Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges
In the Arctic, the snowpack forms the major interface between atmospheric and terrestrial cycling of mercury (Hg), a global pollutant. We investigated Hg dynamics in an interior Arctic tundra snowpack in northern Alaska during two winter seasons. Using a snow tower system to monitor Hg trace gas exc...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1939/2018/ |
id |
ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc63631 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc63631 2023-05-15T14:49:49+02:00 Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges Agnan, Yannick Douglas, Thomas A. Helmig, Detlev Hueber, Jacques Obrist, Daniel 2019-01-09 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1939/2018/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1939/2018/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2019 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 2020-07-20T16:23:15Z In the Arctic, the snowpack forms the major interface between atmospheric and terrestrial cycling of mercury (Hg), a global pollutant. We investigated Hg dynamics in an interior Arctic tundra snowpack in northern Alaska during two winter seasons. Using a snow tower system to monitor Hg trace gas exchange, we observed consistent concentration declines of gaseous elemental Hg ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="9f004b3f39b1a9679b6cb048ad889d20"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00001.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg> ) from the atmosphere to the snowpack to soils. The snowpack itself was unlikely a direct sink for atmospheric <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="e37fdc46c52ee47ded1a1e120b546093"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00002.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg> . In addition, there was no evidence of photochemical reduction of Hg II to <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="c284e9320edd3ffa12326016d932bb0e"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00003.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00003.png"/></svg:svg> in the tundra snowpack, with the exception of short periods during late winter in the uppermost snow layer. The patterns in this interior Arctic snowpack thus differ substantially from observations in Arctic coastal and temperate snowpacks. We consistently measured low concentrations of both total and dissolved Hg in snowpack throughout the two seasons. Chemical tracers showed that Hg was mainly associated with local mineral dust and regional marine sea spray inputs. Mass balance calculations show that the snowpack represents a small reservoir of Hg, resulting in low inputs during snowmelt. Taken together, the results from this study suggest that interior Arctic snowpacks are negligible sources of Hg to the Arctic. Text Arctic Tundra Alaska Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Arctic The Cryosphere 12 6 1939 1956 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
op_collection_id |
ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
In the Arctic, the snowpack forms the major interface between atmospheric and terrestrial cycling of mercury (Hg), a global pollutant. We investigated Hg dynamics in an interior Arctic tundra snowpack in northern Alaska during two winter seasons. Using a snow tower system to monitor Hg trace gas exchange, we observed consistent concentration declines of gaseous elemental Hg ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="9f004b3f39b1a9679b6cb048ad889d20"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00001.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg> ) from the atmosphere to the snowpack to soils. The snowpack itself was unlikely a direct sink for atmospheric <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="e37fdc46c52ee47ded1a1e120b546093"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00002.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg> . In addition, there was no evidence of photochemical reduction of Hg II to <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">Hg</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">gas</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">0</mn></msubsup></mrow></math> <svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="c284e9320edd3ffa12326016d932bb0e"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00003.svg" width="29pt" height="17pt" src="tc-12-1939-2018-ie00003.png"/></svg:svg> in the tundra snowpack, with the exception of short periods during late winter in the uppermost snow layer. The patterns in this interior Arctic snowpack thus differ substantially from observations in Arctic coastal and temperate snowpacks. We consistently measured low concentrations of both total and dissolved Hg in snowpack throughout the two seasons. Chemical tracers showed that Hg was mainly associated with local mineral dust and regional marine sea spray inputs. Mass balance calculations show that the snowpack represents a small reservoir of Hg, resulting in low inputs during snowmelt. Taken together, the results from this study suggest that interior Arctic snowpacks are negligible sources of Hg to the Arctic. |
format |
Text |
author |
Agnan, Yannick Douglas, Thomas A. Helmig, Detlev Hueber, Jacques Obrist, Daniel |
spellingShingle |
Agnan, Yannick Douglas, Thomas A. Helmig, Detlev Hueber, Jacques Obrist, Daniel Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
author_facet |
Agnan, Yannick Douglas, Thomas A. Helmig, Detlev Hueber, Jacques Obrist, Daniel |
author_sort |
Agnan, Yannick |
title |
Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
title_short |
Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
title_full |
Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
title_fullStr |
Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mercury in the Arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
title_sort |
mercury in the arctic tundra snowpack: temporal and spatial concentration patterns and trace gas exchanges |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1939/2018/ |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Tundra Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Tundra Alaska |
op_source |
eISSN: 1994-0424 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/12/1939/2018/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1939-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1939 |
op_container_end_page |
1956 |
_version_ |
1766320886212722688 |