Pluriannual watershed discharges of hg into a tropical semi-arid estuary of the Jaguaribe river, NE Brazil

摘要: Mercury fluxes were measured during the dry and rainy seasons (2005 to 2009) at Jaguaribe River estuary, which discharges into Equatorial Atlantic Ocean in NE Brazil. During periods, water masses exhibited a short residence time within estuary (0.8 days). seawater choked fluvial discharge, resulting longer times (3.1 Dissolved (< 0.7 µm) particulate Hg concentrations greater from river than sea, producing accumulated estuary. Particulate export (1.8 12.6 mg s-1) ocean occurred extremely while dissolved was practically nonexistent periods increased up 0.45 s-1 periods. Because continental runoff semi-arid regions is affected by land use global climate changes, increasing accumulation of estuaries are expected.