Characteristics of gaseous elemental mercury and its corresponding source contributions to regional transport in Hefei, China

Yue, Fange; Qiu, Yue; Zhan, Haicong; Kang, Hui; Li, Juan; Liu, Cheng; Xie, Zhouqing

doi:10.1016/j.apr.2021.101146

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…These industries can also emit a large amount of CO. Therefore, CO can be used as a tracer of anthropogenic Hg emissions 77 , 79 , 80 . Local oceanic emissions: indicated by the open-water fraction (Open-water) at the Polarstern position.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Marginal Ice Zone as a dominant source region of atmospheric mercury during central Arctic summertime

et al. 2023

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Atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations in the Arctic exhibit a clear summertime maximum, while the origin of this peak is still a matter of debate in the community. Based on summertime observations during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition and a modeling approach, we further investigate the sources of atmospheric Hg in the central Arctic. Simulations with a generalized additive model (GAM) show that long-range transport of anthropogenic and terrestrial Hg from lower latitudes is a minor contribution (~2%), and more than 50% of the explained GEM variability is caused by oceanic evasion. A potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis further shows that oceanic evasion is not significant throughout the ice-covered central Arctic Ocean but mainly occurs in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) due to the specific environmental conditions in that region. Our results suggest that this regional process could be the leading contributor to the observed summertime GEM maximum. In the context of rapid Arctic warming and the observed increase in width of the MIZ, oceanic Hg evasion may become more significant and strengthen the role of the central Arctic Ocean as a summertime source of atmospheric Hg.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These industries can also emit a large amount of CO. Therefore, CO can be used as a tracer of anthropogenic Hg emissions 77 , 79 , 80 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Marginal Ice Zone as a dominant source region of atmospheric mercury during central Arctic summertime

et al. 2023

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“…In Suzhou, the sampling was conducted on the roof of the fourth floor of the office building of the Suzhou Institute of Environmental Sciences from January 2018 to December 2018 . In Hefei, the sampling was conducted on the rooftop of the main building of the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in northwestern Hefei from 2013 to 2014 and from 2015 to 2016 . The instrument setup at these five sites for analyzing GEM was the atmospheric mercury monitoring system (Tekran 2537B/1130/1135), which has been widely used around the world for online monitoring of atmospheric mercury.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23 In Hefei, the sampling was conducted on the rooftop of the main building of the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in northwestern Hefei from 2013 to 2014 24 and from 2015 to 2016. 25 The instrument setup at these five sites for analyzing GEM was the atmospheric mercury monitoring system (Tekran 2537B/1130/1135), which has been widely used around the world for online monitoring of atmospheric mercury. The detailed principle and sampling procedure of the instrument have been described elsewhere.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of Spatiotemporal Trends of Gaseous Elemental Mercury in the Yangtze River Delta of Eastern China by an Artificial Neural Network

Qin

Zhou

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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The implementation of air pollution control measures can alleviate atmospheric mercury pollution, and this mitigation may be affected by changes in meteorological conditions. How to disentangle the effects of emission control and meteorology on atmospheric mercury in the past and future remains unclear. In this study, the relationship between gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and air pollutants/meteorological parameters in the Yangtze River Delta region of Eastern China has been established by applying an artificial neural network model. Simulation results showed that GEM had significantly decreased by 0.96 ng/m3 from 2015 to 2020, mainly due to stringent air pollutant control measures. As a result, natural release ranked as the most important source of GEM by 2020. Considering China’s air quality goals, GEM concentrations would be further decreased by 0.24 ng/m3 in 2030 and 0.51 ng/m3 in 2060, reaching a level similar to the current Northern Hemisphere GEM background concentration. In contrast, GEM is simulated to slightly increase by ∼0.02 ng/m3 because of future meteorological changes. This study found that the co-benefits of air pollutant control measures were most efficient in curbing atmospheric mercury pollution and meteorological changes had a marginal offsetting effect.

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Health risk assessment of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in Mexico City

Schiavo

Mortón-Bermea

Salgado-Martínez

et al. 2022

Environ Monit Assess

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Emissions of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM or Hg 0 ) from different sources in urban areas are important subjects for environmental investigations. In this study, atmospheric Hg measurements were conducted to investigate air pollution in the urban environment by carrying out several mobile surveys in Mexico City. This work presents atmospheric concentrations of GEM in terms of diurnal variation trends and comparisons with criteria for pollutant concentrations such as CO, SO 2 , NO 2 , PM 2.5 , and PM 10 . The concentration of GEM was measured during the pre-rainy period by using a high-resolution active air sampler, the Lumex RA 915 M mercury analyzer. In comparison with those for other cities worldwide, the GEM concentrations were similar or slightly elevated, and they ranged from 0.20 to 30.23 ng m −3 . However, the GEM concentration was significantly lower than those in contaminated areas, such as fluorescent lamp factory locations and gold mining zones. The GEM concentrations recorded in Mexico City did not exceed the WHO atmospheric limit of 200 ng m −3 . We performed statistical correlation analysis which suggests equivalent sources between Hg and other atmospheric pollutants, mainly NO 2 and SO 2 , emitted from urban combustion and industrial plants. The atmospheric Hg emissions are basically controlled by sunlight radiation, as well as having a direct relationship with meteorological parameters. The area of the city studied herein is characterized by high traffic density, cement production, and municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment, which constantly release GEM into the atmosphere. In this study, we included the simulation with the HYSPLIT dispersion model from three potential areas of GEM release. Emissions from industrial corridors and volcanic plumes localized outside the urban area contribute to the pollution of Mexico City and mainly affect the northern area during specific periods and climate conditions. Using the USEPA model, we assessed the human health risk resulting from exposure to inhaled GEM among residents of Mexico City. The results of the health risk assessment indicated no significant noncarcinogenic risk (hazard quotient (HQ) < 1) or consequent adverse effects for children and adults living in the sampling area over the study period. GEM emissions inventory data is necessary to improve our knowledge about the Hg contribution and effect in urban megacity areas with the objective to develop public safe policy and implementing the Minamata Convention. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-022-10107-7.

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Characteristics of gaseous elemental mercury and its corresponding source contributions to regional transport in Hefei, China

Cited by 7 publications

References 49 publications

The Marginal Ice Zone as a dominant source region of atmospheric mercury during central Arctic summertime

The Marginal Ice Zone as a dominant source region of atmospheric mercury during central Arctic summertime

Simulation of Spatiotemporal Trends of Gaseous Elemental Mercury in the Yangtze River Delta of Eastern China by an Artificial Neural Network

Health risk assessment of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in Mexico City

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