Total mercury and methylmercury in high altitude surface snow from the French Alps

Marusczak, Nicolas; Larose, Catherine; Dommergue, Aurélien; Yumvihoze, Emmanuel; Lean, D. R. S.; Nedjaï, Rachid; Ferrari, Christophe

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.06.040

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Total Hg concentrations in rain water (bulk precipitation) varied from 10 to 80 pmol L -1 , with a mean of 31 ± 22 pmol L -1 (n = 13). This range is similar to those published for other coastal areas of the Northern hemisphere (e.g., Hammerschmidt et al, 2007;Marusczak et al, 2011;Weiss-Penzias et al, 2012). The average HgT concentration calculated here for the period 2009-2010, is more than 2 times lower than that calculated for the 40 rain events sampled between January 2002 and May 2003 in a coastal site of Corsica (Northwestern Mediterranean), namely 70 ± 100 pmol L -1 (Cossa and Coquery, 2005).…”

Section: Rain and Aerosolsupporting

confidence: 91%

Sources and exchanges of mercury in the waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin

Cossa

Madron

Schäfer

et al. 2018

Progress in Oceanography

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Ocean margins are focal regions in terms of mercury (Hg) exchanges between the continent and the open sea. The aim of this paper is to describe the distribution and partition of Hg between the gaseous, dissolved and particulate phases in the waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean (NWM) margin, in order to assess the Hg sources and exchanges within the continuum between the continental shelf (Gulf of Lions) and the open sea (Northern Gyre). Mean (± standard deviation) of total Hg species (HgT) concentrations in unfiltered water samples were 1.52 ± 1.00 pmol L-1 (n=36) in the inner shelf, 1.09 ± 0.15 pmol L-1 (n=30) along the slope, and 1.10 ± 0.13 pmol L-1 (n=99) in the Northern Gyre. The dissolved phase (<0.45µm) average concentrations were 0.80 ± 0.47 pmol L-1 (n=37) in the inner shelf, 0.93 ± 0.20 pmol L-1 (n=4) along the slope and 0.84 ± 0.10 (n=20) pmol L-1 in the Northern Gyre. The particulate fraction of Hg decreased very strongly seaward from around 60% on the shelf to 10-25% above the Northern Gyre. Very low dissolved HgT concentrations occurred in the inner shelf water, consistent with the results of incubation experiments, which demonstrated that shelf water is very efficient in both production and release of dissolved gaseous Hg into the atmosphere. In the North Gyre waters column HgT presents a distribution pattern inverse to that of dissolved oxygen, and a slight Hg enrichment in the deep layer (Western Mediterranean Deep Water). The Hg from the open sea water is the largest Hg input to the Gulf of Lions (∼5.7 kmol yr-1), whereas inputs from the riverine source account for ∼3.4 kmol yr-1 and atmospheric deposition for less than 0.5 kmol yr-1. The Hg accumulated in the sediments of the shelf is ∼4.5 kmol yr-1, including 0.6-1.7 kmol yr-1 in the Rhône prodelta sediments. The evasion to the atmosphere represents a Hg flux of ∼2.6 kmol yr-1. Highlights ► Distribution and fluxes of total Hg have been examined in the Gulf of Lions and North Gyre of the NW Mediterranean. ► Concentrations varied from 0.6 to 4.57 pmol L-1 on the inner shelf, and from 0.5 to 1.5 pmol L-1 at open sea. ► Average Hg inputs to the Gulf are 5.7 kmol yr-1 from open sea, 3.2 kmol yr-1 from rivers, and 0.5 kmol yr-1 from the atmosphere. ► In the open sea, Hg and dissolved oxygen distributions are inverse.

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Section: Rain and Aerosolsupporting

confidence: 91%

Sources and exchanges of mercury in the waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin

Cossa

Madron

Schäfer

et al. 2018

Progress in Oceanography

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“…Total Hg concentrations in unfiltered rain water varied from 10 to 80 pmol L -1 , with a mean of 31 ± 22 pmol L -1 (n = 13), whereas MeHgT concentrations varied from 0.10 to 1.25 pmol L -1 , with a mean of 0.59 ± 0.33 pmol L -1 (n = 13), i.e., ~2% of the HgT. These ranges are similar to those published for other coastal areas of the Northern Hemisphere (e.g., Hammerschmidt et al, 2007;Marusczak et al, 2011;Weiss-Penzias et al, 2012). Methylated Hg concentrations in the 28 aerosol samples were undetectable due to the too-small amount of sample collected on the membrane.…”

Section: Atmospheric Depositionsupporting

confidence: 82%

The open sea as the main source of methylmercury in the water column of the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern Mediterranean margin)

