Table 4.
Mercury concentrations in sediments (ng g−1 dry weight) of the major physioregions of the Gulf of Maine.
| Description | Total Hg | MeHg | Year(s) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay of Fundy | ||||
| Passamaquoddy Bay Bay of Fundy mouth Intertidal marshes Bay of Fundy wide |
42±13 16±6.2 7–79 30 (20–90) |
0.30±0.09 0.10±0.02 |
2000–2002 1997–2002 1977 |
Sunderland et al. (2004; 2006) (Hung and Chmura, 2006) Loring (1982) |
| Eastern Coastal Shelf | No data | No data | - | - |
| Northern Coastal Shelf | ||||
| Penobscot Rivera Penobscot River estuary Upper estuary Lower estuary Mount Desert Island, ME Wells, ME Casco Bay, ME Great Bay estuary, NH: Mudflats Coastal salt marsh |
200–86,200 200–1,450 20–140 8.5–9.0 8–83 n/d – 490 40–1420 43–440 |
0.1–74.2 7.5–20 0.2–1.7 0.37 0.15–0.59 0.08–3.88 0.04–2.20 |
1998–2000 2006–2007 2006–2007 2006–2007 2000–2001 2008–2010 |
(Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., 2001) Bodaly et al. (2008) Chen et al. unpublished data Wade et al. (2008) Amirbahman et al. unpublished data |
| Southern Coastal Shelf | ||||
| Boston Harbor | 501–2200 250–1000 |
1.0–9.0 | 2003 1993 |
Benoit et al. (2006; 2009) Bothner et al. (1998) |
| Offshore Regionsb | n/d-20 | No data | 1990s | (Buchholtz ten Brink et al., 2002) |
n/d = below detection limits.
a
The Penobscot River received large amounts of industrial Hg contamination from several pulp and paper mills and a chlor-alkali facility that closed in 2000.
b
Includes Brown’s Bank, Central Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, Great South Channel, Georges Channel, Jordan Basin, and Wilkinson Basin.