Mercury concentrations and pools in four Sierra Nevada forest sites, and relationships to organic carbon and nitrogen

This study presents data on mercury (Hg) concentrations, stochiometric relations to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), and Hg pool sizes in four Sierra Nevada forest sites of similar exposure and precipitation regimes, and hence similar atmospheric deposition, to evaluate how ecosystem parameters control Hg retention in ecosystems. In all four sites, the largest amounts of Hg reside in soils which account for 94-98% of ecosystem pools. Hg concentrations and Hg/C ratios increase in the following order: Green Needles/Leaves