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This article focuses on analyzing the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) data for total mercury concentrations (THg) in lake and stream sediments. The objective was to quantify how sediment THg varies by (i) sediment organic matter, determined by loss on ignition (LOI) at 500∘C, (ii) atmospheric Hg deposition (atm.Hgdep) as derived from the Global/Regional Atmospheric Heavy Metals Model GRAHM2005, and (iii) mean annual precipitation and mean monthly July and January temperatures (TJuly, TJan). Through regression analyses and averaging by National Topographic System tiles (NTS, 1:250,000 scale), it was found that 40, 70, and 80% of the sediment THg, LOI, and atm.Hgdep variations were, respectively, related to precipitation, TJuly, and TJan. In detail, lake sediment THg was related to atm.Hgdep and precipitation, while stream sediment THg was related to sediment LOI and TJuly. Plotting sediment THg versus sediment LOI revealed a curvilinear pattern, with highest Hg concentrations at intermediate LOI values. Analysing the resulting 10th and 90th log10THg percentiles within each 10% LOI class from 0 to 100% revealed that (i) atm.Hgdep contributed to the organic component of sediment THg and (ii) this was more pronounced for lakes than for streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article presents an analysis of Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) open-file data for total Hg concentrations (THg) in stream and lake sediments at 142,028 sampling locations. This analysis was done for select survey zones across Canada, with emphasis on discerning THg-relevant geographic, geological, atmospheric and topographic controls. THg was generally highest in areas affected by mining and smelting, followed by areas with high metallogenic source locations. Background levels for THg were elevated in the more populated areas along the south, but dropped toward the remote and coldest locations in the east, north and west. This trend was correlated (R 2 =0.74; P <0.0001) with the 2005 GRAHM projections (Global/Regional Atmospheric Heavy Metals Model) for atmospheric Hg deposition (zones and locations with major geogenic sources and mining activities removed). Mean THg was higher for upland lakes (100.9±0.5 SE, ppb) and streams (71.7±0.6 SE, ppb) than for lowland lakes (94.4±0.86 SE, ppb) and streams (64.2±1.26 SE, ppb). The east-central portion of the Yukon Territory (Selwyn Basin) was analyzed in further detail. Here, THg within the sediments increased with increasing loss-on-ignition and increasing trace-element concentrations, and decreased with an increasing wet-area component per catchment above the sediment sampling locations. The characterization and quantification of these Hg trends is important for modeling and mapping health risks to ecosystems and communities across Canada and elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]