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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Mercury concentrations within Peruvian mangrove sediments
Anthropocene Coasts, Vol.9(1), pp.1-10
30/01/2026
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Abstract
The assessment of mercury (Hg) contamination in Peruvian mangrove sediments was conducted across two contrasting environments: the anthropogenically impacted mangrove forest of“Puerto Pizarro” (PP), affected by shrimp
aquaculture, mining activities, and urban expansion, and the relatively pristine Mangrove Sanctuary of Tumbes (MS).
In PP, Hg concentrations ranged from 291 to 177 ng g⁻1, yielding a Pollution Index (PI) of 1.6 and exceeding the sediment quality guideline defined by the EffectRange Low (ERL; 150 ng g⁻1), indicative of potential Hg toxicity. In contrast, Hg concentrations in MS ranged from 135 to 17 ng g⁻1, remaining below the ERL and within natural background levels reported for Peruvian marine sediments. Using the estimated mean background concentration in MS sediments (70 ng g⁻1), enrichment factors of up to 3.2 were observed in PP sediments. Mercury concentrations in MS exhibited significant positive correlations with fine-grained sediments (silt and clay; r=0.66) and reactive iron phases (r=0.70), reflecting natural geochemical controls on Hg accumulation. Conversely, no significant correlations were detected in PP, suggesting that anthropogenic inputs override sedimentological and geochemical processes. This study provides the first assessment of Hg concentrations in mangrove ecosystems located at the eastern South Pacific distributional limit and highlights the role of mangroves as effective biogeochemical barriers that mitigate Hg transfer to adjacent coastal ecosystems.
Details
- Title
- Mercury concentrations within Peruvian mangrove sediments
- Creators
- Wilson Machado - Universidade Federal FluminenseBreno Rodrigues - Universidade Federal FluminenseVictor de Freitas - Universidade Federal FluminenseAnderson Rocha - Universidade Federal FluminenseChristiane Duyck - Universidade Federal FluminenseAdan Lino - Universidade Federal FluminenseOlaf Malm - Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroChristian J. Sanders - Southern Cross UniversityMatthieu Carré - Université Paris-SaclayAlexander Pérez - Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
- Publication Details
- Anthropocene Coasts, Vol.9(1), pp.1-10
- Publisher
- Springer Nature Singapore; LONDON
- Grant note
- Programa Nacional de Investigacin Cientfica y Estudios Avanzados (PROCIENCIA - PERU): PE501078570-2022-PROCIENCIA Brazilian Research Council (CNPq)CAPES/PRINT/UFF: 88881.310184/2018-01 Australian Research Council: DE160100443, DP150103286, LE140100083
AP was supported by the Programa Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Estudios Avanzados (PROCIENCIA - PERU) through the project "Humedales Altoandinos: Evaluacion del cambio climatico y capacidad de mitigacion" (Grant No. PE501078570-2022-PROCIENCIA). WM was supported by the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) and CAPES/PRINT/UFF (Grant No. 88881.310184/2018-01), while CJS was supported by the Australian Research Council (Grants DE160100443, DP150103286, and LE140100083).
- Identifiers
- 991013349773502368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2026.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article