Characteristics of atmospheric speciated mercury concentrations (TGM,Hg(II) and Hg(p)) in Seoul,Korea

Ambient speciated mercury concentrations including total gaseous mercury (TGM), gaseous divalent mercury (Hg(II)), and particulate mercury (Hg(p)) were measured on the roof of the Graduate School of Public Health building in Seoul, Korea from February 2005 to February 2006. The average concentrations were 3.22 ± 2.10 ng m^?3, 27.2 ± 19.3 pg m^?3, and 23.9 ± 19.6 pg m^?3 for TGM, Hg(II), and Hg(p), respectively. Hg(II) and Hg(p) concentrations were higher during the daytime than during the nighttime, probably because of high photochemical activity. Hg⁰ concentrations were not significantly correlated with ozone however a positive correlation between ozone and Hg(II) was found during periods of high humidity. Eighteen days were characterized as pollution events with 24 h average PM_2.5 concentrations >65 μg m^?3. The average concentrations of TGM and Hg(p) during these events were 1.4–2 times higher than those during non-pollution events. In order to identify the contribution of long-range transported mercury to the enhanced mercury concentrations in Korea, an episode was defined as a period with hourly average TGM and CO concentrations higher than the monthly average TGM and CO concentrations and with significant enhancement of both TGM and CO concentrations for at least 10 h. A total of 70 episodes were identified during the sampling period: 36 local episodes and 34 long-range transport episodes. The mean ΔTGM/ΔCO slope for all episodes was 0.0063 ng m^?3 ppbv^?1 which agreed well with the slope (0.0036–0.0074 ng m^?3 ppbv^?1) found in previous studies that identified long-range transport of TGM from China. The mean slope during non-events was 0.0011 ng m^?3 ppbv^?1. Back-trajectory analysis showed that during episodes, air parcels arrived mostly from the major industrial areas in China (n = 25, 73%), followed by Japan (n = 4, 12%), Yellow Sea (n = 3, 9%), and Russia (n = 2, 6%).     

Atmospheric mercury pollution at an urban site in central Taiwan: mercury emission sources at ground level

Total gaseous mercury (Hg) (TGM), gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM), and particulate-bound Hg (PBM) concentrations and dry depositions were measured at an urban site in central Taiwan. The concentrations were 6.14 ± 3.91 ng m⁻³, 332 ± 153, and 71.1 ± 46.1 pg m⁻³, respectively. These results demonstrate high Hg pollution at the ground level in Taiwan. A back trajectory plot shows the sources of the high TGM concentration were in the low atmosphere (<500 m) and approximately 50% of the air masses coming from upper troposphere (>500 m) were associated with low TGM concentrations. This finding implies that Hg is trapped in the low atmosphere and comes from local Hg emission sources. The conditional probability function (CPF) reveals that the plumes of high TGM concentrations come from the south and northwest of the site. The plume from the south comes from two municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs). However, no significant Hg point source is located to the northwest of the site; therefore, the plumes from the northwest are hypothesized to be related to the combustion of agricultural waste. Dry deposition fluxes of Hg measured at this site considerably exceeded those measured in North America. Overall, this area is regarded as a highly Hg contaminated area because of local Hg emission sources.     

Deposition fluxes of PCDD/Fs in a reservoir system in northern Taiwan

In this study, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) concentrations and depositions in ambient air, water column and sediment were measured at a coupled reservoir-watershed system in northern Taiwan. The atmospheric PCDD/F concentration measured in the vicinity of the reservoir ranged from 4.9 to 39 fg I-TEQ m⁻³ and the Asian dust storm in February accounted for the peak value, which corresponded to a total suspended particle concentration of 128 μg m⁻³. The atmospheric PCDD/F deposition ranged from 1.4 to 19 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹, with higher deposition occurring during winter and spring (long-range transport events). During summer, when atmospheric deposition is lower, consecutive tropical cyclones (typhoons) bring heavy rainfall that enhances soil erosion and creates turbidity-driven intermediate flow. This results in significantly higher PCDD/F deposition in water column of the reservoir at 70 m water depth (179 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹) than at 20 m (21 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹) during typhoon event. The accumulation rate of PCDD/Fs (9.1 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹) in the reservoir sediments (depth: 0-2 cm) was consistent with PCDD/F deposition obtained from water column (6.1 and 8.3 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹); however, it is significantly higher when compared to the atmospheric deposition (2.0 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹). Based on the mass balance between the measurements of atmospheric deposition and sinking particles in water column, around 54-74% of PCDD/F inputs into the reservoir were contributed by the catchment erosion during normal period. However, the PCDD/F input contributed by the enhanced catchment erosion significantly increased to 90% during intensive typhoon events.     

