China is one of the largest producers and consumers of pesticides in the world today. Along with the widespread use of pesticides and industrialization, there is a growing concern for water quality. The present review aims to provide an overview of studies on pesticides in aquatic environments in China. The levels in the water, sediment and biota were scored according to a detailed environmental classification system based on ecotoxicological effect, which is therefore a useful tool for assessing the risk these compounds pose to the aquatic ecosystem. Our review reveals that the most studied areas in China are the most populated and the most developed economically and that the most frequently studied pesticides are DDT and HCH. We show maps of where studies have been conducted and show the ecotoxicological risk the pesticides pose in each of the matrices. Our review pinpoints the need for biota samples to assess the risk. A large fraction of the results from the studies are given an environmental classification of "very bad" based on levels in biota. In general, the risk is higher for DDT than HCH. A few food web studies have also been conducted, and we encourage further study of this important information from this region. The review reveals that many of the most important agricultural provinces (e.g., Henan, Hubei and Hunan) with the largest pesticide use have been the subject of few studies on the environmental levels of pesticides. We consider this to be a major knowledge gap for understanding the status of pesticide contamination and related risk in China. Furthermore, there is also a lack of studies in remote Chinese environments, which is also an important knowledge gap. The compounds analyzed and reported in the studies represent a serious bias because a great deal of attention is given to DDT and HCH, whereas the organophosphate insecticides dominating current use are less frequently investigated. For the future, we point to the need for an organized monitoring plan designed according to the knowledge gaps in terms of geographical distribution, compounds included, and risks.

No abstract

Abstract. Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) is converted to reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) during springtime Atmospheric Mercury Depletion Events (AMDE).This study reports the longest time series of GEM, RGM and particle-bound mercury (PHg) concentrations from a European Arctic site. From 27 April 2007 until 31 December 2008 composite GEM, RGM and PHg measurements were conducted in 11 • 53 E). The average concentrations of the complete dataset were 1.6 ± 0.3 ng m −3 , 8 ± 13 pg m −3 and 8 ± 25 pg m −3 for GEM, RGM and PHg, respectively. For the complete dataset the atmospheric mercury distribution was 99 % GEM, whereas RGM and PHg constituted <1 %. The study revealed a seasonal distribution of GEM, RGM and PHg previously undiscovered in the Arctic. Increased concentrations of RGM were observed during the insolation period from March through August, while increased PHg concentrations occurred almost exclusively during the spring AMDE period in March and April. The elevated RGM concentrations suggest that atmospheric RGM deposition also occurs during the polar summer. RGM was suggested as the precursor for the PHg existence, but long range transportation of PHg has to be taken into consideration. Still there remain gaps in the knowledge of how RGM and PHg are related in the environment. RGM and PHg accounted for on average about 10 % Correspondence to: A. O. Steen (anne.steen@chem.ntnu.no) of the depleted GEM during AMDEs. Although speculative, the fairly low RGM and PHg concentrations supported by the predominance of PHg with respect to RGM and no clear meteorological regime associated with these AMDEs would all suggest the events to be of non-local origin. With some exceptions, no clear meteorological regime was associated with the GEM, RGM and PHg concentrations throughout the year.

It is agreed that gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) is converted to reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) during springtime Atmospheric Mercury Depletion Event (AMDE). RGM is associated with aerosols (PHg) provided that there are sufficient aerosols available for the conversion from RGM to PHg to occur. <br><br> This study reports the longest time series of GEM, RGM and PHg concentrations from a European Arctic site. From 27 April 2007 until 31 December 2008 composite GEM, RGM and PHg measurements were conducted in Ny-Ålesund (78°54' N, 11°53' E). The average concentrations of the complete dataset were 1.62&plusmn;0.3 ng m⁻³, 8&plusmn;13 pgm⁻³ and 8&plusmn;25 pgm⁻³ for GEM, RGM and PHg, respectively. The study revealed a clear seasonal distribution of GEM, RGM and PHg previously undiscovered. For the complete dataset the atmospheric mercury distribution was 99% GEM, whereas RGM and PHg constituted <1%. Increased PHg concentration occurred exclusively from March through April, and constituted on average 75% of the reactive mercury species in the respective period. RGM was suggested as the precursor for the PHg existence, but long range transportation of PHg has to be taken into consideration. Surprisingly, RGM was not solely formed during the spring AMDE season. Environment Canada's Global/Regional Atmospheric Heavy Metal model (GRAHM) suggested that in situ oxidation of GEM by ozone may be producing the increased RGM concentrations from March through August. Most likely, in situ oxidation of GEM by BrO produced the observed RGM from March through August. The AMDEs occurred from late March until mid June and were thought to be of non-local origin, with GEM being transported to the study site by a wide variety of air masses. With some exceptions, no clear meteorological regime was associated with the GEM, RGM and PHg concentrations

Abstract.A portion of the highly toxic methylmercury that bioaccumulates in aquatic life is created from mercury entering bodies of water with snowpack meltwater. To determine the importance of meltwater as a source of aquatic mercury, it is necessary to understand the environmental processes that govern the behavior of snowpack-related mercury. In this study we investigate relationships among 5 types of snowpack-related mercury observations and 20 model environmental variables. The observation types are the 24-h fractional loss of mercury from surface snow, and the concentrations of mercury in surface snow, seasonal snowpacks, the snowpack meltwater's ionic pulse, and long-term snowpackrelated records. The model environmental variables include those related to atmospheric mercury, insolation, wind, atmospheric stability, snowpack physical characteristics, atmospheric pressure, and solid precipitation. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed twice for each mercury observation type: once with all observations, and once excluding observations from locations where the snowpack's burden of oxidizing and stabilizing halogens is known or presumed to affect snowpack mercury. Since no observations from long-term snowpack-related records were considered affected by halogens, this group of observations was included with the sets of uninfluenced observations and was not discussed with the complete, original sets of observations. When all observations are included, only 37 % of their variability can be explained, on average, with significance confidence levels averaging 81 %; a separate regression model predicts each mercury observation type. Without the influence of halogens, the regression models are able to explain an average of 79 % of the observations' variability with significance confidence levels averaging 97 %. The snowpackrelated mercury observations are most strongly controlled by the dry and wet depositions of oxidized mercury, and by precipitation. Mercury deposited through wet processes is more strongly retained by snowpacks than mercury deposited through dry processes. Revolatilization of mercury deposited through wet processes may be inhibited through burial by fresh snowfalls and/or by its more central location, compared to that of mercury deposited through dry deposition, within snowpack snow grains. The two depositions of oxidized mercury together explain 84 % of the variability in observed concentrations of mercury in surface snow, 52 % of the variability of observed concentrations of mercury in seasonal snowpacks and their meltwater's ionic pulse, and only 20 % of the variability of observed concentrations of mercury in long-term snowpack-related records; other environmental controls seemingly gain in relevance as time passes. The concentration of mercury in long-term records is apparently primarily affected by latitude; both the primary sources