The Ecology and Management of Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) 2012 SYMPOSIUM June 12, 13 and 14, 2012 Hilton Garden Inn on the waterfront in Suffolk, VA

Mercury in buried logs of an historic cedar stand from the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

Catherine A. Lavagnino, Robert B. Atkinson, Jacqueline D. Roquemore and Michael C. Newman

Catherine A. Lavagnino, AECOM, Inc., Glen Allen, VA

Atmospheric deposition of mercury, a known neurotoxicant, occurs in remote locations including peatlands such as the Great Dismal Swamp. Little is known about coarse woody debris as an ephemeral mercury pool, though management actions could influence remobilization that occurs via combustion and microbial oxidation. Previously buried logs were exposed after peat burning associated with the 2008 South-One Fire and cross-sectional log samples were retrieved and analyzed. Mercury concentration increased logarithmically with increasing proximity to the nearest edge in contact with the peat. Mean mercury concentrations at the edge of the logs (0.0295 mg Hg/kg dry weight (DW) of sample) were higher than the two inner portions (0.004 and 0.003 mg Hg/kg DW sample, respectively). Mercury accumulation and retention in buried tree boles represents a significant pool of mercury that should be considered in hydrology management given that lowered water tables increase risks of remobilization.

Mercury, Atlantic White Cedar, peatlands, Great Dismal Swamp, dendrochemistry, remobilization

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