Tracing mercury from land to river: global sources, retention, and implications for sustainability

Dong Peng, Zeli Tan, Peipei Wu, Ruirong Chang, Shaojian Huang, Peng Zhang, Yujuan Wang, Zhengcheng Song, Yanxu Zhang, Ting Lei, Maodian Liu, Beth a Middleton, Jianhua Gao, Junguo Liu, Guangchun Lei, Shu Tao

Mercury (Hg) pollution in river systems is a global sustainability challenge. Yet the transport, transformation, and retention of Hg within global rivers remain poorly quantified, particularly in regions with sparse observations such as Southeast Asia and Africa, hindering effective pollution mitigation and reinforcing geographic inequities in scientific knowledge and environmental governance. Here, we present the first global, high-resolution simulation of riverine Hg dynamics using a process-based model that traces Hg from land-based sources through river networks to the ocean. Under a realistic scenario, we estimate that ~1,900 megagrams per year (Mg/yr) of Hg enters global rivers, including 1,500 Mg/yr from human-induced sources and 400 Mg/yr from soil erosion. Nearly half of this flux (~1,000 Mg/yr) is retained in reservoirs and dams, which act as major sinks. While such retention limits downstream delivery to the oceans, it also heightens in-reservoir Hg methylation risks. By bridging the gap between Hg releases and observed riverine exports, our framework offers a scalable tool for data-limited regions, promotes data access, and supports global freshwater and pollution-management strategies.