Influence of vegetative cover on snowpack mercury speciation and stocks in the greening Canadian Subarctic region.

Abstract

A notable greening and warming of the Arctic and Subarctic due to climate change has uncertain implications for the global cycling of mercury (Hg). Snowpacks are dynamic reservoirs for Hg susceptible to solar radiation and wind pumping, with vegetative cover potentially altering Hg photochemistry. However, the impact of northern greening on the transformation of major Hg species and on Hg stocks remain poorly understood. Temporal surface snow and snowpit sampling was conducted under tree canopies and open tundra sites at the boreal-tundra ecotone in Nunavik, Canada. Maximum (mean) concentrations of 69.1 ng/L (8.8 ng/L) total mercury (HgT) and 46.9 ng/L (5.5 ng/L) reactive mercury (HgR) were measured in forest surface snow, with maximums attributed to rapid atmospheric oxidation events. Significant post-depositional reductions were recorded in the bay, tundra, and forest (67-99% HgR) and suggested greater Hg sequestration may occur under tree canopies. Increasing methylmercury (MeHg), HgT, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were detected across a vegetation gradient shifting towards humic-like organic matter. Notably, springtime depth profiles presented an approximate 12-fold greater accumulation of HgT under tree canopies compared to open tundra (p<0.01), with up to 16-times higher stocks (HgT, MeHg, DOC) at elevated vegetation density (p<0.05). In the North, increasing vegetation cover and surface warming may favor Hg accumulation and methylation in snowpacks, facilitated by interactions with organic matter, and further enriched by the reduced wind and solar exposure experienced under forest canopies.