A comparison of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for determination of mercury in Great Barrier Reef sediments

An existing method for cold vapour generation and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICPAES) has been extended to enable the determination of mercury concentrations in solutions by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Typical instrument variability (3σ of blank) were found to be 0.15 parts per billion (1 in 10₉) Hg in solution for ICPAES and 4 parts per trillion (1 in 10₁₂) for ICPMS. Solutions containing over 2 ppb Hg could be analysed by ICPAES, solutions of over 0.025 ppb could be analysed by ICPMS with confidence. The techniques were applied to a 3.82 m core of sediment from the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon where a 45-fold increase in mercury contamination was observed.