Distribution of Total Mercury in Surface Sediments of the Western Jade Bay,Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea,Southern North Sea

A total of 114 surface sediment samples was equidistantly collected in the western part of the Jade Bay, southern North Sea, to analyse total mercury contents as well as grain size distribution and total organic carbon (TOC) contents. Total mercury was determined by oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation. Validation, precision and accuracy of the method were evaluated and controlled with two certified reference materials (HISS-1 and MESS-3). Total mercury contents varied between 8 and 243 ng/g dry sediment with a mean value of 103 ng/g dw. The mercury levels in surface sediments showed an inhomogeneous spatial distribution with higher contents in near-dike areas. The values are mostly in the range of natural background values (50–100 ng/g dw) and positively related to TOC and clay/silt contents (<63 μm). The present total mercury contents are compared to those of previous studies, in order to estimate possible temporal trends of mercury contents in the study area over the last decades. Moreover, the comparison to sediment quality guidelines indicated that the surface sediments of the Jade Bay are not mercury contaminated. These results also suggested that the current mercury contents of Jade Bay surficial sediments are mostly affected by atmospheric deposition and re-emission.