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Atmospheric mercury concentrations observed at ground-based monitoring sites globally distributed in the framework of the GMOS network.

ABSTRACT: Long-term monitoring of data of ambient mercury (Hg) on a global scale to assess its emission, transport, atmospheric chemistry, and deposition processes is vital to understanding the impact of Hg pollution on the environment. The Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) project was funded by the European Commission (http://www.gmos.eu) and started in November 2010 with the overall goal to develop a coordinated global observing system to monitor Hg on a global scale, including a large network of ground-based monitoring stations, ad hoc periodic oceanographic cruises and measurement flights in the lower and upper troposphere as well as in the lower stratosphere. To date, more than 40 ground-based monitoring sites constitute the global network covering many regions where little to no observational data were available before GMOS. This work presents atmospheric Hg concentrations recorded worldwide in the framework of the GMOS project (2010-2015), analyzing Hg measurement results in terms of temporal trends, seasonality and comparability within the network. Major findings highlighted in this paper include a clear gradient of Hg concentrations between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, confirming that the gradient observed is mostly driven by local and regional sources, which can be anthropogenic, natural or a combination of both.

SUBMITTER: Sprovieri F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145827 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Atmospheric mercury concentrations observed at ground-based monitoring sites globally distributed in the framework of the GMOS network.

Sprovieri Francesca F Pirrone Nicola N Bencardino Mariantonia M D'Amore Francesco F Carbone Francesco F Cinnirella Sergio S Mannarino Valentino V Landis Matthew M Ebinghaus Ralf R Weigelt Andreas A Brunke Ernst-Günther EG Labuschagne Casper C Martin Lynwill L Munthe John J Wängberg Ingvar I Artaxo Paulo P Morais Fernando F de Melo Jorge Barbosa Henrique H Brito Joel J Cairns Warren W Barbante Carlo C Del Carmen Diéguez María M Garcia Patricia Elizabeth PE Dommergue Aurélien A Angot Helene H Magand Olivier O Skov Henrik H Horvat Milena M Kotnik Jože J Read Katie Alana KA Neves Luis Mendes LM Gawlik Bernd Manfred BM Sena Fabrizio F Mashyanov Nikolay N Obolkin Vladimir V Wip Dennis D Feng Xin Bin XB Zhang Hui H Fu Xuewu X Ramachandran Ramesh R Cossa Daniel D Knoery Joël J Marusczak Nicolas N Nerentorp Michelle M Norstrom Claus C

Atmospheric chemistry and physics 20160901 18

Long-term monitoring of data of ambient mercury (Hg) on a global scale to assess its emission, transport, atmospheric chemistry, and deposition processes is vital to understanding the impact of Hg pollution on the environment. The Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) project was funded by the European Commission (http://www.gmos.eu) and started in November 2010 with the overall goal to develop a coordinated global observing system to monitor Hg on a global scale, including a large network of ...[more]

PMID: 30245704

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Project description:During May 2016 a very large boreal wildfire burned throughout the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in central Canada, and in close proximity to an extensive air quality monitoring network. This study examines speciated 24-h integrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and volatile organic compound (VOC) measurements collected every sixth day at four and seven sites, respectively, from May to August 2016. The sum of PAHs (ΣPAH) was on average 17 times higher in fire-influenced samples (852 ng m-3, n = 8), relative to non-fire influenced samples (50 ng m-3, n = 64). Diagnostic PAH ratios in fire-influenced samples were indicative of a biomass burning source, whereas ratios in June to August samples showed additional influence from petrogenic and fossil fuel combustion. The average increase in the sum of VOCs (ΣVOC) was minor by comparison: 63 ppbv for fire-influenced samples (n = 16) versus 46 ppbv for non-fire samples (n = 90). The samples collected on August 16th and 22nd had large ΣVOC concentrations at all sites (average of 123 ppbv) that were unrelated to wildfire emissions, and composed primarily of acetaldehyde and methanol suggesting a photochemically aged air mass. Normalized excess enhancement ratios (ERs) were calculated for 20 VOCs and 23 PAHs for three fire influenced samples, and the former were generally consistent with previous observations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report ER measurements for a number of VOCs and PAHs in fresh North American boreal wildfire plumes. During May the aged wildfire plume intercepted the cities of Edmonton (∼380 km south) or Lethbridge (∼790 km south) on four separate occasions. No enhancement in ground-level ozone (O3) was observed in these aged plumes despite an assumed increase in O3 precursors. In the AOSR, the only daily-averaged VOCs which approached or exceeded the hourly Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQOs) were benzene (during the fire) and acetaldehyde (on August 16th and 22nd). Implications for local and regional air quality as well as suggestions for supplemental air monitoring during future boreal fires, are also discussed.

Dataset Information

Atmospheric mercury concentrations observed at ground-based monitoring sites globally distributed in the framework of the GMOS network.

Publications

Atmospheric mercury concentrations observed at ground-based monitoring sites globally distributed in the framework of the GMOS network.

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