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Mercury (Hg) is one of the most dangerous pollutants worldwide. In the European Union (EU), we recently estimated the Hg distribution in topsoil using 21,591 samples and a series of geo-physical inputs. In this manuscript, we investigate the impact of mining activities, chrol-alkali industries and other diffuse pollution sources as primary anthropogenic sources of Hg hotspots in the EU. Based on Hg measured soil samples, we modelled the Hg pool in EU topsoils, which totals about 44.8 Gg, with an average density of 103 g ha −1 . As a following step, we coupled the estimated Hg stocks in topsoil with the pan-European assessment of soil loss due to water erosion and sediment distribution. In the European Union and UK, we estimated that about 43 Mg Hg yr −1 are displaced by water erosion and c. a. 6 Mg Hg yr −1 are transferred with sediments to river basins and eventually released to coastal Oceans. The Mediterranean Sea receives almost half (2.94 Mg yr −1 ) of the Hg fluxes to coastal oceans and it records the highest quantity of Hg sediments. This is the result of elevated soil Hg concentration and high erosion rates in the catchments draining into the Mediterranean Sea. This work contributes to new knowledge in support of the policy development in the on the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 3.9 and 14.1, which both have as an objective to reduce soil pollution by 2030.

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The European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), hosted by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), is the focal point for soil data, support to policy making and awareness raising for the European Union (EU). Established in 2006 to provide harmonised soil‐related information for the EU Member States, and ESDAC currently hosts 88 datasets, 6000 maps, six atlases, 500 scientific publications, and a copious amount of soil‐related material. Through its data repository publishing activity, ESDAC has licensed over 50,000 datasets during the past 15 years; 8500 of them in 2021 alone. It has published 140 monthly newsletters and is followed by more than 12,000 subscribed users, which receive regular updates. This article addresses the use, usability, and usefulness of ESDAC. About 75% of the ESDAC users come from academia and the research community while the remaining 25% includes public administration (at EU, national, regional, and local level) and the private sector. In addition, we provide some insights of the datasets evaluation and how they have been developed. The general ESDAC vision is to provide evidence underlying EU soil‐relevant policies and to facilitate the access to relevant data for research. ESDAC is an integral part of the recently established European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO), with a target to have an even stronger role in supporting EU and regional policies. Highlights ESDAC is a central place from where to find European wide relevant soil data. ESDAC is an integral part of the EU Soil Observatory in creating data and knowledge for policy support. The ESDAC website shows a high volume of traffic; 10,000 of user licenses are granted per year. ESDAC key success: open access data policy, documentation, operational helpdesk and regular updates.

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