Temporal variation and potential origins of atmospheric speciated mercury at a remote island in South China Sea based on two-year field measurement data.

ABSTRACT: This study explored the temporal variation, gas-particle partition, and potential origins of atmospheric speciated mercury at a remote island in the South China Sea. Two-year data of three mercury species was measured at the Taiping Island. Air masses were clustered into five transport routes (A-E) to resolve the potential origins of atmospheric mercury. Field measurement showed that the concentration of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) (1.33?±?0.52 ng/m³) was close to the GEM background level of Northern Hemisphere, while those of GOM and PHg were 13.39?±?3.58 and 94.33?±?30.25 pg/m³, respectively. Both regular and intensive samplings concluded a consistent trend of higher mercury level in winter and spring than that in summer and fall. GEM dominated atmospheric mercury in all seasons (86.2-98.5%), while the highest partition of particle-bound mercury (PHg) was observed in winter (13.8%). The highest GEM concentrations were observed for Route A originating from central China and western Taiwan Island, and followed by Routes D and E from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, while the lowest concentrations of GEM were observed for Routes B and C originating from North China, Korea, and Japan. Most importantly, high correlation of GEM versus levoglucosan and K⁺ in PM_2.5 (r?=?0.764 and 0.758, p?

SUBMITTER: Yeh MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7952567 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature