ecosystems. SynopsisA methodology was developed to identify Hg‐DOM complexes at low concentrations to gain insight into mercury bioavailability, transformations, and transport in the environment. 

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5. Mercury speciation and stable isotopes in emperor penguins: First evidence for biochemical demethylation of methylmercury to mercury-dithiolate and mercury-tetraselenolate complexes

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136499  

   Manceau, Alain; Bustamante, Paco; Richy, Etienne; Cherel, Yves; Janssen, Sarah E; Glatzel, Pieter; Poulin, Brett A (March 2025, Journal of Hazardous Materials)