Abstract
Mercury (Hg) dynamics in the Arctic is receiving increasing
attention, but further understanding is limited by a lack of studies in Russia,
which encompasses the majority of the pan-Arctic watershed. This study reports
Hg concentrations and trends in burbot (Lota lota) from the Lena and Mezen
Rivers in the Russian Arctic, and assesses the extent to which they differ from
those found in burbot in arctic rivers elsewhere. Mercury concentrations in
burbot in the Lena and Mezen Rivers were found to be generally lower than in 23
other locations, most of which are in the Mackenzie River Basin (Canada).
Mercury concentrations in burbot in the Lena and Mezen Rivers also were found
to have been declining at an annual rate of 2.3% while they have been
increasing in the Mackenzie River Basin at annual rates between 2.2 and 5.1%
during roughly the same time period.