Methylmercury produced in upper oceans accumulates in deep Mariana Trench fauna

Ruoyu Sun, Jingjing Yuan, Jeroen E. Sonke, Yanxu Zhang, Tong Zhang, Wang Zheng, Shun Chen, Mei Meng, Jiubin Chen, Yi Liu (), Xiaotong Peng () and Congqiang Liu
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Ruoyu Sun: Tianjin University
Jingjing Yuan: Tianjin University
Jeroen E. Sonke: Laboratoire Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, CNRS/Institute for Research and Development/Université Paul Sabatier–Toulouse III
Yanxu Zhang: Nanjing University
Tong Zhang: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University
Wang Zheng: Tianjin University
Shun Chen: Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mei Meng: Tianjin University
Jiubin Chen: Tianjin University
Yi Liu: Tianjin University
Xiaotong Peng: Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Congqiang Liu: Tianjin University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Monomethylmercury (MMHg) is a potent toxin that bioaccumulates and magnifies in marine food webs. Recent studies show abundant methylated Hg in deep oceans (>1000 m), yet its origin remains uncertain. Here we measured Hg isotope compositions in fauna and surface sediments from the Mariana Trench. The trench fauna at 7000–11000 m depth all have substantially positive mass-independent fractionation of odd Hg isotopes (odd-MIF), which can be generated only in the photic zone via MMHg photo-degradation. Given the identical odd-MIF in trench fauna and North Pacific upper ocean (

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17045-3

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