Mercury Measurements in Antarctic Sea Ice, Seawater, Snow, and Brine from 2012

Total and methyl-mercury concentrations were measured in sea ice, seawater, snow, and brine samples collected during the SIPEX II voyage of the Aurora Australis in 2012. Samples were taken from ten different seawater depths, sea ice cores, brine sac holes, and undisturbed snow sites. Analysis was performed at the USGS Wisconsin Water Research Center in March 2013 using EPA Method 1631 for total mercury and an ICPMS isotope dilution method for methylmercury.

Use Cases

• Modeling mercury distribution in polar environments based on sample types (sea ice, seawater, snow, brine).
• Analyzing mercury speciation (total vs. methyl-) based on the described analytical methods.
• Studying vertical mercury profiles in seawater based on samples from ten different depths.
• Investigating mercury incorporation into sea ice based on core section analysis.

Strengths

• Samples were collected from multiple environmental matrices (sea ice, seawater, snow, brine) for comparative analysis.
• Analysis followed standardized EPA Method 1631 and a USGS ICPMS isotope dilution method.
• Detailed sample collection and preservation protocols are documented in the description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 2012-10-28 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

AU_AADC

Collection Method

Physical sample collection during a research voyage, followed by laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2012

Freshness

Last updated 2012-10-28 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Antarctic region (SIPEX II voyage)