RESEARCH ARTICLE · Nature Communications · 2020

Methylmercury produced in upper oceans accumulates in deep Mariana Trench fauna

Ruoyu Sun, Jingjing Yuan, Jeroen E. Sonke, Yanxu Zhang, Tong Zhang, Wang Zheng, Shun Chen, Mei Meng, Jiubin Chen, Yi Liu, Xiaotong Peng, Cong‐Qiang Liu

Read original paper ↗

See where this research leads.

A citation map has not been saved for this paper yet.

Open in your workspace →Open your workspace to prepare the citation network.

The paper record is available below. Preparing a network uses the existing account and source-allowance controls.

Papers that cite this work

No saved citation network is available; this does not mean the paper has no citations.

The evidence behind the map

Publication record

Research article.

Abstract

Monomethylmercury (MMHg) is a potent toxin that bioaccumulates and magnifies in marine food webs. Recent studies show abundant methylated Hg in deep oceans (>1000 m), yet its origin remains uncertain. Here we measured Hg isotope compositions in fauna and surface sediments from the Mariana Trench. The trench fauna at 7000-11000 m depth all have substantially positive mass-independent fractionation of odd Hg isotopes (odd-MIF), which can be generated only in the photic zone via MMHg photo-degradation. Given the identical odd-MIF in trench fauna and North Pacific upper ocean (<1000 m) biota MMHg, we suggest that the accumulated Hg in trench fauna originates exclusively from MMHg produced in upper oceans, which penetrates to depth by sorption to sinking particles. Our findings reveal little in-situ MMHg production in deep oceans and imply that anthropogenic Hg released at the Earth's surface is much more pervasive across deep oceans than was previously thought.

Coverage and freshness

Citation coverage has not been established for this paper.

Counts describe saved source records; repository versions may appear separately. A completed source query is not a complete or live citation census. A citation does not prove endorsement or research quality. Counts depend on publication age and index coverage. Colors identify research areas; positions are for readability.

Source: Saved OpenAlex scholarly metadata. Visits to this public page do not acquire new provider data.

Report a correction