Sediment Plug Flow-Through Experiments on Arctic Soils and Thawed Permafrost Sediments, Alaska, 2018-2023

The cycling of mercury (Hg) between soil complexation and mobilization via groundwater in the Arctic is an understudied subject with large implications for Hg fluxes as the climate warms. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by using sediment plug flow-through experiments to investigate the main controls on total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) cycling in Arctic coastal soils, sediments, and thawing permafrost. Cores were collected from Drew Point in 2018, Elson Lagoon in 2019, and Simpson Lagoon between 2021-2023. Experiments took place at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2023. Cores were sectioned and groundwater flow through the plug reactors was simulated using natural waters collected in the region of Simpson Lagoon. Within this dataset are soil characteristics and sampling information, as well as THg, MeHg, dissolved oxygen, sulfide, manganese, iron, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations collected over the course of the experiments.