Atmospheric mercury (Hg) can be operationally defined into three types: gaseous elemental Hg (GEM), gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM), and particle-bound Hg (PBM). GEM is the most abundant Hg species in the global atmosphere (approximately 90%) and is well mixed due to its prolonged lifetime (0.5-1 year) and stable chemical properties. As GOM and PBM are more soluble in water than GEM and have a shorter lifetime (days to weeks), they are the predominant Hg species deposited to ecosystems through wet and dry deposition (Selin, 2009). The mutual transformations between these three Hg species have an important influence on the transportation and deposition of atmospheric Hg on a global scale (Schroeder & Munthe, 1998). The marine boundary layer (MBL) represents the atmospheric area affected by the oceanic surface, and its height significantly varies between middle-high latitudes (dozens to hundreds of meters) and low latitudes (up to 2000 m) (Hedgecock et al., 2005). The circulation of atmospheric Hg in the MBL differs from that in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) because of the significant differences in meteorological conditions and chemical compositions between the MBL and the PBL (e.g., humidity, sea salt aerosols, and oxidation mechanisms) (
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