Cossa

Madron

Schäfer

et al. 2017

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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International audienceDespite the ecologic and economical importance of coastal areas, the neurotoxic bioaccumulable monomethylmercury (MMHg) fluxes within the ocean margins and exchanges with the open sea remain unassessed. The aim of this paper is to address the questions of the abundance, distribution, production and exchanges of methylated mercury species (MeHgT), including MMHg and dimethylmercury (DMHg), in the waters, atmosphere and sediments of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin including the Rhône River delta, the continental shelf and its slope (Gulf of Lions) and the adjacent open sea (North Gyre)

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“…In the Alps, the high observed means (68 and 131 L −1 for surface snow and throughout the snowpack, respectively) are based predominantly on springtime observations. Convection, which is active in spring and summer, lifts regional pollution (Maupetit et al, 1995;Cozic et al, 2008;Marusczak et al, 2011). Newly published results from Marusczak et al (2011), which are not included in the plotted observed mean, provide a mean concentration of total mercury in Alpine surface snow during the first four months of 2009 of ∼3.5 ng L −1 , which agrees well with this region's simulated concentration of mercury in both the top snowpack layer and the top and bottom layers combined (∼2 ng L −1 ).…”

Section: Snowpack-related Mercurymentioning

confidence: 99%

How relevant is the deposition of mercury onto snowpacks? – Part 2: A modeling study

Durnford¹,

Dastoor

Ryzhkov

et al. 2012

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. An unknown fraction of mercury that is deposited onto snowpacks is revolatilized to the atmosphere. Determining the revolatilized fraction is important since mercury that enters the snowpack meltwater may be converted to highly toxic bioaccumulating methylmercury. In this study, we present a new dynamic physically-based snowpack/meltwater model for mercury that is suitable for large-scale atmospheric models for mercury. It represents the primary physical and chemical processes that determine the fate of mercury deposited onto snowpacks. The snowpack/meltwater model was implemented in Environment Canada's atmospheric mercury model GRAHM. For the first time, observed snowpack-related mercury concentrations are used to evaluate and constrain an atmospheric mercury model. We find that simulated concentrations of mercury in both snowpacks and the atmosphere's surface layer agree closely with observations. The simulated concentration of mercury in both in the top 30 cm and the top 150 cm of the snowpack, averaged over 2005-2009, is predominantly below 6 ng L −1 over land south of 66.5°N but exceeds 18 ng L −1 over sea ice in extensive areas of the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay. The average simulated concentration of mercury in snowpack meltwater runoff tends to be higher on the Russian/European side (>20 ng L −1 ) of the Arctic Ocean than on the Canadian side (<10 ng L −1 ). The correlation coefficient between observed and simulated monthly mean atmospheric surface-level gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations increased significantly with the inclusion of the new snowpack/meltwater model at two of the three stations (midlatitude, subarctic) studied and remained constant at the third (arctic). Oceanic emissions are postulated to produce the observed summertime maximum in concentrations of surface-level atmospheric GEM at Alert in the Canadian Arctic and to generate the summertime volatility observed in these concentrations at both Alert and Kuujjuarapik on subarctic Hudson Bay, Canada. We find that the fraction of deposited mercury that is revolatilized from snowpacks increases with latitude from 39 % between 30 and 45°N, to 57 % from 45 to 60°N, 67 % from 60 to 66.5°N, and 75 % polewards of 66.5°N on an annual basis. Combining this latitudinal gradient with the latitudinally increasing coverage of snowpacks causes yearly net deposition as a fraction of gross deposition to decrease from 98 % between 30 and 45°N to 89 % between 45 and 60°N, 73 % between 60 and 66.5°N, and 44 % within the Arctic Circle. The yearly net deposition and net accumulation of mercury at the surface within the Arctic Circle north of 66.5°N are estimated at 153 and 117 Mg, respectively. We calculate that 58 and 50 Mg of mercury are deposited annually to the Arctic Ocean directly and indirectly via melting snowpacks, respectively. For terrestrial surfaces within the Arctic Circle, we find that 29 and 16 Mg of mercury are deposited annually directly and indirectly via melting snowpacks, respectively. Within the Arctic Circle, multi-s...

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Total mercury and methylmercury in high altitude surface snow from the French Alps

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

Sources and exchanges of mercury in the waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin

Sources and exchanges of mercury in the waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin

The open sea as the main source of methylmercury in the water column of the Gulf of Lions (Northwestern Mediterranean margin)

How relevant is the deposition of mercury onto snowpacks? – Part 2: A modeling study

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