Multi-decadal decline of mercury in the North Atlantic atmosphere explained by changing subsurface seawater concentrations

We analyze 1977–2010 trends in atmospheric mercury (Hg) from 21 ship cruises over the North Atlantic (NA) and 15 over the South Atlantic (SA). We find a steep 1990–2009 decline of −0.046 ± 0.010 ng m−3 a−1 (−2.5% a−1) over the NA (steeper than at Northern Hemispheric land sites) but no significant d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Soerensen, A.L., Jacob, D.J., Streets, D.G., Witt, M.L.I., Ebinghaus, R., Mason, R.P., Andersson, M., Sunderland, E.M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: AGU 2012
Subjects:
info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/551
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://publications.hereon.de/id/30232
https://publications.hzg.de/id/30232
http://www.hzg.de/imperia/md/content/gkss/zentrale_einrichtungen/bibliothek/journals/2012/soerensen_30232.pdf
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Summary:We analyze 1977–2010 trends in atmospheric mercury (Hg) from 21 ship cruises over the North Atlantic (NA) and 15 over the South Atlantic (SA). We find a steep 1990–2009 decline of −0.046 ± 0.010 ng m−3 a−1 (−2.5% a−1) over the NA (steeper than at Northern Hemispheric land sites) but no significant decline over the SA. Surface water Hg0 measurements in the NA show a decline of −5.7% a−1 since 1999, and limited subsurface ocean data show an ∼80% decline from 1980 to present. We use a coupled global atmosphere-ocean model to show that the decline in NA atmospheric concentrations can be explained by decreasing oceanic evasion from the NA driven by declining subsurface water Hg concentrations. We speculate that this large historical decline of Hg in the NA Ocean could have been caused by decreasing Hg inputs from rivers and wastewater and by changes in the oxidant chemistry of the atmospheric marine boundary layer.

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