Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite
<jats:p>Mercury (Hg) is a chemical element recognized as one of the most toxic among all naturally occurring elements, with health risks depending on its form, concentration, route and time of exposure. Mercury appears in the environment as a result of human activities, which include burning c...
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2024
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ftunivplympearl:oai:pearl.plymouth.ac.uk:10026.1/22561 2024-06-23T07:53:00+00:00 Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite Pasieka, A Brudecki, K Niedzielski, P Proch, A Takeuchi, N Ambrosini, R Owens, P Zawierucha, K Baccolo, G Clason, C Beard, D Yde, JC Łokas, E 2024-06-03T23:55:31Z application/pdf https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/22561 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 unknown Copernicus Publications https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/22561 doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 forever 37 Earth Sciences 41 Environmental Sciences 4105 Pollution and Contamination 13 Climate Action Conference Contribution 2024 ftunivplympearl https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 2024-06-11T14:15:26Z <jats:p>Mercury (Hg) is a chemical element recognized as one of the most toxic among all naturally occurring elements, with health risks depending on its form, concentration, route and time of exposure. Mercury appears in the environment as a result of human activities, which include burning coal or lignite, improper waste disposal, oil refining, use of mercury-containing pesticides and fertilizers, and industrial development such as mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and paper industries. The element also appears in the environment as a consequence of natural phenomena, among which are volcanic emissions, rock erosion, biomass burning and geothermal processes, but also as a result of re-emissions. Mercury can persist in the atmosphere for up to several months, which promotes the transfer of the element to areas far from the emitting source. Cryoconite, a sediment accumulating on the surface of glaciers, is known to accumulate atmospheric contaminants such as Hg likely due to biofilm producing extracellular polymeric substances. Mercury is a contaminant of primary concern in the global environment, including cryosphere environments such as glaciers, due to its high toxicity to biota. This study, for the first time, presents a comprehensive global analysis of the variation in Hg concentrations, observed in cryoconite holes and deposits from the surface of 27 glaciers in both hemispheres, comprising 105 samples in total. Concentrations of Hg were determined through ICP-MS/MS. The results indicate a higher Hg content in cryoconite from glaciers located in the Northern Hemisphere, which can be linked to the proximity of highly industrialized areas, which contrasts to glaciers located in the Southern Hemisphere. The highest Hg content was measured in cryoconite located in Norway and Alaska (up to 0.7 ppm), and the Alps (close to 0.5 ppm), correlated with the levels of industrialization in these regions. Our results reveal a broad pattern of reduction in Hg concentrations in cryoconite with altitude, which may be ... Conference Object glacier glacier glaciers Alaska PEARL (Plymouth Electronic Archiv & ResearchLibrary, Plymouth University) Norway |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
PEARL (Plymouth Electronic Archiv & ResearchLibrary, Plymouth University) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivplympearl |
language |
unknown |
topic |
37 Earth Sciences 41 Environmental Sciences 4105 Pollution and Contamination 13 Climate Action |
spellingShingle |
37 Earth Sciences 41 Environmental Sciences 4105 Pollution and Contamination 13 Climate Action Pasieka, A Brudecki, K Niedzielski, P Proch, A Takeuchi, N Ambrosini, R Owens, P Zawierucha, K Baccolo, G Clason, C Beard, D Yde, JC Łokas, E Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
topic_facet |
37 Earth Sciences 41 Environmental Sciences 4105 Pollution and Contamination 13 Climate Action |
description |
<jats:p>Mercury (Hg) is a chemical element recognized as one of the most toxic among all naturally occurring elements, with health risks depending on its form, concentration, route and time of exposure. Mercury appears in the environment as a result of human activities, which include burning coal or lignite, improper waste disposal, oil refining, use of mercury-containing pesticides and fertilizers, and industrial development such as mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and paper industries. The element also appears in the environment as a consequence of natural phenomena, among which are volcanic emissions, rock erosion, biomass burning and geothermal processes, but also as a result of re-emissions. Mercury can persist in the atmosphere for up to several months, which promotes the transfer of the element to areas far from the emitting source. Cryoconite, a sediment accumulating on the surface of glaciers, is known to accumulate atmospheric contaminants such as Hg likely due to biofilm producing extracellular polymeric substances. Mercury is a contaminant of primary concern in the global environment, including cryosphere environments such as glaciers, due to its high toxicity to biota. This study, for the first time, presents a comprehensive global analysis of the variation in Hg concentrations, observed in cryoconite holes and deposits from the surface of 27 glaciers in both hemispheres, comprising 105 samples in total. Concentrations of Hg were determined through ICP-MS/MS. The results indicate a higher Hg content in cryoconite from glaciers located in the Northern Hemisphere, which can be linked to the proximity of highly industrialized areas, which contrasts to glaciers located in the Southern Hemisphere. The highest Hg content was measured in cryoconite located in Norway and Alaska (up to 0.7 ppm), and the Alps (close to 0.5 ppm), correlated with the levels of industrialization in these regions. Our results reveal a broad pattern of reduction in Hg concentrations in cryoconite with altitude, which may be ... |
format |
Conference Object |
author |
Pasieka, A Brudecki, K Niedzielski, P Proch, A Takeuchi, N Ambrosini, R Owens, P Zawierucha, K Baccolo, G Clason, C Beard, D Yde, JC Łokas, E |
author_facet |
Pasieka, A Brudecki, K Niedzielski, P Proch, A Takeuchi, N Ambrosini, R Owens, P Zawierucha, K Baccolo, G Clason, C Beard, D Yde, JC Łokas, E |
author_sort |
Pasieka, A |
title |
Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
title_short |
Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
title_full |
Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
title_fullStr |
Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
title_full_unstemmed |
Worldwide Accumulation of Atmospheric Mercury in Glacier Cryoconite |
title_sort |
worldwide accumulation of atmospheric mercury in glacier cryoconite |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/22561 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 |
geographic |
Norway |
geographic_facet |
Norway |
genre |
glacier glacier glaciers Alaska |
genre_facet |
glacier glacier glaciers Alaska |
op_relation |
https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/22561 doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 |
op_rights |
forever |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8179 |
_version_ |
1802644464860135424 |