Anthropogenic Metal Storage in Wetland Soils Across the Conterminous United States

Wetlands provide many ecosystem services, such as mitigating pollution, attenuating flooding and drought extremes, and providing habitat for many species. However, studies quantifying potential wetland sequestration of heavy metals as an ecosystem service, particularly across large spatial extents, are sparse. We utilized data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s National Wetland Condition Assessment to estimate anthropogenic metal (Pb, Cu, Cr) storage in the upper 40 cm of wetland soils across the conterminous United States—never done before at this scale. Large amounts of anthropogenic Cu and Cr are stored in wetland soil across the conterminous United States, at 299.5 ± 73.2 (95