REACTIVE MERCURY ON THE SCOTIAN SHELF AND IN THE ADJACENT NORTHWEST ATLANTIC-OCEAN

Depth profiles of reactive Hg were measured at four stations, two on the Scotian Shelf and two in the adjacent waters of the NW Atlantic. The average concentration of Hg from the Shelf stations (2.2 pM) was similar to the levels found al two deep stations offshore (2.3 pM) and previously in the Sargasso Sea. No major water column features were evident in any of the profiles. A series of surface samples were collected on a transect from the mouth of Halifax harbour to a station 400 km offshore. This transect showed a rapid decrease in Hg with increased distance from shore, with most of the gradient at the inshore end of the transect.