Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

Kentisbeer, John; Leeson, Sarah R.; Malcolm, Heath; Leith, Ian D.; Braban, Christine F.; Cape, J. N.

doi:10.1039/c3em00700f

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Lowest levels of TGM are correlated with cleaner air masses moving in from the North Atlantic Ocean. This pattern is consistent with the observed south-east to north-west declining gradient observed across the UK 56 , based on a sampling network of 10 rural sites measuring TGM.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…During the day, with increased mixing, the concentration decreases to the daytime minimum. This pattern is contrary to most other studies at rural locations 39,56,57,59,65,67,68 , but has been observed in some studies, including Harwell in 1995/6 29 , and also in Chicago 69 , Seoul 70 and Birmingham AL 59 . This pattern is generally observed at urban locations, 67,71,72 where sources for emission and reemission are more important under any nocturnal boundary layer.…”

contrasting

confidence: 98%

“…The 2013 annual mean and standard deviation were 1. 45 65 2009-11 1.61 AMNet (Rural Sites only) 66 2009-11 1.2 -1.5 Auchencorth Moss, Scotland 56 2009-11 1.40 0. 19 Both Harwell and Auchencorth Moss have lower annual averages than other monitoring sites, but other more land-locked sites in Europe and Asia are more likely to be influenced by continental air-masses which are more polluted in nature, meaning they may not be directly comparable to the sites in the UK, which generally experience cleaner, westerly flows from the Atlantic Ocean.…”

Section: Data Analysis Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Kentisbeer

Leeson

Clark

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts

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The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, EnglandAuthors: J Kentisbeer, S.R. Leeson, T Clark, H.M. Malcolm and J.N. Cape AbstractTotal Gaseous Mercury (TGM) was monitored during 2013 at the rural monitoring site, Harwell, England using the Tekran 2537A monitoring system. Average TGM for the year was 1.45 ± 0.24 ng m -3 . This is comparable to other northern hemisphere studies, but on average 0.05 ng m -3 higher than at its sister monitoring station at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland, but 14% lower than that found in a similar study at the same location of 1.68 ng m -3 in 1995/6. Using wind sector analysis we show the important influence of local emissions, with our data showing that the largest influence on TGM observed is that of the adjacent Science & Innovation campus, making the site more a 'suburban background'. By using co-located measurements of black carbon and sulphur dioxide as tracers, we present an initial investigation into the impact of the closure of Didcot A coal fired power station, which ceased operating in March 2013. Further analysis using air mass back trajectories shows the long-range contribution to TGM from continental Europe, and that the lowest levels are associated with marine air masses from the west.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

contrasting

confidence: 98%

Section: Data Analysis Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Kentisbeer

Leeson

Clark

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts

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“…GEM is the predominant atmospheric form of Hg and can contribute substantially to net Hg deposition over vegetated surfaces 28 , 29 . Multi-year gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM) and particulate bound Hg (PBM) concentrations measured at northern European sites in southern Scotland 36 and the western coast of Sweden 37 revealed low average levels for GOM < 1 pg m −3 and PBM < 4 pg m −3 . We thus expect that dry deposition of GOM and PBM has only a marginal effect on the Hg mass balance for the Degerö Stormyr peatland.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury evasion from a boreal peatland shortens the timeline for recovery from legacy pollution

Osterwalder

Bishop

Alewell

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Peatlands are a major source of methylmercury that contaminates downstream aquatic food webs. The large store of mercury (Hg) in peatlands could be a source of Hg for over a century even if deposition is dramatically reduced. However, the reliability of Hg mass balances can be questioned due to missing long-term land-atmosphere flux measurements. We used a novel micrometeorological system for continuous measurement of Hg peatland-atmosphere exchange to derive the first annual Hg budget for a peatland. The evasion of Hg (9.4 µg m−2 yr−1) over the course of a year was seven times greater than stream Hg export, and over two times greater than wet bulk deposition to the boreal peatland. Measurements of dissolved gaseous Hg in the peat pore water also indicate Hg evasion. The net efflux may result from recent declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations that have turned the peatland from a net sink into a source of atmospheric Hg. This net Hg loss suggests that open boreal peatlands and downstream ecosystems can recover more rapidly from past atmospheric Hg deposition than previously assumed. This has important implications for future levels of methylmercury in boreal freshwater fish and the estimation of historical Hg accumulation rates from peat profiles.

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“…From 2002 to 2011, the DL was taken as the average of the reported values below the manufacturer's published DL. From 2012, the DL was calculated by the analysis of the logarithmic distribution of the measurements previously described by Kentisbeer et al (2014), presented in Table 3. The calculated DLs have been reported to UKAir (http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/) on a monthly basis since 2012; only 1.4 % of potential data were filled with one-half DL in 2012.…”

Section: Quality Analysis and Quality Assurancementioning

confidence: 99%

Water soluble aerosols and gases at a UK background site – Part 1: Controls of PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub> aerosol composition

et al. 2015

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Abstract. There is limited availability of long-term, high temporal resolution, chemically speciated aerosol measurements which can provide further insight into the health and environmental impacts of particulate matter. The Monitor for AeRosols and Gases (MARGA, Applikon B.V., NL) allows for the characterisation of the inorganic components of PM 10 and PM 2.5 (NH provided the single largest contribution to PM 2.5 fraction in all seasons. Sea salt was the main component (73 %) of the PM coarse fraction (PM 10 -PM 2.5 ), though NO − 3 was also found to make a relatively large contribution to the measured mass (17 %) providing evidence of considerable processing of sea salt in the coarse mode. There was on occasions evidence of aerosol from combustion events being transported to the site in 2012 as high K + concentrations (deviating from the known ratio in sea salt) coincided with increases in black carbon at the site. Pollution events in PM 10 (defined as concentrations > 12 µg m −3 ) were on average dominated by NH + 4 and NO − 3 , where smaller loadings at the site tended to be dominated by sea salt. As with other western European sites, the charge balance of the inorganic components resolved were biased towards cations, suggesting the aerosol was basic or more likely that organic acids contributed to the charge balance. This study demonstrates the UK background atmospheric composition is primarily driven by meteorology with sea salt dominating air masses from the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic, whereas secondary inorganic aerosols tended to dominate air masses from continental Europe.

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Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

Abstract: show the long range contribution to GEM from continental Europe, and that the lowest 15 levels are associated with polar and marine air masses from the north west sector.

Cited by 11 publications

References 67 publications

Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Mercury evasion from a boreal peatland shortens the timeline for recovery from legacy pollution

Water soluble aerosols and gases at a UK background site – Part 1: Controls of PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub> aerosol composition

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Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

Abstract: show the long range contribution to GEM from continental Europe, and that the lowest 15 levels are associated with polar and marine air masses from the north west sector.

Cited by 11 publications

References 67 publications

Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Influences on and patterns in total gaseous mercury (TGM) at Harwell, England

Mercury evasion from a boreal peatland shortens the timeline for recovery from legacy pollution

Water soluble aerosols and gases at a UK background site – Part 1: Controls of PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; aerosol composition

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Product

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Water soluble aerosols and gases at a UK background site – Part 1: Controls of PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub> aerosol composition