Ž . The Science of the Total Environment 213 1998 4351 Mercury and major ions in rainfall, throughfall, and foliage from the Florida Everglades Jane L. Guentzel a , William M. Landing a,  , Gary A. Gill b , Curtis D. Pollman c a Department of Oceanography, Florida State Uni  ersity, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4320, USA b Department of Marine Sciences, Texas A & M Uni  ersity, Gal  eston, Texas 77551, USA c Tetra Tech, Inc., 408 W. Uni  ersity A e., Suite 301, Gaines  ille, Florida, 32601, USA Abstract The deposition of Hg to the Everglades has been investigated using monthly integrated bulk and wet-only tower based precipitation samples, tower based aerosol Hg samples, and ground based throughfall samples. A small set of foliage samples was collected and analyzed for ‘reactive’ and total Hg. There are large differences in the major ion Ž . chemistry of the wet and throughfall samples. Dry deposition of seasalt aerosols Na and Cl and foliar leaching of Ca and K contribute significantly to the throughfall fluxes. The concentrations and fluxes of total Hg in bulk deposition, wet deposition, and throughfall are not significantly different. These data demonstrate that dry deposited Hg is not ‘washed off’ of, or leached from foliage by rainfall. Results from the chemical reactivity experiments suggest that the leaves accumulate Hg as they mature. The calculated litterfall Hg fluxes are similar to the measured rates of rainfall Hg deposition.  1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. Keywords: Mercury; Hg; Everglades; Wet deposition; Throughfall; Litterfall 1. Introduction The Everglades is a unique subtropical ecosys- tem. The natural Everglades is a rainfall driven ‘sheet flow’ system, independent of rivers and Ž . streams Lodge, 1994 . The discovery of elevated Ž levels of Hg in piscivorous fish Hand and Fried- . man, 1990 has resulted in the implementation of studies designed to address the cycling of Hg in the Everglades. Quantifying the atmospheric de-  Corresponding author. position of Hg to the Everglades is the first step to understanding the rates and processes that govern Hg cycling in this rainfall dominated ecosystem. Measurements of mercury accumula- tion rates in the sediment can also provide esti- mates of both modern and historical Hg loadings to the Everglades. It is the intent of this study to compare and contrast the behavior of water solu- ble major ions with the behavior of Hg in rainfall and throughfall. The total deposition of Hg to the Everglades is reflected in wet deposition, dry de- position, and litterfall. We will use our measure- ments of these fluxes to reconcile the differences 0048-969798$19.00  1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII S0048-9697 98 00071-0