Urban–rural differences in atmospheric mercury speciation

Liu, Bian; Keeler, Gerald J.; Dvonch, J. Timothy; Barres, James A.; Lynam, Mary M.; Marsik, Frank J.; Morgan, Joy Taylor

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.02.012

Cited by 94 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Average GOM concentrations in the spring were statistically higher than those in other seasons. The GEM trend at Dartmouth was partly consistent with other urban sites, where higher average GEM concentrations were typically observed in spring or summer (Liu et al, 2010;Xu and Akhtar, 2010;Nair et al, 2012). This was attributed to enhanced GEM emissions from surfaces during warmer months and regional source emissions (e.g.…”

Section: Seasonal Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 64%

“…This was attributed to enhanced GEM emissions from surfaces during warmer months and regional source emissions (e.g. increased electricity generation) (Liu et al, 2010;Xu and Akhtar, 2010). Seasonal patterns for PBM at Dartmouth were consistent with most of the urban locations in Table 1.…”

Section: Seasonal Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 60%

“…Average GOM and PBM concentrations at Dartmouth were lower than many of the urban sites listed in Table 1 even after consideration of the 30-40 % uncertainties for GOM concentrations (Gustin and Jaffe, 2010). Previous studies conducted at urban sites have not only observed higher atmospheric Hg concentrations than those at rural sites, but also larger variability in the concentrations (Gabriel et al, 2005;Song et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2010). The overall variability in GEM concentrations based on relative standard deviation at Dartmouth was comparable to some of the major cities, such as Toronto, Windsor, Detroit, and Birmingham.…”

Section: Overall Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Speciated atmospheric mercury concentrations have been measured at many urban locations across the United States, including Detroit (Liu et al, 2007(Liu et al, , 2010, Houston (Brooks et al, 2010), Tuscaloosa (Gabriel et al, 2005), Reno Peterson et al, 2009), Birmingham (Nair et al, 2012), Milwaukee (Rutter et al, 2007), and Rochester . In Canada, these measurements have taken place at two urban locations: Toronto and Windsor (Xu and Akhtar, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concentration-weighted trajectory approach to identifying potential sources of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban coastal site in Nova Scotia, Canada

Cheng¹,

et al. 2013

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Regional and local sources contributing to gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (PBM) at an urban coastal site in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada were investigated using the Concentration-Weighted Trajectory model (CWT) and Conditional Probability Function. From 2010–2011, GEM, GOM, and PBM concentrations were 1.67 ± 1.01 ng m⁻³, 2.07 ± 3.35 pg m⁻³, and 2.32 ± 3.09 pg m⁻³, respectively. Seasonal variability was observed, with statistically higher GEM and PBM concentrations in winter and spring and higher GOM in spring. In the CWT, concentrations are the weighting factors for the trajectory residence time in modeled grid cells, which results in the identification of source areas based on the CWT values in the grid cells. Potential source areas were identified in regions with known industrial Hg sources particularly in the fall season, but also in regions without these sources (e.g. Atlantic Ocean, northern Ontario and Quebec). CWTs for GOM and PBM that were associated with ≥ 5 kg industrial Hg emissions from 2010–2011 were statistically larger than those with zero Hg emissions, despite a lack of strong correlations. A large proportion of elevated CWTs (85–97%) was in regions with zero industrial Hg sources indicating the potential role of non-point sources, natural emissions, and residential-scale combustion. Analysis of wind data suggests that a commercial harbor and vehicular traffic were potential local sources. Evaluating modeled source areas against Hg emissions inventories was not an ideal method for assessing the CWT model accuracy because of insufficient data on Hg emissions at more precise locations

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Section: Seasonal Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Seasonal Concentrationssupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: Overall Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concentration-weighted trajectory approach to identifying potential sources of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban coastal site in Nova Scotia, Canada

Cheng¹,

et al. 2013

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“…Therefore, excessive mercury emissions from power plants can increase regional and even global mercury levels in the air. The levels of gaseous mercury in China are much higher than the global background (1.5-2.0 ng/ m 3 ) (Valente et al, 2007), and those in urban air in North America and Europe (2.0-4.6 ng/m 3 ) (Li et al, 2008;Liu et al, 2010;Manolopoulos et al, 2007), primarily due to the widespread coal burning in China (Mao et al, 2010). Therefore, reduction of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants can help to reduce the atmospheric mercury pollution and the health risk of the general population.…”

Section: Mercury Emissions From Electricity Generation In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury risk from fluorescent lamps in China: Current status and future perspective

Cheng

2012

Environment International

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Mercury accumulation in honey bees trends upward with urbanization in the USA

Waiker

Ulus

Tsui

et al. 2022

Agricultural & Env Letters

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Urbanization has profound implications for associated ecosystems and organisms. Monitoring pollutants inform risk assessments for human and wildlife health. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) forage widely and collect food from many sources. Thus, they may be a robust integrator of environmental pollutants. Here, we collected honey bees from 10 different locations across the United States to quantify their content of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg). Although our limited sample size prevented a meaningful statistical evaluation, we found that bees from urbanized areas had higher THg than those from rural areas, with suburban samples intermediate. The MeHg concentrations in all samples were below the detection limit. Despite its limited scope, this first preliminary dataset on Hg levels in honey bees across the United States suggests that urbanization may play a role in increasing Hg exposure to these pollinators, and that honey bees may be a useful biomonitor of the environmental presence of chemical pollutants.

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Urban–rural differences in atmospheric mercury speciation

Cited by 94 publications

References 27 publications

Concentration-weighted trajectory approach to identifying potential sources of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban coastal site in Nova Scotia, Canada

Concentration-weighted trajectory approach to identifying potential sources of speciated atmospheric mercury at an urban coastal site in Nova Scotia, Canada

Mercury risk from fluorescent lamps in China: Current status and future perspective

Mercury accumulation in honey bees trends upward with urbanization in the USA

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