References

ACP

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ACP

1680-7324

Copernicus GmbH

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/acp-8-7709-2008

Summertime elemental mercury exchange of temperate grasslands on an ecosystem-scale

Fritsche

¹ Wohlfahrt

² Ammann

³ Zeeman

⁴ Hammerle

² Obrist

⁵ Alewell

Institute of Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056 Basel, Switzerland

Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART, Air pollution/Climate group, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zurich, Switzerland

Institute of Plant Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetsstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Desert Research Institute, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA

22 12 2008

8 24 7709 7722

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In order to estimate the air-surface mercury exchange of grasslands in temperate climate regions, fluxes of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) were measured at two sites in Switzerland and one in Austria during summer 2006. Two classic micrometeorological methods (aerodynamic and modified Bowen ratio) have been applied to estimate net GEM exchange rates and to determine the response of the GEM flux to changes in environmental conditions (e.g. heavy rain, summer ozone) on an ecosystem-scale. Both methods proved to be appropriate to estimate fluxes on time scales of a few hours and longer. Average dry deposition rates up to 4.3 ng m−2 h−1 and mean deposition velocities up to 0.10 cm s−1 were measured, which indicates that during the active vegetation period temperate grasslands are a small net sink for atmospheric mercury. With increasing ozone concentrations depletion of GEM was observed, but could not be quantified from the flux signal. Night-time deposition fluxes of GEM were measured and seem to be the result of mercury co-deposition with condensing water. Effects of grass cuts could also be observed, but were of minor magnitude.

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