Comparison of concentrations of mercury in ambient air to its accumulation by leafy vegetables: An important step in terrestrial food chain analysis

A biomonitoring network with leafy vegetables was established near a chlor-alkali plant in order to compare the accumulation of mercury to the atmospheric total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentration. Based on data obtained in the reference area the ‘normal’ mercury concentration in vegetables is between 0.6 and 5.4 μg kg⁻¹ FW. The effect detection limits (EDLs) are between 1.2 and 11.0 μg kg⁻¹ FW and the biological detection limits (BDLs), the lowest [TGM] that can be detected significantly, are between 3 and 4 ng m⁻³. The accumulation rate is lowest for lettuce and high for curly kale that proved to be an excellent accumulator and as such it is very useful for biomonitoring purposes. A comparison made in the 1980s between biomonitoring results with grass and the mercury concentration in leafy vegetables from private gardens nearby proved to be valid when applied to the current biomonitoring results with vegetables.     

Temporal patterns of atmospheric mercury species in northern Mississippi during 2011–2012: Influence of sudden population swings

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM) were measured on the University of Mississippi campus from July 2011 to June 2012. It is believed to be the first time that concentrations of atmospheric mercury species have been documented in northern Mississippi, and at a location with relatively large and sudden swings in population. The mean concentration (±1SD) of GEM was 1.54 ± 0.32 ng m⁻³; levels were lower and generally more stable during the winter (1.48 ± 0.22) and spring (1.46 ± 0.27) compared with the summer (1.56 ± 0.32) and fall (1.63 ± 0.42). Mean concentrations for GOM and PBM were 3.87 pg m⁻³ and 4.58 pg m⁻³, respectively; levels tended to be highest in the afternoon and lowest in the early morning hours. During the fall and spring academic semesters concentrations and variability of GOM and PBM both increased, possibly from vehicle exhaust. There were moderate negative correlations with wind speed (all species) and humidity (GOM and PBM). Backward air mass trajectory modeling for the ten highest peaks for each mercury species revealed that the majority of these events occurred from air masses that passed through the northern continental US region. Overall, this study illustrates the complexity of temporal fluctuations of airborne mercury species, even in a small town environment.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and mercury in fish from lakes of the Tibetan Plateau

High mountains may act as cold traps for globally transported persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury (Hg). In the present study, 60 fish samples were collected from eight alpine lakes across the Tibetan Plateau. Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), total mercury (HgT) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were quantified in the fish muscle tissues to improve the understanding of pollution status and factors regulating the transport and fate of these contaminants on the Plateau. The results showed that lake-averaged ∑₁₄PBDEs concentration was between 0.09 ng g⁻¹ dw and 4.32 ng g⁻¹ dw, which was lower than those reported for European mountains. The total mercury concentration in individual fish ranged from 243 to 2384 ng g⁻¹ dw, and that of MeHg from 131 to 1610 ng g⁻¹ dw, which is much higher than those reported in other mountain fish. The spatial variation of PBDEs and mercury in the Plateau is largely controlled by the specific meteorological patterns.     

Particulate mercury emissions in regional wildfire plumes observed at the Mount Bachelor Observatory

Atmospheric mercury is composed primarily of Hg⁰ (>95%), but Hg⁺² and particle bound mercury are also found in some environments. The three forms of mercury were measured at the Mount Bachelor Observatory beginning in 2005. Using data gathered from 2005 to 2007, 15 periods were identified during which PHg was above the instrument detection limit of 3 pg m^?3 for nine or more consecutive hours. Peak PHg concentrations ranged from 6.0 to 44.3 pg m^?3. During these events, PHg is strongly correlated with CO and sub-micron aerosol scatter coefficient (typically R² > 0.6). Our data suggest that the 15 PHg events were likely due to regional wildfires in California and Oregon. Wildfires were identified as the primary PHg source using a combination of air-mass back-trajectories, MODIS satellite data, and chemical and physical tracers of combustion. Slopes of the PHg/σ_sp and PHg/CO relationships ranged from 0.20 to 1.57 pg (Mm^?1)^?1 and 0.11 to 0.61 pg m^?3 ppb^?1, respectively. The range of slopes may indicate different types of burning (e.g. flaming vs. smoldering), differing amounts of chemical processing, different fuel sources, or different physical parameters such as the plume injection height. The slopes provide constraints for the relationship between PHg, CO, and aerosol scatter from wildfires. Asian long-range transport was not a source of PHg but we cannot rule out the possibility of local U.S. industrial sources of PHg for some of the events. Assuming our observations are representative of global fire emissions, we estimate that PHg represents 15% of the total mercury released from wildfires and is a source of PHg comparable to anthropogenic sources.     

