Yoelvis Bolaños-Alvarez, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza, Misael Díaz Asencio, Luisa F Espinosa, Juan Pablo Parra, Jesús Garay, Ramón Delanoy, Nicolás Solares, Katia Montenegro, Alexis Peña, Fabiola López, Ana Carolina Castillo-Navarro, Miguel Gómez Batista, Alberto Quejido-Cabezas, Marc Metian, Libia Hascibe Pérez-Bernal, Carlos M Alonso-Hernández
Spatial and temporal variations of mercury (Hg) concentrations, enrichment, and potential ecological risks were studied in a suite of lead-210 (210 Pb) dated sediment cores from 13 Wider Caribbean Region coastal environments. Broad variability of Hg concentrations (19-18,761 ng g-1 ) was observed, encompassing even background levels (38-100 ng g-1 ). Most Hg concentration profiles exhibited a characteristic upward trend, reaching their peak values in the past two decades. Most of the sediment sections, showing from moderately to very severe Hg enrichment, were found in cores from Havana Bay and Sagua River Estuary (Cuba), Port-au-Prince Bay (Haiti), and Cartagena Bay (Colombia)...
February 3, 2024: Science of the Total Environment