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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
Mercury storage in surface soils in a central Washington forest and estimated release during the 2001 Rex Creek Fire
Abir Biswas1, Joel D Blum, Gerald J Keeler
1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, 1100 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. biswasa@email.arizona.edu
Abstract:
Recent investigations indicate that wildfires provide a significant flux of mercury (Hg) from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere. However, little is known about how geographic location, climate, stand age, and tree species affect Hg accumulation prior to burning and loss during burning. Soil cores collected in sites burned during the summer 2001 Rex Creek Fire in the eastern Cascade Mountains (Washington State, USA) and in adjacent unburned control sites indicate that Hg loss from soils during the Rex Creek Fire averaged 6.7 (+/-2.5) g Hg ha(-1). This soil profile-based estimate of Hg release is higher than a previous estimate for the same fire based on airborne measurements of Hg and CO concentrations in smoke. This study has implications for global estimates of Hg storage in forests and release to the atmosphere during wildfires.
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