Using native epiphytic ferns to estimate the atmospheric mercury levels in a small-scale gold mining area of West Java, Indonesia

Mercury pollution is caused by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations along the Cikaniki River (West Java, Indonesia). The atmosphere is one of the primary media through which mercury can disperse. In this study, atmospheric mercury levels are estimated using the native epiphytic fern Asplenium nidus complex (A. nidus) as a biomonitor; these estimates shed light on the atmospheric dispersion of mercury released during mining.Samples were collected from 8 sites along the Cikaniki Basin during September-November, 2008 and September-November, 2009.The A. nidus fronds that were attached to tree trunks 1-3 m above the ground were collected and measured for total mercury concentration using cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) after acid-digestion. The atmospheric mercury was collected using porous gold collectors, and the concentrations were determined using double-amalgam CVAAS.The highest atmospheric mercury concentration, 1.8 × 10³ ± 1.6 × 10³ ng m⁻³, was observed at the mining hot spot, and the lowest concentration of mercury, 5.6 ± 2.0 ng m⁻³, was observed at the remote site from the Cikaniki River in 2009. The mercury concentrations in A. nidus were higher at the mining village (5.4 × 10³ ± 1.6 × 10³ ng g⁻¹) than at the remote site (70 ± 30 ng g⁻¹). The distribution of mercury in A. nidus was similar to that in the atmosphere; a significant correlation was observed between the mercury concentrations in the air and in A. nidus (r = 0.895, P < 0.001, n = 14). The mercury levels in the atmosphere can be estimated from the mercury concentration in A. nidus using a regression equation: log (Hg_A.nidu/ng g⁻¹) = 0.740 log (Hg_Air/ng m⁻³) − 1.324.     

Characteristic Study of Ambient Air Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) Concentrations During Rainy and Non-Rainy Periods at a Traffic Site in Taiwan

This investigation studied the concentrations of ambient air total gaseous mercury (TGM) during the rainy periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site in central Taiwan from May 26 to June 16, 2014. The results were compared with those of a previous study for ambient air TGM during non-rainy daytime and nighttime periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site, which was conducted during March 21 to July 20, 2012. The observed mean concentration of ambient air TGM was 1.16 ng/m³ during the rainy periods at the Hung-Kuang traffic sampling site. The mean ambient air TGM concentrations were higher in the non-rainy sampling period in daytime than in the rainy sampling period from this study. The mean ratio of non-rainy sampling period in daytime to that of rainy sampling period for ambient air TGM were 3.15. Furthermore, the mean ambient air TGM concentrations were higher in the non-rainy sampling period in nighttime in than in the rainy sampling period for this study. The mean rations for non-rainy sampling period in nighttime to that of the rainy sampling period for ambient air TGM were 2.70. The results obtained in this study also revealed that the ambient air TGM concentrations during the rainy period had the lowest concentrations when compared with the other sampling sites in other world regions.     

Estimates of air-sea exchange of mercury in the Baltic Sea

The concentrations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) in air over the southern Baltic Sea and dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) in the surface seawater were measured during summer and winter. The summer expedition was performed on 02–15 July 1997, and the winter expedition on 02–15 March 1998. Average TGM and DGM values obtained were 1.70 and 17.6 ng m⁻³ in the summer and 1.39 and 17.4 ng m⁻³ in the winter, respectively. Based on the TGM and DGM data, surface water saturation and air-water fluxes were calculated. The results indicate that the seawater was supersaturated with gaseous mercury during both seasons, with the highest values occurring in the summer. Flux estimates were made using the thin film gas-exchange model. The average Hg fluxes obtained for the summer and winter measurements were 38 and 20 ng m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. The annual mercury flux from this area was estimated by a combination of the TGM and DGM data with monthly average water temperatures and wind velocities, resulting in an annual flux of 9.5 μg m⁻² yr⁻¹. This flux is of the same order of magnitude as the average wet deposition input of mercury in this area. This indicates that reemissions from the water surface need to be considered when making mass-balance estimates of mercury in the Baltic Sea as well as modelling calculations of long-range transboundary transport of mercury in northern Europe.     

