Arctic springtime depletion of mercury

Schroeder, W. H.; Anlauf, K. G.; Barrie, Leonard A.; Lu, Junjie; Steffen, Alexandra; Schneeberger, D.; Berg, Torunn

doi:10.1038/28530

Cited by 682 publications

(512 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Annual medians (cruise medians) are used to suppress the influence of occasional high TGM values due to episodes of local or regional pollution such as by biomass burning at Cape Point [Brunke et al, 2001] or low values due to polar springtime TGM depletion [Schroeder et al, 1998;Ebinghaus et al, 2002a]. All points are presented with 95% median confidence ranges [Sachs, 1978], the latter being sometimes smaller than the median symbols.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1977

Šlemr

Brunke

Ebinghaus

et al. 2003

Geophysical Research Letters

196

138

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The inventories of global anthropogenic emissions of mercury for years from 1979/1980 to 1995 suggest a substantial reduction in the 1980s and almost constant emissions afterwards. In contrast to emission inventories, measurements of atmospheric mercury suggest a concentration increase in the 1980s and a decrease in the 1990s. Here we present a first attempt to reconstruct the worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury concentrations from direct measurements since the late 1970s. In combination, long term measurements at 6 sites in the northern, 2 sites in the southern hemispheres, during 8 ship cruises over the Atlantic Ocean (1977–2000) provide a consistent picture, suggesting that atmospheric mercury concentrations increased in the late 1970s to a peak in the 1980s, then decreased to a minimum at about 1996, and have been nearly constant since. The observed trend is not consistent with the published inventories of anthropogenic emissions and the assumed ratios of anthropogenic/natural emissions, and suggests the need to improve the mercury emission inventories and to re‐evaluate the contribution of natural sources.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A Tekran mercury vapor analyzer has been operated at this site since January 1995 [Schroeder et al, 1998]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1977

Šlemr

Brunke

Ebinghaus

et al. 2003

Geophysical Research Letters

196

138

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“…Increased Hg levels found in marine and lacustrine sediments [1,5] and in peat bogs [10] indicate increased £uxes of anthropogenic Hg from mid-latitudes to the Arctic. Besides transport of air masses from mid-to high latitudes increased deposition of Hg in Arctic regions is assumed to be also enhanced by light induced formation of reactive Hg species during polar sunrise [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated mercury accumulation in a peat bog of the Magellanic Moorlands, Chile (53°S) – an anthropogenic signal from the Southern Hemisphere

Biester

Kilian

Franzen

et al. 2002

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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Increasing mercury deposition rates in the Northern Hemisphere recorded in natural archives such as peat bogs or lake sediments have been documented in numerous studies. However, data on atmospheric Hg deposition in the Southern Hemisphere dating back to pre-industrial times are rare. Here, we provide a continuous record of atmospheric Hg deposition in the Southern Hemisphere recorded by an ombrotrophic peat bog of the Magellanic Moorlands, Chile (53 ‡S), extending back 3000 yr. Pre-industrial mercury accumulation rates range between 2.5 and 3.9 Wg/m 2 /yr. In the past 100 yr, Hg accumulation rates increased 18-fold from about 3 Wg/m 2 /yr to a maximum of 62.5 Wg/m 2 /yr. If Hg accumulation rates were normalized to peat accumulation rates, maximum rates were 7.9 Wg/m 2 / yr, which is only 2.5 times the pre-industrial rates. Thus, Hg accumulation rates normalized to peat accumulation rates are more comparable to the three-fold net increase in atmospheric Hg concentrations estimated for the same period. We suggest that the increase in Hg accumulation rates in the Magellanic Moorlands within the past 100 yr is at least partly attributed to global dispersion of Hg derived from anthropogenic sources in the Northern Hemisphere. The finding that no increase of atmospheric deposition of Pb could be observed in the bog indicates the extraordinary long-range transport and ubiquitous dispersion of anthropogenic derived gaseous Hg compared to other metals. ß

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“…Recently, several findings have highlighted the need for information on atmospheric Hg cycling in the marine environment. Fish consumption advisories have been expanded to include swordfish and tuna (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (g) 0 ) oxidation and consequently large dry depositional fluxes of Hg to the snowpack [Schroeder et al, 1998;Lindberg et al, 2002]. Modeling studies of the Mediterranean [Hedgecock and Pirrone, 2001], measurements on the west coast of Ireland , and a measurement campaign in Bermuda have suggested that marine-derived halogen compounds, in temperate and tropical regions, could oxidize Hg (g) 0 to inorganic divalent reactive gaseous mercury (RGM), and therefore be a significant source to local or regional deposition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of the coastal environment on the atmospheric mercury cycle

2003

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[1] Atmospheric mercury (Hg) species were investigated on the east coast of Florida during June 2000. The site was impacted by air mass transport from the Atlantic Ocean and south Florida. Periods with atmospheric transport from the Atlantic were characterized by low concentrations of elemental gaseous Hg and inorganic divalent reactive gaseous mercury (RGM), demonstrating that the marine boundary layer was not a significant source of RGM to this coastal site as previous researchers have hypothesized. When anthropogenic impacts were observed at the site, indicated by elevated concentrations of gases including HNO 3 and SO 2 , RGM concentrations had higher daytime maximums. Particulate phase Hg concentrations were higher than can be explained by sea spray alone, as determined by chemical analysis of the seawater, suggesting that gaseous Hg is diffusing into the sea-salt aerosol. Although atmospheric Hg concentrations were not elevated, the observed scavenging of Hg gases by sea-salt aerosols indicates that Hg may be rapidly cycled at the atmosphere-ocean interface between gaseous, aerosol, and oceanic forms. Deposition of aerosol enriched in Hg via this process may constitute a significant global mercury flux to the oceans.

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Arctic springtime depletion of mercury

Cited by 682 publications

References 3 publications

Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1977

Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1977

Elevated mercury accumulation in a peat bog of the Magellanic Moorlands, Chile (53°S) – an anthropogenic signal from the Southern Hemisphere

The effects of the coastal environment on the atmospheric mercury cycle

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