Mercury emissions and stable isotopic compositions at Vulcano Island (Italy)

Zambardi, Thomas; Sonke, Jeroen E.; Toutain, Jean; Sortino, Francesco; Shinohara, Hiroshi

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.10.023

Cited by 190 publications

(128 citation statements)

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“…The x axis is time in minutes since plume release, starting with minute 1, which represent crater-rim conditions that are already significantly different from the model initialization. (19)(20)(21)(22). According to Dedeurwaerder et al (23), about 62% of the measured mercury resided in the particulate phase at the rim of a crater of Mount Etna, whereas more recent studies at Masaya, Telica (both Nicaragua), and Mount Etna (19,21) showed that most mercury at the crater rim resides in the gas phase; in these studies particulate mercury accounted only for 1-5% by mass of total mercury.…”

Section: Bromine Chemistry In the Plumementioning

confidence: 90%

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Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes

Glasow

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

145

126

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Recent field observations have shown that the atmospheric plumes of quiescently degassing volcanoes are chemically very active, pointing to the role of chemical cycles involving halogen species and heterogeneous reactions on aerosol particles that have previously been unexplored for this type of volcanic plumes. Key features of these measurements can be reproduced by numerical models such as the one employed in this study. The model shows sustained high levels of reactive bromine in the plume, leading to extensive ozone destruction, that, depending on plume dispersal, can be maintained for several days. The very high concentrations of sulfur dioxide in the volcanic plume reduces the lifetime of the OH radical drastically, so that it is virtually absent in the volcanic plume. This would imply an increased lifetime of methane in volcanic plumes, unless reactive chlorine chemistry in the plume is strong enough to offset the lack of OH chemistry. A further effect of bromine chemistry in addition to ozone destruction shown by the model studies presented here, is the oxidation of mercury. This relates to mercury that has been coemitted with bromine from the volcano but also to background atmospheric mercury. The rapid oxidation of mercury implies a drastically reduced atmospheric lifetime of mercury so that the contribution of volcanic mercury to the atmospheric background might be less than previously thought. However, the implications, especially health and environmental effects due to deposition, might be substantial and warrant further studies, especially field measurements to test this hypothesis

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Section: Bromine Chemistry In the Plumementioning

confidence: 90%

“…This rapid oxidation of mercury was recently confirmed by ref. 22 for several fumarole plumes on Vulcano. It has been known since the pioneering study of Schroeder et al (24) that bromine compounds can lead to rapid oxidation of elemental mercury in the polar boundary layer.…”

Section: Bromine Chemistry In the Plumementioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes

Glasow

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

145

126

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“…Hg in the environment majorly comes from two sources, natural sources and anthropogenic sources (Jiang et al, 2006). Natural emissions mainly originate from volcanoes (Zambardi et al, 2009), geothermal activity (Gustin et al, 2008) and emissions from soil and water. Mining, smelting, coal combustion and industrial usage of Hg in chlor-alkali production, batteries, fluorescent lamps, medical devices and so on comprise anthropogenic sources (Pirrone et al, 2010;Streets et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury in alpine fish from four rivers in the Tibetan Plateau

Shao

Shi

et al. 2016

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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“…Hg values approximately between −2.0‰ and 0‰ (e.g., Zambardi et al) 47 . When released to the environment, Hg cycles through the atmospheric, marine, and terrestrial reservoirs 46 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Mercury Spikes Suggest Volcanic Driver of the Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction

Qing¹,

Zhao²,

Wang³

et al. 2017

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

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The second largest Phanerozoic mass extinction occurred at the Ordovician-Silurian (O-S) boundary. However, unlike the other major mass extinction events, the driver for the O-S extinction remains uncertain. The abundance of mercury (Hg) and total organic carbon (TOC) of Ordovician and early Silurian marine sediments were analyzed from four sections (Huanghuachang, Chenjiahe, Wangjiawan and Dingjiapo) in the Yichang area, South China, as a test for evidence of massive volcanism associated with the O-S event. Our results indicate the Hg concentrations generally vary in parallel with TOC, and that the Hg/TOC ratios remain low and steady state through the Early and Middle Ordovician. However, Hg concentrations and the Hg/TOC ratio increased rapidly in the Late Katian, and have a second peak during the Late Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) that was temporally coincident with two main pulses of mass extinction. Hg isotope data display little to no variation associated with the Hg spikes during the extinction intervals, indicating that the observed Hg spikes are from a volcanic source. These results suggest intense volcanism occurred during the Late Ordovician, and as in other Phanerozoic extinctions, likely played an important role in the O-S event.Refinements in radio-isotopic dating techniques has demonstrated a strong temporal link between Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism and four out of the five largest mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic, leading to suggestions that LIP events have devastating effects on global ecosystems that in some ways mirrors concerns over modern anthropogenic impacts on the planet [1][2][3][4] . The one anomaly is the Ordovician-Silurian (O-S) mass extinction, the second largest of the "Big Five" extinctions. In terms of species loss the O-S represented about 86% of marine life 5,6 , including the elimination of graptolites 7-9 and brachiopods 10, 11 . The triggering mechanism of the O-S mass extinction has been extensively debated, and various hypotheses have been proposed, including gamma ray burst and bolide impact 12,13 ; however, the cause still remains highly controversial. Intense Late Ordovician volcanism was also suggested as a potential extinction mechanism 14,15 , although no clear geologic record of a Late Ordovician LIP event has been demonstrated. The age of the event makes it possible that any geologic record has been lost 15 . Given this, we tested for indirect evidence of volcanism at the O-S extinction boundary by examining the Hg record from classic sections in south China. Here we show that significant spikes in Hg concentrations occur at the O-S extinction, along with Hg stable isotope data that indicate a volcanic source for these spikes. We suggest that this reflects Hg loading by a LIP event. If correct, these results demonstrate that LIP events have indeed played a critical role in the evolution of life through time. Mercury as a Proxy for LIP eventsVolcanic eruptions are the main natural source of Hg to the environment 16 . Sanei et al. 17 demonstrated that th...

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Mercury emissions and stable isotopic compositions at Vulcano Island (Italy)

Cited by 190 publications

References 37 publications

Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes

Atmospheric chemistry in volcanic plumes

Mercury in alpine fish from four rivers in the Tibetan Plateau

Mercury Spikes Suggest Volcanic Driver of the Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction

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