First Measurements of Ambient Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) at the EvK2CNR Pyramid Observatory in Nepal

Gratz, Lynne E.; Esposito, Giulio; Torre, Stefano Dalla; Cofone, F.; Pirrone, Nicola; Sprovieri, Francesca

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/20130127004

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The mean concentration of TGM is slightly lower than the annual mean concentration at background sites in the Northern Hemisphere (1.55 ng m −3 in 2013 and 1.51 ng m −3 in 2014), and higher than those in the Southern Hemisphere (0.93 ng m −3 in 2013 and 0.97 ng m −3 in 2014) (Sprovieri et al, 2016). Comparable results were reported from EvK2CNR on the south slope of the Himalayas (1.2 ng m −3 , Gratz et al, 2013) and from tropical sites in the Global Mercury Observation System in the Northern Hemisphere (1.23 ng m −3 in 2013 and 1.22 ng m −3 in 2014) (Sprovieri et al, 2016). Compared to the three sites at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau (Mt.…”

Section: Tgm Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 46%

Multi-year monitoring of atmospheric total gaseous mercury at a remote high-altitude site (Nam Co, 4730 m a.s.l.) in the inland Tibetan Plateau region

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentrations were continuously measured at Nam Co Station, a remote high-altitude site (4730 m a.s.l.), on the inland Tibetan Plateau, China, from January 2012 to October 2014 using a Tekran 2537B instrument. The mean concentration of TGM during the entire monitoring period was 1.33±0.24 ng m−3 (mean ± standard deviation), ranking it as the lowest value among all continuous TGM measurements reported in China; it was also lower than most of sites in the Northern Hemisphere. This indicated the pristine atmospheric environment on the inland Tibetan Plateau. Long-term TGM at the Nam Co Station exhibited a slight decrease especially for summer seasons. The seasonal variation of TGM was characterized by higher concentrations during warm seasons and lower concentrations during cold seasons, decreasing in the following order: summer (1.50±0.20 ng m−3) > spring (1.28±0.20 ng m−3) > autumn (1.22±0.17 ng m−3) > winter (1.14±0.18 ng m−3). Diurnal variations of TGM exhibited uniform patterns in different seasons: the daily maximum was reached in the morning (around 2–4 h after sunrise), followed by a decrease until sunset and a subsequent buildup at night, especially in the summer and the spring. Regional surface reemission and vertical mixing were two major contributors to the temporal variations of TGM while long-range transported atmospheric mercury promoted elevated TGM during warm seasons. Results of multiple linear regression (MLR) revealed that humidity and temperature were the principal covariates of TGM. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) and FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model (WRF-FLEXPART) results indicated that the likely high potential source regions of TGM to Nam Co were central and eastern areas of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) during the measurement period with high biomass burning and anthropogenic emissions. The seasonality of TGM at Nam Co was in phase with the Indian monsoon index, implying the Indian summer monsoon as an important driver for the transboundary transport of air pollution onto the inland Tibetan Plateau. Our results provided an atmospheric mercury baseline on the remote inland Tibetan Plateau and serve as new constraint for the assessment of Asian mercury emission and pollution.

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Section: Tgm Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 46%

Multi-year monitoring of atmospheric total gaseous mercury at a remote high-altitude site (Nam Co, 4730 m a.s.l.) in the inland Tibetan Plateau region

et al. 2018

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“…Generally, the GEM concentration in the QNNP was similar to the reported values in the Northern Hemisphere (∼ 1.5 to 1.7 ng m −3 ) and was higher than those found in the Southern Hemisphere (∼ 1.1 to 1.3 ng m −3 ) (Lindberg et al, 2007;Slemr et al, 2015;Venter et al, 2015;Sprovieri et al, 2016). Among the global Hg monitoring sites, the Ev-K2-CNR monitoring site on the southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau, Nepal, is the nearest station (at a straight-line distance of approximately 50 km) from the monitoring site used in this study (Gratz et al, 2013). The average GEM concentration at Ev-K2-CNR (1.2 ± 0.2 ng m −3 , from November 2011 to April 2012) was slightly lower than that in the QNNP (1.31 ± 0.42 ng m −3 during the PISM period and 1.44 ± 0.36 ng m −3 during the ISM period).…”

Section: Backward Trajectory Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

First measurement of atmospheric mercury species in Qomolangma Natural Nature Preserve, Tibetan Plateau, and evidence oftransboundary pollutant invasion

et al. 2019

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Abstract. Located in the world's “third pole” and a remote region connecting the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate, Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (QNNP) is an ideal region to study the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particle-bound mercury (PBM) were continuously measured during the Indian monsoon transition period in QNNP. A slight increase in the GEM concentration was observed from the period preceding the Indian summer monsoon (1.31±0.42 ng m−3) to the Indian summer monsoon period (1.44±0.36 ng m−3), while significant decreases were observed in the GOM and PBM concentrations, with concentrations decreasing from 35.2±18.6 to 19.3±10.9 pg m−3 (p < 0.001) for GOM and from 30.5±12.5 to 24.9±19.8 pg m−3 (p < 0.001) for PBM. A unique daily pattern was observed in QNNP with respect to the GEM concentration, with a peak value before sunrise and a low value at noon. Relative to the (low) GEM concentrations, GOM concentrations (with a mean value of 21.4±13.4 pg m−3, n=1239) in this region were relatively high compared with the measured values in some other regions of China. A cluster analysis indicated that the air masses transported to QNNP changed significantly at different stages of the monsoon, and the major potential mercury (Hg) sources shifted from northern India and western Nepal to eastern Nepal and Bangladesh. As there is a large area covered in glaciers in QNNP, local glacier winds could increase the transboundary transport of pollutants and transport polluted air masses to the Tibetan Plateau. The atmospheric Hg concentration in QNNP in the Indian summer monsoon period was influenced by transboundary Hg flows. This highlights the need for a more specific identification of Hg sources impacting QNNP and underscores the importance of international cooperation regarding global Hg controls.

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Atmospheric mercury species at Nam Co (4730 m a.s.l.), a highland background site in the inland Tibetan Plateau: implications of mercury potential sources

Wang,

Yin,

Kang

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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First Measurements of Ambient Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) at the EvK2CNR Pyramid Observatory in Nepal

Cited by 6 publications

References 9 publications

Multi-year monitoring of atmospheric total gaseous mercury at a remote high-altitude site (Nam Co, 4730 m a.s.l.) in the inland Tibetan Plateau region

Multi-year monitoring of atmospheric total gaseous mercury at a remote high-altitude site (Nam Co, 4730 m a.s.l.) in the inland Tibetan Plateau region

First measurement of atmospheric mercury species in Qomolangma Natural Nature Preserve, Tibetan Plateau, and evidence oftransboundary pollutant invasion

Atmospheric mercury species at Nam Co (4730 m a.s.l.), a highland background site in the inland Tibetan Plateau: implications of mercury potential sources

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