Measurements of atmospheric mercury with high time resolution: Recent applications in environmental research and monitoring

In the past five years automated high time-resolution measurements of mercury species in ambient air have promoted remarkable progress in the understanding of the spatial distribution, short-term variability, and fate of this priority pollutant in the lower troposphere. Examples show the wide range...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fresenius' journal of analytical chemistry 2001-11, Vol.371 (6), p.806-815
Main Authors: EBINGHAUS, R, KOCK, H. H, SCHMOLKE, S. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis
Analysis methods
Analytical chemistry
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Chemistry
Exact sciences and technology
Germany
Ireland
Mercury - analysis
Ontario
Pollution
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Spectrometric and optical methods
Spectrometry, Fluorescence
Spectrophotometry, Atomic
Time Factors
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Summary:In the past five years automated high time-resolution measurements of mercury species in ambient air have promoted remarkable progress in the understanding of the spatial distribution, short-term variability, and fate of this priority pollutant in the lower troposphere. Examples show the wide range of possible applications of these techniques in environmental research and monitoring. Presented applications of measurement methods for total gaseous mercury (TGM) include long-term monitoring of atmospheric mercury at a coastal station, simultaneous measurements during a south-to-north transect measurement campaign covering a distance of approximately 800 km, the operation on board of a research aircraft, and the quantification of mercury emissions from naturally enriched surface soils. First results obtained with a new method for the determination of reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) are presented.Typical background concentrations of TGM are between 1.5 and 2 ng m–³in the lower troposphere. Concentrations of RGM have been determined at a rural site in Germany between 2 and 35 pg m–³. Flux measurements over naturally enriched surface soils in the Western U.S.A. have revealed emission fluxes of up to 200 ng Hg m–¹ h–¹under dry conditions.
ISSN:0937-0633
1432-1130
DOI:10.1007/s002160101048