Isotopic investigation of sources and processes affecting gaseous and particulate bound mercury in the east coast, South Korea

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-09, Vol.891, p.164404-164404, Article 164404
• Main Authors: Lee, Hoin, Kwon, Sae Yun, Kam, Jonghun, Lee, Kitack, Fu, Xuewu, Cho, In-Gyu, Choi, Sung-Deuk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coastal; East Asia; Mercury; Particulate bound mercury (PBM); Stable isotope; Total gaseous mercury (TGM)
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164404

Understanding sources and processes affecting atmospheric mercury (Hg) are key to enabling targeted Hg managements under the Minamata Convention on Mercury. We employed stable isotopes (δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, Δ201Hg, Δ200Hg, Δ204Hg) and backward air trajectories to characterize sources and processes affecting total gaseous Hg (TGM) and particulate bound Hg (PBM) in a coastal city, South Korea, subjected to atmospheric Hg sources of a local steel manufacturing industry, coastal evasion from the East Sea, and long-distance transport from East Asian countries. Based on the simulated airmasses and the isotopic comparison with TGM characterized from other urban, remote, and coastal sites, TGM evaded from the coastal surface of the East Sea (warm seasons) and from the land surface in high latitude regions (cold seasons) act as important sources relative to local anthropogenic emissions at our study location. Conversely, a significant relationship between Δ199Hg and concentrations of PBM (r2 = 0.39, p