Sources of mercury in the Arctic

• 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

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