Dynamics of mercury fluxes and their controlling factors in large Hg-polluted floodplain areas

Environmental pollution by mercury (Hg) is a considerable environmental problem world-wide. Due to the occurrence of Hg volatilization from their soils, floodplains can function as an important source of volatile Hg. Soil temperature and soil water content related to flood dynamics are considered as important factors affecting seasonal dynamics of total gaseous mercury (TGM) fluxes. We quantified seasonal variations of TGM fluxes and conducted a laboratory microcosm experiment to assess the effect of temperature and moisture on TGM fluxes in heavily polluted floodplain soils. Observed TGM emissions ranged from 10 to 850 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ and extremely exceeded the emissions of non-polluted sites. TGM emissions increased exponentially with raised air and soil temperatures in both field (R²: 0.49-0.70) and laboratory (R²: 0.99) experiments. Wet soil material showed higher TGM fluxes, whereas the role of soil water content was affected by sampling time during the microcosm experiments.     

Atmospheric mercury distribution in Northern Europe and in the Mediterranean region

Mercury species in air have been measured at five sites in Northwest Europe and at five coastal sites in the Mediterranean region during measurements at four seasons. Observed concentrations of total gaseous mercury (TGM), total particulate mercury (TPM) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were generally slightly higher in the Mediterranean region than in Northwest Europe. Incoming clean Atlantic air seems to be enriched in TGM in comparison to air in Scandinavia. Trajectory analysis of events where high concentrations of TPM simultaneously were observed at sites in North Europe indicate source areas in Central Europe and provide evidence of transport of mercury on particles on a regional scale.     

Dental clinics: a point pollution source, not only of mercury but also of other amalgam constituents

Current literature suggests that amalgam waste from dental clinics is a point-source of mercury pollution in the environment. However, apart from mercury, other amalgam constituents (e.g. Ag, Sn, Cu, and Zn) in dental clinics’ wastewater have not been reported in the literature before. The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of mercury and other metals in the wastewater of some dental clinics and the influent of a wastewater treatment plant in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah (KSA). Samples were collected over a 2-month period from three dental clinics and analyzed for metals using ICP-MS. The mean concentrations of Hg, Ag, Sn, Cu, and Zn in the samples were 5.3 ± 11.1, 0.49 ± 0.96, 3.0 ± 10.7, 10.0 ± 14.5, and 76.7 ± 106 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Additionally, high concentrations of other metals such as Mg (14.4 ± 15.2 mg L⁻¹), Mn (3.0 ± 4.6 mg L⁻¹), Fe (3.0 ± 4.5 mg L⁻¹), Sr (1.6 ± 2.4 mg L⁻¹), and Ba (6.9 ± 10.3 mg L⁻¹) were also found. These values are much higher than the local permissible limits. Most of the metals of interest were also detected in the influent of the wastewater treatment plant. This renders dental clinics wastewater a hazardous waste which should be properly treated before it is discharged into the environment.     

Chemical compositions and radiative properties of dust and anthropogenic air masses study in Taipei Basin, Taiwan, during spring of 2004

