Chemical cycling and deposition of atmospheric mercury in polar regions: review of recent measurements and comparison with models
Journal article, 2016

Mercury (Hg) is a worldwide contaminant that can cause adverse health effects to wildlife and humans. While atmospheric modeling traces the link from emissions to deposition of Hg onto environmental surfaces, large uncertainties arise from our incomplete understanding of atmospheric processes (oxidation pathways, deposition, and re-emission). Atmospheric Hg reactivity is exacerbated in high latitudes and there is still much to be learned from polar regions in terms of atmospheric processes. This paper provides a synthesis of the atmospheric Hg monitoring data available in recent years (2011-2015) in the Arctic and in Antarctica along with a comparison of these observations with numerical simulations using four cutting-edge global models. The cycle of atmospheric Hg in the Arctic and in Antarctica presents both similarities and differences. Coastal sites in the two regions are both influenced by springtime atmospheric Hg depletion events and by summertime snowpack re-emission and oceanic evasion of Hg. The cycle of atmospheric Hg differs between the two regions primarily because of their different geography. While Arctic sites are significantly influenced by northern hemispheric Hg emissions especially in winter, coastal Antarctic sites are significantly influenced by the reactivity observed on the East Antarctic ice sheet due to katabatic winds. Based on the comparison of multi-model simulations with observations, this paper discusses whether the processes that affect atmospheric Hg seasonality and inter-annual variability are appropriately represented in the models and identifies research gaps in our understanding of the atmospheric Hg cycling in high latitudes.

Author

H. Angot

Université Grenoble Alpes

A. Dastoor

Environment Canada

F. De Simone

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rende

Katarina Gårdfeldt

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material, Environmental Inorganic Chemistry

Other publications Research

C. N. Gencarelli

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rende

I. M. Hedgecock

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rende

Sarka Langer

IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute

Other publications Research

O. Magand

Université Grenoble Alpes

LGGE Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l'Environnement

Michelle Nerentorp

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Energy and Material, Environmental Inorganic Chemistry

Other publications Research

C. Nordstrom

Danmarks Miljoundersogelser

K. A. Pfaffhuber

Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU)

N. Pirrone

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rome

A. Ryjkov

Environment Canada

N. E. Selin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

H. Skov

Danmarks Miljoundersogelser

S. J. Song

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

F. Sprovieri

CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rende

A. Steffen

Environment Canada

K. Toyota

Environment Canada

O. Travnikov

Meteorological Synthesizing Centre

X. Yang

British Antarctic Survey

A. Dommergue

Université Grenoble Alpes

LGGE Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l'Environnement

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

1680-7316 (ISSN) 1680-7324 (eISSN)

Vol. 16 16 10735-10763

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Subject Categories

Earth and Related Environmental Sciences

DOI

10.5194/acp-16-10735-2016

Publication data connected to DOI

More information

Latest update

4/11/2018

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