Academic Journal
Natural Iron Fertilization Moderates Hydrothermal Mercury Inputs from Arc Volcanoes
| Title: | Natural Iron Fertilization Moderates Hydrothermal Mercury Inputs from Arc Volcanoes |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Torres-Rodriguez, Natalia, Yuan, Jingjing, Dufour, Aurélie, Živković, Igor, Point, David, Boulart, Cédric, Knoery, Joël, Horvat, Milena, Amouroux, David, Bonnet, Sophie, Guieu, Cécile, Sun, Ruoyu, Heimbürger-Boavida, Lars-Eric |
| Contributors: | Beaussier, Catherine |
| Source: | Environmental Science & Technology. 59:11039-11050 |
| Publisher Information: | American Chemical Society (ACS), 2025. |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
| Subject Terms: | [SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics], Hydrothermal vents, [CHIM.ANAL] Chemical Sciences/Analytical chemistry, Phytoplankton, [CHIM] Chemical Sciences, Minamata Convention on 48 Mercury, Submarine volcanoes |
| Description: | Methylmercury is a bioaccumulative neurotoxin that poses severe risks to marine ecosystems 31 and human health worldwide. Hydrothermal systems and submarine volcanoes are natural 32 sources of mercury, yet the magnitude of emissions, their transport, and their impact on marine 33 ecosystems remain poorly understood. Quantifying natural mercury fluxes is essential to 34 understanding anthropogenic perturbations and guiding effective reduction strategies. We 35 investigate hydrothermal mercury inputs at the Tonga volcanic arc and their impact on the 36 local ecosystem. Our results show that hydrothermal and volcanic activity in the Tonga Arc 37 increases mercury concentrations in seawater. Comprehensive surveys identified mercury-38 rich plumes (up to 22.7 pmol l -1 ) associated with high mercury fluxes (4,763 pmol m -2 day -1 ) 39 reaching productive surface waters, resulting in an estimated total flux of 4.23 t y -1 for the 40 entire Tonga Arc. Despite these significant inputs, mercury concentrations in phytoplankton 41 remain unexpectedly low. We demonstrate that phytoplankton blooms, stimulated by natural 42 iron fertilization from hydrothermal sources, dilute mercury at the cellular level, reducing the 43 impact of hydrothermal mercury. Additionally, we provide a revised global estimate of 44 hydrothermal mercury inputs with a maximum of 120 t y -1 , which is considerably lower than 45 atmospheric and riverine inputs to the ocean. |
| Document Type: | Article |
| File Description: | application/pdf |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 1520-5851 0013-936X |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.est.5c01767 |
| Rights: | STM Policy #29 |
| Accession Number: | edsair.doi.dedup.....814bff613e9f9af88ccd73b240cdf5e4 |
| Database: | OpenAIRE |
| ISSN: | 15205851 0013936X |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.est.5c01767 |