Abstract
The Yatsushiro Sea in Japan is contaminated with mercury in wastewater discharge from the Chisso Company, which produced acetaldehyde from 1932 onwards. In this study, we investigated the current spatial distribution of total mercury (T-Hg) in sediments, both at the surface and at different depths, using 43 sediment cores and 22 surface sediment samples collected from the Yatsushiro Sea in August 2017. Altogether, 821 surface and core samples were analyzed for their T-Hg concentrations. Most of the mercury that was discharged from Chisso remained either in, or around the exit of, Minamata Bay, but some had been transported from Minamata Bay to the Nagashima Sea. We estimated that almost 51 and 6 tons of mercury had accumulated in the Yatsushiro and the Amakusa Sea areas, respectively. The amount of acetaldehyde produced in Chisso over time was correlated with the T-Hg concentrations in the sediments from the Yatsushiro Sea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 110539 |
| Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Volume | 149 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2019 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Oceanography
- Aquatic Science
- Pollution
Cite this
The spatial distribution of total mercury in sediments in the Yatsushiro Sea, Japan. / Matsuyama, Akito; Yano, Shinichiro; Matsunoshita, Kohei; Kindaichi, Michiaki; Tada, Akihide; Akagi, Hirokatsu.
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 149, 110539, 12.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The spatial distribution of total mercury in sediments in the Yatsushiro Sea, Japan
AU - Matsuyama, Akito
AU - Yano, Shinichiro
AU - Matsunoshita, Kohei
AU - Kindaichi, Michiaki
AU - Tada, Akihide
AU - Akagi, Hirokatsu
PY - 2019/12
Y1 - 2019/12
N2 - The Yatsushiro Sea in Japan is contaminated with mercury in wastewater discharge from the Chisso Company, which produced acetaldehyde from 1932 onwards. In this study, we investigated the current spatial distribution of total mercury (T-Hg) in sediments, both at the surface and at different depths, using 43 sediment cores and 22 surface sediment samples collected from the Yatsushiro Sea in August 2017. Altogether, 821 surface and core samples were analyzed for their T-Hg concentrations. Most of the mercury that was discharged from Chisso remained either in, or around the exit of, Minamata Bay, but some had been transported from Minamata Bay to the Nagashima Sea. We estimated that almost 51 and 6 tons of mercury had accumulated in the Yatsushiro and the Amakusa Sea areas, respectively. The amount of acetaldehyde produced in Chisso over time was correlated with the T-Hg concentrations in the sediments from the Yatsushiro Sea.
AB - The Yatsushiro Sea in Japan is contaminated with mercury in wastewater discharge from the Chisso Company, which produced acetaldehyde from 1932 onwards. In this study, we investigated the current spatial distribution of total mercury (T-Hg) in sediments, both at the surface and at different depths, using 43 sediment cores and 22 surface sediment samples collected from the Yatsushiro Sea in August 2017. Altogether, 821 surface and core samples were analyzed for their T-Hg concentrations. Most of the mercury that was discharged from Chisso remained either in, or around the exit of, Minamata Bay, but some had been transported from Minamata Bay to the Nagashima Sea. We estimated that almost 51 and 6 tons of mercury had accumulated in the Yatsushiro and the Amakusa Sea areas, respectively. The amount of acetaldehyde produced in Chisso over time was correlated with the T-Hg concentrations in the sediments from the Yatsushiro Sea.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071868259&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071868259&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110539
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110539
M3 - Article
C2 - 31542594
AN - SCOPUS:85071868259
VL - 149
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
SN - 0025-326X
M1 - 110539
ER -