Environmental Specimen Banks as a Resource for Mercury and Mercury Isotope Research in Marine Ecosystems

Published

January 26, 2014

Author(s)

Russell D. Day, Paul R. Becker, O.F.X Donard, Rebecca S. Pugh, Stephen A. Wise

Abstract

Environmental specimen banks (ESBs) have been a fundamental tool for many nations to monitor contaminant temporal and spatial trends, study fate and transport, and assess the severity and risks of pollution. The specimens archived in ESBs are among the longest time-series, most geographically robust, and highest integrity samples available for performing environmental research. Mercury (Hg) remains one of the world’s most prominent environmental contaminants, and ESBs have played a prominent role in Hg research. Historically this has involved measuring concentrations of Hg species in various environmental matrices, but the emerging field of stable Hg isotope research provides a new analytical approach that can augment these traditional techniques. Signatures of Hg isotope fractionation have been effectively used for source apportionment and for better understanding Hg biogeochemical cycling. As the research surrounding Hg stable isotopes continues to mature, ESBs can play a useful role in QA/QC, provide a robust and economical sample archive to expand and diversify the inventory of Hg isotope measurements, and be used to develop and test hypotheses to evaluate how broadly prevailing hypotheses are supported. Samples archived in ESBs are available for request by external collaborators in order to perform high impact research, and should be fully utilized to address emerging global environmental concerns.

Citation

Journal of Environmental Monitoring

Volume

16

Issue

1

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

specimen bank, mercury, isotope, fractionation

Citation

Day, R. , Becker, P. , Donard, O. , Pugh, R. and Wise, S. (2014), Environmental Specimen Banks as a Resource for Mercury and Mercury Isotope Research in Marine Ecosystems, Journal of Environmental Monitoring (Accessed October 8, 2025)