ABSTRACT

Mercury content of the sediments and water in the area of the Huanghe Estuary and adjacent sea was measured for several species. The content values were found to be among the lowest levels in the world estuaries. The distributions, more or less homogeneous in dry season while exhibiting a gradient during the flood season, show the main role of the Huanghe runoff, having a heavy load of silt. Also observed were the transformation of inorganic mercury into organic species during the mixing between fresh and saline waters, rectilinear correlation of sediment mercury to its median diameter, and the stratification of mercury species at the near estuary.