Asia is one of the major sources of not only mineral dust but also anthropogenic aerosols. Continental air masses associated with the East Asian winter monsoon always contain high contents of mineral dust and anthropogenic species and transported southeastward to Taiwan, which have significant influences on global atmospheric radiation transfer directly by scattering and absorbing solar radiation in each spring. However, few measurements for the long-range transported aerosol and its optical properties were announced in this area, between the Western Pacific and the southeastern coast of Mainland China. The overall objective of this work is to quantify the optical characteristics of different aerosol types in the Eastern Asian. In order to achieve this objective, meteorological parameters, concentrations of PM₁₀ and its soluble species, and optical property of atmospheric scattering coefficients were measured continuously with 1 h time-resolved from 11 February to 7 April 2004 in Taipei Basin (25°00′N, 121°32′E). In this work, the dramatic changes of meteorological parameters such as temperature and winds were used to determine the influenced period of each air mass. Continental, strong continental, marine, and stagnant air masses defined by the back-trajectory analysis and local meteorology were further characterized as long-range transport pollution, dust, clean marine, and local pollution aerosols, respectively, according to the diagnostic ratios. The aerosol mass scattering efficiency of continental pollution, dust, clean marine, and local pollution aerosols were ranged from 1.3 to 1.6, 0.7 to 1.0, 1.4 and 1.4 to 2.3 m² g⁻¹, respectively. Overall, there are two distinct populations of aerosol mass scattering efficiencies, one for an aerosol chemical composition dominated by dust (<1.0 m² g⁻¹) and the other for an aerosol chemical composition dominated by anthropogenic pollutants (1.3–2.3 m² g⁻¹), which were similar to the previous measurements with high degree of temporal resolution.     

Partitioning of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) between water and sediment

Laboratory partitioning experiments were conducted to elucidate the sorption behaviour and partitioning of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs). Three different sediment types were used and separately spiked with perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) at low environmentally realistic concentrations. PFOA, PFOS and PFOSA were mainly distributed in the dissolved phase at low suspended solid concentrations, indicating their long-range transport potential in the marine environment. In all cases, the equilibrium isotherms were linear and the organic carbon normalised partition coefficients (K_OC) decreased in the following order: PFOSA (log K_OC = 4.1 ± 0.35 cm³ g⁻¹) > PFOS (3.7 ± 0.56 cm³ g⁻¹) > PFOA (2.4 ± 0.12 cm³ g⁻¹). The level of organic content had a significant influence on the partitioning. For the sediment with negligible organic content the density of the sediment became the most important factor influencing the partitioning. Ultimately, data on the partitioning of PFCs between aqueous media and suspended solids are essential for modelling their transport and environmental fate.     

Adsorption and breakdown of penicillin antibiotic in the presence of titanium oxide nanoparticles in water

The fate and transport of antibiotics in natural water systems is controlled in part by interactions with nanometer (10⁻⁹ m) metal oxide particles. Experiments were performed by mixing solutions of ampicillin (AMP), a common, penicillin-class human and veterinary antibiotic, with 25 nm-TiO₂ (anatase) nanoparticles at different pH conditions. Both sorption and degradation of AMP were observed in the AMP-nanoparticle solutions. For AMP concentrations from ∼3 μM to 2.9 mM the overall AMP removal from solution can be described by linear isotherms with removal coefficients (K_r) of 3028 (±267) L kg⁻¹ at pH 2, 11,533 (±823) L kg⁻¹ at pH 4, 12,712 (±672) L kg⁻¹ at pH 6, and 1941 (±342) L kg⁻¹ at pH 8. Mass spectral analysis of AMP solutions after removal of the solid nanoparticles yielded ions that indicate the presence of peniclloic acid, penilloic acid and related de-ammoniated by-products as possible compounds resulting from the degradation of AMP at the TiO₂ surface.     

Characteristics of total gaseous mercury concentrations at a coastal area of the Yangtze Delta,China

In this study, we report on total gaseous mercury (TGM) field observations made in the rural area of Shanghai, Chongming Island, China, from September 2009 to April 2012. The average TGM was 2.65 ± 1.73 ng m^?3 in Chongming Island, which is higher than the TGM background value of the Northern Hemisphere (1.5–1.7 ng m^?3); this indicates that to some extent, the Chongming area has been affected by anthropogenic mercury emissions. The observed TGM follows a seasonal pattern; concentrations are highest in winter, followed by autumn, summer, and spring. There is also a clear diurnal variation in TGM. All peak values appear between 7:00 and 9:00 in all four seasons; this appears to be the result of the height change in the atmospheric boundary layer that occurs between day and night. TGM concentrations in Chongming remain high in the westerly wind direction, especially in the southwest direction because of its low frequency, so the greatest source contribution to TGM in Chongming lies to the northwest. Wind speed is also a significant factor affecting TGM, and was negatively correlated with TGM concentrations. TGM is also closely related to carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations, indicating that TGM is impacted by human activities. The slope of the linear fitting of TGM and CO demonstrates that the contribution of noncoal source emissions to TGM in summer is greater than in autumn, mainly because the high temperature and intensive sunlight in summer increase mercury emissions from natural sources.

