Vertical distribution of gaseous elemental mercury in Canada

Banic, C. M.; Beauchamp, S.; Tordon, R.; Schroeder, W. H.; Steffen, Alexandra; Anlauf, K. A.; Wong, Henry K.

doi:10.1029/2002jd002116

Cited by 85 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The vertical profiles from 0.1 km to 7 km altitude reported by Banic et al (2003) showed depletion of elemental mercury near the surface with mixing of depleted air to altitudes of 1 km. The balloon measurements conducted by Tackett et al (2007) suggested that Hg°depletion occurred with the lowest 100 m layer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropospheric measurements of the vertical distribution of Hg°are sparse, and the majority have been obtained from research aircraft primarily below 8 km (Ebinghaus and Slemr 2000;Banic et al 2003;Friedli et al 2004;Radke et al 2007;Swartzendruber et al 2008). The vertical profiles from 0.1 km to 7 km altitude reported by Banic et al (2003) showed depletion of elemental mercury near the surface with mixing of depleted air to altitudes of 1 km.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Arctic mercury depletion and its quantitative link with halogens

et al. 2010

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Gas phase elemental mercury (Hg°) was measured aboard the NASA DC-8 research aircraft during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) campaign conducted in spring 2008 primarily over the North American Arctic. We examined the vertical distributions of Hg°and ozone (O 3 ) together with tetrachloroethylene (C 2 Cl 4 ), ethyne (C 2 H 2 ), and alkanes when Hg°-and O 3 -depleted air masses were sampled near the surface (<1 km). This study suggests that Hg°a nd O 3 depletions commonly occur over linear distances of~20-200 km. Horizontally there was a sharp decreasing gradient of~100 ppqv in Hg°over <10 km in going from the bay near Ellesmere Island to the frozen open ocean. There was a distinct land-ocean difference in the vertical thickness of the Hg°-depleted layer -being variable but around a few 100 meters over the ocean whereas occurring only very near the surface over land. Data J Atmos Chem (2010)

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic mercury depletion and its quantitative link with halogens

et al. 2010

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“…In general, it has been determined that polar mercury chemistry results from GEM oxidation by halogens , and is confined to the shallow atmospheric boundary layer (typically less then a few hundreds of meters; Banic et al, 2003;Tackett et al, 2007;Mao et al, 2010). RGM production and deposition is considered the predominant pathway for mercury deposition to the polar regions as GEM itself does not condense or significantly dry deposit (dry deposit is very slow), and is not significantly adsorbed onto snow and ice surfaces (Lindberg et al, 2002;BartelsRauch et al, 2002;Ferrari et al, 2004).…”

Section: Prior Polar Mercury Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature and sunlight controls of mercury oxidation and deposition atop the Greenland ice sheet

Brooks¹,

Moore

Lew³

et al. 2011

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. We conducted the first ever mercury speciation measurements atop the Greenland ice sheet at Summit Station (Latitude 72.6 • N, Longitude 38.5 • W, Altitude 3200 m) in the Spring and Summer of 2007 and 2008. These measurements were part of the collaborative Greenland Summit Halogen-HO x experiment (GSHOX) campaigns investigating the importance of halogen chemistry in this remote environment. Significant levels of BrO (1-5 pptv) in the near surface air were often accompanied by diurnal dips in gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), and in-situ production of reactive gaseous mercury (RGM). While halogen (i.e. Br) chemistry is normally associated with marine boundary layers, at Summit, Greenland, far from any marine source, we have conclusively detected bromine and mercury chemistry in the near surface air. The likely fate of the formed mercurybromine radical (HgBr) is further oxidation to stable RGM (HgBr 2 , HgBrOH, HgBrCl. . . ), or thermal decomposition. These fates appear to be controlled by the availability of Br, OH, Cl, etc. to produce RGM (Hg(II)), versus the lifetime of HgBr by thermal dissociation. At Summit, the production of RGM appears to require a sun elevation angle of >5 degrees, and an air temperature of < −15 • C. Possibly the availability of Br, controlled by photolysis J(Br 2 ), requires a sun angle >5 degrees, while the formation of RGM from HgBr requires a temperature < −15 • C . A portion of the deposited RGM is readily photoreduced and re-emitted to the air as GEM. However, a very small fraction becomes buried at depth. Extrapolating core samples from Summit to the Correspondence to: S. Brooks (steve.brooks@noaa.gov) entire Greenland ice sheet, we calculate an estimated net annual sequestration of ∼13 metric tons Hg per year, buried long-term under the sunlit photoreduction zone.

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“…Atmospheric mercury depletion events provide a mechanism for rapid deposition of substantial amounts of mercury (as RGM oxidised from GEM) from the atmosphere to frozen surfaces during polar sunrise, [236][237][238][239][240][241][242][243][244] and have been hypothesised to contribute significantly to the high Hg levels in some Arctic biota. [245] In contrast, it is now well established that the Hg deposited during AMDEs can be readily re-emitted from the snowpack during winter conditions following AMDEs [7,16,25,80,101,187,241,[246][247][248] and during snow metamorphism and melt.…”

Section: Eastern Beaufort Sea Belugamentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

Douglas

Loseto²,

Macdonald³

et al. 2012

Environ. Chem.

123

147

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Environmental context. Mercury, in its methylated form, is a neurotoxin that biomagnifies in marine and terrestrial foodwebs leading to elevated levels in fish and fish-eating mammals worldwide, including at numerous Arctic locations. Elevated mercury concentrations in Arctic country foods present a significant exposure risk to Arctic people. We present a detailed review of the fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, taking into account the extreme seasonality of Arctic ecosystems and the unique processes associated with sea ice and Arctic hydrology.Abstract. This review is the result of a series of multidisciplinary meetings organised by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme as part of their 2011 Assessment 'Mercury in the Arctic'. This paper presents the state-of-the-art knowledge on the environmental fate of mercury following its entry into the Arctic by oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial pathways. Our focus is on the movement, transformation and bioaccumulation of Hg in aquatic (marine and fresh water) and terrestrial ecosystems. The processes most relevant to biological Hg uptake and the potential risk associated with Hg exposure in wildlife are emphasised. We present discussions of the chemical transformations of newly deposited or transported Hg in marine, fresh water and terrestrial environments and of the movement of Hg from air, soil and water environmental compartments into food webs. Methylation, a key process controlling the fate of Hg in most ecosystems, and the role of trophic processes in controlling Hg in higher order animals are also included. Case studies on Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) are presented as examples of the relationship between ecosystem trophic processes and biologic Hg levels. We examine whether atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) contribute to increased Hg levels in Arctic biota and provide information on the links between organic carbon and Hg speciation, dynamics and bioavailability. Long-term sequestration of Hg into non-biological archives is also addressed. The review concludes by identifying major knowledge gaps in our understanding, including:(1) the rates of Hg entry into marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the rates of inorganic and MeHg uptake by Arctic microbial and algal communities; (2) the bioavailable fraction of AMDE-related Hg and its rate of accumulation by biota and (3) the fresh water and marine MeHg cycle in the Arctic, especially the marine MeHg cycle.

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Vertical distribution of gaseous elemental mercury in Canada

Cited by 85 publications

References 36 publications

Arctic mercury depletion and its quantitative link with halogens

Arctic mercury depletion and its quantitative link with halogens

Temperature and sunlight controls of mercury oxidation and deposition atop the Greenland ice sheet

The fate of mercury in Arctic terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, a review

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