Mercury budgets in the suspended particulate matters of the Yangtze River.

Riverine processes are crucial for the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg). The Yangtze River, the largest river in East Asia, discharges a substantial amount of Hg into the East China Sea. However, the influencing factors of the Hg budget and its recent trends remain unclear. This study quantitatively analyzed the total Hg concentration (THg) in suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Yangtze River and calculated the Hg budget in 2018 and 2021. The results showed that the total Hg concentrations varied substantially along the river, with concentrations ranging from 23 to 883 µg/kg in 2018 and 47 to 146 µg/kg in 2021. The average Hg flux to China Sea in 2018 and 2021 were approximately 10 Mg/yr, lower than in 2016 (48 Mg/yr). Over 70% of the SPM was trapped in the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), and 22 Mg/yr of Hg settled in the TGD in 2018 and 10 Mg/yr in 2021. Hg fluxes in the Yangtze River watershed were driven by various factors, including decreased industrial emissions, increased agriculture emissions, and decreased soil erosion flux. We found that in the upper reach of the Yangtze River changed from sink to source of Hg possibly due to the resuspension of sediments, which implies that the settled sediments could be a potential source of Hg for downstream. Overall, emission control policies may have had a positive impact on reducing Hg flux to the East China Sea from 2016 to 2021, but more efforts are needed to further reduce Hg emissions.

Spatial and seasonal patterns in fish assemblage in Córrego Rico, upper Paraná River basin

The upper Paraná River basin drains areas of intensive industry and agriculture, suffering negative impacts. The Córrego Rico flows through sugar cane fields and receives urban wastewater. The aim of this work is to describe and to compare the fish assemblage structure in Córrego Rico. Six standardized bimonthly samples were collected between August 2008 and June 2009 in seven different stretches of Córrego Rico. Fishes were collected with an experimental seine and sieves, euthanized, fixed in formalin and preserved in ethanol for counting and identification. Data were recorded for water parameters, instream habitat and riparian features within each stretch. Non-metric multidimensional scaling, species richness and diversity analysis were performed to examine spatial and seasonal variation in assemblage structure. Fish assemblage structure was correlated with instream habitat and water parameters. The fish assemblage was divided in three groups: upper, middle and lower reaches. High values of richness and diversity were observed in the upper and lower stretches due to connectivity with a small lake and Mogi Guaçu River, respectively. Middle stretches showed low values of richness and diversity suggesting that a small dam in the middle stretch negatively impacts the fish assemblage. Seasonal differences in fish assemblage structure were observed only in the lower stretches.

A bacia do alto rio Paraná drena áreas caracterizadas pela agricultura e industrialização intensiva, sofrendo vários impactos negativos. O Córrego Rico é um tributário da bacia do alto rio Paraná que atravessa áreas de cultivo de cana-de-açúcar e recebe esgoto doméstico. O objetivo do presente trabalho é descrever e comparar a estrutura da assembleia de peixes no Córrego Rico. Foram realizadas amostragens padronizadas bimestrais, entre agosto de 2008 e junho de 2009, em sete trechos do rio com diferentes condições ambientais. Foram utilizadas redes de arrasto e peneiras. Os peixes coletados foram fixados, identificados, listados e quantificados. Caracterização ambiental e da qualidade da água foram realizadas nos trechos amostrados. Foram utilizados análise multivariada, estimadores de riqueza e diversidade para analisar os dados. A estrutura da assembleia de peixes foi relacionada com estrutura do leito do rio e pelas características físicas e químicas da água. A assembleia de peixes foi dividida em três grupos: trecho superior, médio e inferior. Altos valores de riqueza e diversidade foram observados nos trechos superior e inferior devido a conectividade com um pequeno lago e o rio Mogi Guaçu, respectivamente. Baixos valores de riqueza e diversidade foram observados nos trechos médios, sugerindo que uma barragem entre estes trechos causa impacto na assembleia de peixes do Córrego Rico. Diferenças sazonais na estrutura da assembleia de peixes foram observadas somente no trecho inferior.