Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
www.atmos-chem-phys.net
1680-7316
1680-7324
9
12
2009
10.5194/acp-9-4023-2009
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/4023/2009/
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/4023/2009/acp-9-4023-2009.html
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/9/4023/2009/acp-9-4023-2009.pdf
4023
4030
2009-06-18
Oceanic influence on atmospheric mercury at coastal and inland sites: a springtime noreaster in New England
J. M. Sigler
jsigler@gust.sr.unh.edu.
H. Mao
B. C. Sive
R. Talbot
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, Climate Change Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Morse Hall, 8 College Road, Durham, NH 03824-3525, UK
Continuous measurements of elemental (Hg<sup>0</sup>) and reactive mercury were
conducted at two sites in New Hampshire during a powerful April 2007
noreaster. During the most intense period of the storm, enhancements of
~30–50 ppqv in Hg<sup>0</sup> were observed at a coastal and a high
elevation inland site. This enhancement occurred simultaneously with
elevated mixing ratios of three marine tracers, CH<sub>3</sub>I, CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub>
and CHBr<sub>3</sub>. These observations suggest a marine source of Hg<sup>0</sup>,
possibly outgassing from the ocean surface during strong turbulence. The
Hg<sup>0</sup> enhancement observed 100 km inland suggests that the impact of
coastal storms on terrestrial Hg cycling may not be limited to near-shore
environments. Combining Hg<sup>0</sup> and marine tracer measurements during the
storm with estimates of oceanic tracer fluxes during previous strong storms
yields an order-of-magnitude estimate of the oceanic source of Hg<sup>0</sup>
during the storm (~7 ppqv h<sup>−1</sup>) which can account for the
observed enhancement at the field sites.
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