Implications: Except for some studies in the coastal areas (e.g., Kang Hwa Island by Kim et al., 2006, An–Myun Island by Kim et al., 2002, and Okinawa by Chan et al., 2008), data specifically for coastal areas are lacking. Monitoring of total gaseous mercury (TGM) in the rural area of Shanghai, Chongming Island, can help us understand mercury distribution.     

Decabromodiphenyl ethane and decabromodiphenyl ether in Swedish background air

Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DPDPE) is a flame retardant that has been on the market for more than 20 years and is used as a replacement for decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209). Environmental data on DPDPE are scarce but for BDE-209, studies have shown that long-range transport in the atmosphere leads to contamination of remote regions. Given their similar physical-chemical properties, we hypothesized that this is also true for DPDPE. In this study we explored the European continent as a source for DBDPE by collecting air samples at a back-ground location in southern Sweden. Twelve samples with stable air mass back trajectories over the 24 h sampling period were analysed. BDE-209 and 5 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were also included in the study. The concentration ranges of DBDPE and BDE-209 were similar, 0.077-7.9 and 0.093-1.8 pg m⁻³ air, respectively. The highest concentrations were detected when the air originated from the European continent and the lowest during periods with rather stagnant air over southern Scandinavia. The concentrations of DBDPE and BDE-209 did not co-vary, indicating that there are different major sources of the two compounds. In air, the compounds measured in this study are predominantly associated with particles. PAHs in the atmosphere are known to originate primarily from combustion processes and their concentrations were highly correlated with several measures of atmospheric particle concentration, i.e. PM 10, PM 2.5, soot, and N 450 (number of particles in the size range approximately 420-450 nm). No clear correlations were found between the concentrations of DBDPE or BDE-209 and any of the measures of particle concentrations, indicating that the emissions of these are not related to the major sources of emissions of soot or small particles.     

Atmospheric mercury in the marine boundary layer along a cruise path from Shanghai,China to Prydz Bay,Antarctica

The total gaseous mercury (TGM) measurements were performed using an automatic Mercury Vapor Analyze (model 2537B) aboard the Chinese research vessel (R/V) XueLong during the 24th China Antarctic Research Expedition from Shanghai, China to Prydz Bay, Antarctica in 2007. TGM ranged between 0.302 and 4.496 ng m^?3 with an average of 1.536 ± 0.785 ng m^?3 over the entire period. Geographically, TGM in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere along the cruise path were 1.746 ± 0.513 and 1.471 ± 0.842 ng m^?3 in average, respectively. Higher TGM concentrations were observed in the coastal regions outside the polar region due primarily to air masses transported from the adjacent mainland reflecting the contribution from anthropogenic sources. The pronounced episode was recorded when ship passed through Sunda straits, which should be ascribed to the volcano plume and/or biomass burning contamination. In the maritime Antarctic TGM level was in agreement with the values by land-based observation, presenting a diurnal cycle with the maximum around midday and minimum at night. Atmospheric mercury destruction events dominated by the oxidation of atmospheric Hg⁰ were apparently observed in this region.     

Seasonal and diel variation of atmospheric mercury concentrations in the Reno (Nevada,USA) airshed

This paper describes total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentrations measured in Reno, Nevada from 2002 to 2005. The 3-year mean and median air Hg concentrations were 2.3 and 2.1 ng m⁻³, respectively. Mercury concentrations exhibited seasonality, with the highest concentrations in winter, and the lowest in summer and fall. A well-defined diel pattern in TGM concentration was observed, with maximum daily concentrations observed in the morning and minimum in the afternoon. A gradual increase of TGM concentration was observed in the evening and over night. The early morning increase in TGM was likely due to activation of local surface emission sources by rising solar irradiance and air temperature. The subsequent decline and afternoon minimum in TGM were likely related to increased vertical mixing and the buildup of atmospheric oxidants during the day resulting in increased conversion to oxidized species that are quickly deposited, coupled with weakening of the surface emissions processes. The described diel pattern was seasonally modulated with the greatest amplitude in variation of TGM concentrations occurring in the summer. It is suggested based on the comparison of diel TGM pattern with other gaseous pollutants that natural source surface emissions are a dominant source of TGM in the study area.