Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname
Mercury measurements at a coastal site in Nieuw Nickerie (5°56' N, 56°59' W), Suriname, provide the only continuous records of atmospheric mercury in the tropics. Here we evaluate observations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) during 2007. Nieuw Nickerie typically samples marine air from the...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:cf803e17e2ca43f0b1256afa437d1e88 2023-05-15T18:21:12+02:00 Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname D. Müller D. Wip T. Warneke C. D. Holmes A. Dastoor J. Notholt 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 https://doaj.org/article/cf803e17e2ca43f0b1256afa437d1e88 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/12/7391/2012/acp-12-7391-2012.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7316 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7324 doi:10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 1680-7316 1680-7324 https://doaj.org/article/cf803e17e2ca43f0b1256afa437d1e88 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol 12, Iss 16, Pp 7391-7397 (2012) Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 2022-12-31T06:16:37Z Mercury measurements at a coastal site in Nieuw Nickerie (5°56' N, 56°59' W), Suriname, provide the only continuous records of atmospheric mercury in the tropics. Here we evaluate observations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) during 2007. Nieuw Nickerie typically samples marine air from the Atlantic Ocean, with occasional influence from continental South America. Over the year, average concentrations are 1.40 ng m −3 . As the intertropical convergence zone passes over Suriname twice each year, the site samples both northern and southern hemispheric air masses. We use back trajectories to classify each measurement by hemisphere, as well as continental or ocean. For air passing over ocean before sampling, TGM concentrations are 10% higher in air coming from the Northern Hemisphere (1.45 ng m −3 ) than from the Southern Hemisphere (1.32 ng m −3 ). Air from the South American continent also carries higher TGM (1.43 ng m −3 ) than air from the South Atlantic Ocean, with most of these trajectories occurring in August and September. Biomass burning in Brazil peaks in the same months and likely contributes significantly to elevated concentrations seen in Nickerie. We also compare the observed seasonal cycle to two atmospheric mercury chemistry and transport models (GRAHM and GEOS-Chem). Both models simulate transition between northern and southern hemispheric air, thus capturing the seasonal cycle; however the models overestimate the TGM concentrations during months when Nickerie samples Northern Hemisphere air. It is difficult to determine whether the models' sources or sinks in the Northern Hemisphere tropics are responsible. Article in Journal/Newspaper South Atlantic Ocean Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 12 16 7391 7397 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 |
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Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 D. Müller D. Wip T. Warneke C. D. Holmes A. Dastoor J. Notholt Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
topic_facet |
Physics QC1-999 Chemistry QD1-999 |
description |
Mercury measurements at a coastal site in Nieuw Nickerie (5°56' N, 56°59' W), Suriname, provide the only continuous records of atmospheric mercury in the tropics. Here we evaluate observations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) during 2007. Nieuw Nickerie typically samples marine air from the Atlantic Ocean, with occasional influence from continental South America. Over the year, average concentrations are 1.40 ng m −3 . As the intertropical convergence zone passes over Suriname twice each year, the site samples both northern and southern hemispheric air masses. We use back trajectories to classify each measurement by hemisphere, as well as continental or ocean. For air passing over ocean before sampling, TGM concentrations are 10% higher in air coming from the Northern Hemisphere (1.45 ng m −3 ) than from the Southern Hemisphere (1.32 ng m −3 ). Air from the South American continent also carries higher TGM (1.43 ng m −3 ) than air from the South Atlantic Ocean, with most of these trajectories occurring in August and September. Biomass burning in Brazil peaks in the same months and likely contributes significantly to elevated concentrations seen in Nickerie. We also compare the observed seasonal cycle to two atmospheric mercury chemistry and transport models (GRAHM and GEOS-Chem). Both models simulate transition between northern and southern hemispheric air, thus capturing the seasonal cycle; however the models overestimate the TGM concentrations during months when Nickerie samples Northern Hemisphere air. It is difficult to determine whether the models' sources or sinks in the Northern Hemisphere tropics are responsible. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
D. Müller D. Wip T. Warneke C. D. Holmes A. Dastoor J. Notholt |
author_facet |
D. Müller D. Wip T. Warneke C. D. Holmes A. Dastoor J. Notholt |
author_sort |
D. Müller |
title |
Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
title_short |
Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
title_full |
Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
title_fullStr |
Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in Suriname |
title_sort |
sources of atmospheric mercury in the tropics: continuous observations at a coastal site in suriname |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 https://doaj.org/article/cf803e17e2ca43f0b1256afa437d1e88 |
genre |
South Atlantic Ocean |
genre_facet |
South Atlantic Ocean |
op_source |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol 12, Iss 16, Pp 7391-7397 (2012) |
op_relation |
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/12/7391/2012/acp-12-7391-2012.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7316 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-7324 doi:10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 1680-7316 1680-7324 https://doaj.org/article/cf803e17e2ca43f0b1256afa437d1e88 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-7391-2012 |
container_title |
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
16 |
container_start_page |
7391 |
op_container_end_page |
7397 |
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1766200357556322304 |