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Mercury dynamics in a coastal aquifer: Maunalua Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

March 1, 2014

We evaluated the influence of groundwater–seawater interaction on mercury dynamics in Maunalua Bay, a coral reef ecosystem located on the south shore of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, by combining geochemical data with submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) rates. During a rising tide, unfiltered total mercury (U-HgT) concentrations in seawater increased from ∼6 to 20 pM at Black Point (west Bay) and from ∼2.5 to 8 pM at Niu (central Bay). We attribute this change to an increase in suspended particulate matter at high tide. Approximately 90% of mercury in groundwater at Niu was in the filtered (

Publication Year 2014
Title Mercury dynamics in a coastal aquifer: Maunalua Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
DOI 10.1016/j.ecss.2014.01.012
Authors Priya Ganguli, Peter Swarzenski, Henrieta Dulaiova, Craig Glenn, A. Flegal
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Index ID 70194142
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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