MERCURY STATE OF THE KNOWLEDGE 23 SEPTEMBER 2015

Transcription

1 MERCURY STATE OF THE KNOWLEDGE 23 SEPTEMBER 2015 Bruce Monson Ed Swain Environmental Analysis & Outcomes Division wq-iw4-02f2

2 OUTLINE Mercury Sources Water Point Sources U.S. Air Emissions Global Air Emissions Wet Deposition Trends Fish-mercury Trend Recent Research Statewide Mercury TMDLs and Activities Minimata Convention International Treaty 2

3 WATER POINT SOURCE LOADING Sector 2004 estimated Mercury Load (kg/yr) 2009 reported 2012 reported Waste Water Treatment Plants Coal-fired electrical plants Industrial miscellaneous Taconite Processing Peat Harvesting NA NA NA Paper Mills Petroleum Refining Other Grand Total

4 STATEWIDE WASTEWATER MERCURY TRENDS Casey Scott & Marco Graziani, MPCA, 2015

5 ANTHROPOGENIC MERCURY EMISSIONS IN U.S AND PROJECTED FOR 2016 CFPP 2005: 52 Mg/yr 2008: 29.5 Mg/yr Projected 2016: < 7 Mg/yr (approaching -90%) Waste Incinerators 1990: 122 Mg/yr 1999: 11 Mg/yr 2005: 20 Mg/yr 2008: 8 Mg/yr (-93%) Total U.S. Emissions dropped 75% Zhang Y & Jaegle L Decreases in Mercury Wet Deposition over the United States during : Roles of Domestic and Global Background Emission Reductions. Atmosphere 4,

6 GLOBAL MERCURY EMISSIONS UNEP Global Mercury Assessment 2013 Total anthropogenic Hg emissions in 2010: 1,960 Mg/yr (1,010 4,070) Song et al. 2015: Top-down (observations and modeling) Anthropogenic: 2,250 Mg/yr (1,150 3,360) Asian Hg emissions higher (650 1,770) than previous bottom-up estimates ( ) Ground-based observational sites Song et al Top-down constraints on atmospheric mercury emissions and implications for global biogeochemical cycling. Atmos. Chem. Phy. 15,

7 Estimated proportion of global anthropogenic mercury emissions by sector, 2010 Fossil Fuels 1% 0% 1% 9% 4% 5% 25% Mining, Smelting, & Production of Metals ASGM (Artisanal &Small Scale Gold Mining) Dental Amalgam 37% 18% Oil refining Chlor-Alkali Cement Production Total = 1960 metric tons Contaminated Sites Consumer Product Waste Driscoll C LADCO Presentation. Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) The Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment: Sources, Emissions and Environmental Transport,

8 10 Mercury Deposition at four M Wet Deposition: No significant linear trends Hg Dep. (µg/m2) Year Lat 47.9 Fern Lat 47.5 Mar Lat 46.2 Cam Lat 44.2 Lam 8

9 Key question: Does mercury in U.S. fish mostly originate from U.S. or global sources, and how does it respond to changes in these emissions? Driscoll C LADCO Presentation. 9

10

11 Brigham et al EST 11

12

13

14 MERCURY METHYLATION AND SULFUR CYCLING IN NE MINNESOTA STREAMS (BERNDT ET AL. MDNR) Series of studies in the St. Louis River watershed over seven years ( ) Geochemical factors, especially sulfur, influencing methylation of Hg (MeHg) Seasonal and spatial variation in MeHg MeHg and dissolved organic carbon relationships MeHg photodegradation Dragonfly larvae as bioindicators of MeHg contamination 14

15 JEREMIASON ET AL HG IN DRAGONFLIES FROM SLR WATERSHED Relation between dragonfly MeHg concentrations and the average dissolved MeHg concentrations measured between June and July, 2012 and 2013 Significant positive relationship in 2012 but not in

16

17 MINNESOTA FISH CONTAMINANT DATABASE 85,565 fish 43,167 records 1300 lakes 97 rivers 71 fish species Percentages 81% Lakes 80% Skin-on Fillets 63% NOP & WAE 17

18 FISH-MERCURY IN LOWER AND UPPER 5% LATITUDES SPF-Hg: Standardized-length Predator Fish Mercury (Northern pike & Walleye)

19 TREND OF MERCURY IN STANDARDIZED NORTHERN PIKE AND WALLEYE, ADJUSTED FOR FISH LENGTH AND LATITUDE Hg (ppb) Linear Trend Annual Means Smooth of Annual Means Linear Trend: - 0.7% /yr Hg (ppb) Linear Trend Annual Means Smooth of Annual Means Linear Trend: - 0.4% /yr Year Year (31 yr) (33 yr)

20 WHEN NOISE BECOMES THE SIGNAL: CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE (WANG ET AL. 2010) Wang et al Marine Pollution Bulletin 60,

21 2012 mosquito larvae in control (Ctl), recovery (Rec), and experimental (Exp) treatments in spring

22

23 Project work plan, on the LCCMR s web site here:

24

25

26

27 High 5 Activities for 2015 in Red River Basin: Roseau, Thief, and Mustinka Rivers Contracts with International Water Institute, UMD (Nate Johnson) and several subcontracts Hg and MeHg collected as part of nutrient load monitoring (& in Wild Rice River) 25 x /yr /site for 2 years MeHg transport via surface and groundwater in multiple sites along rivers Water and biota (periphyton, plankton, fish) for Hg and MeHg at multiple sites

28 STATEWIDE MERCURY TMDLS Minnesota (March 2007) Northeast Regional Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont (December 2007) New Jersey (June 2010) North Carolina (October 2012) Florida (October 2013) Michigan (2013 draft?) South Dakota (2015 draft) 28

29 STATEWIDE MICHIGAN MERCURY TMDL

30 THIRD COMPENDIUM OF STATES MERCURY ACTIVITIES ECOS Quicksilver Caucus, October of 42 States responding to 2011 survey have overall mercury reduction plan All 42 States participate in national collaboration efforts Several more states are developing or planning a strategy 30

31 MINAMATA CONVENTION ON MERCURY (10/10/2013) 128 countries signed the treaty Ratified by 13: United States 6/1/14 Djibouti 9/23/14 Gabon 9/24/14 Guinea 10/21/14 Guyana 9/24/14 Lesotho 11/12/14 Madagascar 5/13/15 Mauritania 8/18/15 Monaco 9/24/14 Nicaragua 10/29/14 Seychelles 1/13/15 United Arab Emirates 4/27/15 Uruguay 9/24/14 9/24/15 Special High-Level Event, at U.N. HQ, to foster early entry into force and implementation of the Minamata Convention UNEP UNEP Annual Report

32 SUMMARY 1. Mercury loading to air and water has decreased; while atmospheric deposition does not show a clear trend up or down. 2. The downward trend in fish-mercury concentrations in northern pike and walleye has gotten flatter (-0.7 to -0.4 % per year) with the addition of 2013 and 2014 to the dataset 3. Recent research has shown methylmercury levels in fish are more noticeably driven by environmental processes within watersheds 4. Mercury reduction efforts continue to grow at state, national, and international levels 32