Sources of mercury in the Arctic

Global and regional emission inventories of mercury are reviewed with special emphasis on the source regions with potential impact on the Arctic environment. These sources are located mostly in Eurasia and North America and emit almost 1300 t of Hg to the air annually. Combustion of fossil fuels to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water, Air, & Soil Pollution
Main Authors: Pacyna, J. M., Keeler, Gerald J.
Other Authors: School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, 109 Observatory, 48109-2029, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), P.O. Box 100, 2007, Kjeller, Norway, Ann Arbor
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Kluwer Academic Publishers; Springer Science+Business Media 1995
Subjects:
Environment
Hydrogeology
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
General
Natural Resources and Environment
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Science
Arctic
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/43916
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01189714
Description
Summary:Global and regional emission inventories of mercury are reviewed with special emphasis on the source regions with potential impact on the Arctic environment. These sources are located mostly in Eurasia and North America and emit almost 1300 t of Hg to the air annually. Combustion of fossil fuels to produce electricity and heat is the major source of Hg. Major portion of the element emissions from this source is in a gaseous phase. A small portion of Hg emissions in Eurasia and North America is deposited in the Arctic region, perhaps 60 to 80 t annually. Additional amounts of Hg in the Arctic air originate from natural sources, although it is very difficult to quantify them. A small decrease of anthropogenic Hg emissions is observed in Europe at present. These emissions are expected to increase again in the near future. Peer Reviewed http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43916/1/11270_2005_Article_BF01189714.pdf

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