Artificial lake expansion amplifies mercury pollution from gold mining
| Autor: | S. Topp, Xiao Yang, Claudia M. Vega, Luis E. Fernandez, Emily S. Bernhardt, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Jacqueline R. Gerson, John R. Gardner |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Gold mining
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Mercury pollution Environmental Studies Drainage basin chemistry.chemical_element 010501 environmental sciences 01 natural sciences Mining chemistry.chemical_compound Rivers Humans Methylmercury Research Articles 0105 earth and related environmental sciences geography Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology business.industry SciAdv r-articles Mercury Methylmercury Compounds Mercury (element) chemistry Environmental chemistry Environmental science Gold business Research Article Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Science Advances |
| ISSN: | 2375-2548 |
| Popis: | Artificial lake expansion and high mercury loading synergistically increase mercury contamination risk from gold mining. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest global source of anthropogenic mercury emissions. However, little is known about how effectively mercury released from ASGM is converted into the bioavailable form of methylmercury in ASGM-altered landscapes. Through examination of ASGM-impacted river basins in Peru, we show that lake area in heavily mined watersheds has increased by 670% between 1985 and 2018 and that lakes in this area convert mercury into methylmercury at net rates five to seven times greater than rivers. These results suggest that synergistic increases in lake area and mercury loading associated with ASGM are substantially increasing exposure risk for people and wildlife. Similarly, marked increases in lake area in other ASGM hot spots suggest that “hydroscape” (hydrological landscape) alteration is an important and previously unrecognized component of mercury risk from ASGM. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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