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1.
A seasonal variation of both particle and gaseous Hg concentrations in the atmosphere is present in south-western Sweden. An average gaseous Hg level of 3.7 ng m−3 is found in winter, compared to 2.8 ng m−3 in summer. A weak decreasing south-north gradient for gaseous Hg in air over the Nordic countries is also present, with yearly average values from 3.2 to 2.8 ng m−3. A gradient for particulate Hg is less clear. An air parcel trajectory sector classification of gaseous Hg levels in air, and to some extent the particulate associated Hg, clearly demonstrates the increased concentrations in the southern sectors, especially in south-western Sweden where the gaseous Hg increase is about I ng m−3. These observations are consistent with an influence from the European continent. The average concentrations of Hg in precipitation at the various stations show a pronounced decreasing south-north gradient. A major portion of the total Hg present in precipitation is associated with particles. For the southern stations, a strong correlation between Hg and sulfate, or pH, is present suggesting a connection between Hg in precipitation and anthropogenic activities.  相似文献   

2.
Samples for measurements of total gaseous mercury (Hg) in air have been collected since 1980 in south-western part of Scandinavia. A collection program for precipitation samples used to determine changes in depositional fluxes of total Hg has been in operation since 1987. A comparison of today's total gaseous Hg levels in air and the total Hg concentrations in precipitation with the ones found earlier, shows a clear decrease with time. At the Swedish west-coast, yearly average air concentrations and median levels of 3.3 and 3.1 (1980–1984), 3.2 and 2.8 (1985–1989), and 2.7 and 2.6 ng Hg/m3 (1990–1992), respectively, were found. Increased average and median winter concentrations were always found, with levels at 3.7 and 3.4, 3.7 and 3.3, and 3.0 and 2.7 ng Hg/m3 for the respective time period. Higher winter values were expected due to increased anthropogenic emissions and changes in the mixing height of the atmosphere. The corresponding total wet deposition rates decreased from 27 (1987–1989) to 10 μg Hg/m2 yr. (1990–1992). A finding of special interest was the decreased number of episodic events of high total gaseous Hg levels in air, from 1990 and further on. In addition, the frequency distribution of the concentrations of Hg in air seems to be different for these years compared to the other two time periods. A frequency distribution of air concentrations of Hg more resembling a normal distribution was found for the years 1990 to 1992. The decrease of the atmospheric burden of total gaseous Hg and deposition of total Hg are most probably connected to lower emissions in source areas on the European continent. It seems logical to state that the problem of high Hg depositional fluxes to Scandinavia, is best solved by abatement strategies on the regional scale.  相似文献   

3.
A denuder-based method for sampling and separating gaseous and participate mercury in the air is described. Two different denuder configurations developed in Vilnius, Lithuania (silver) and in Gothenburg, Sweden (gold) are compared. Data were acquired at different sampling locations around the cities of Vilnius and Gothenburg. The concentration of particulate Hg was found to be 0.04 to 0.40 ng m?3 in the Vilnius region, and 0.11 to 0.57 ng m?3 in the Gothenburg region. Intel-calibration results for the silver and gold denuders are presented. The results obtained by the two different denuder configurations and sampling set-ups display satisfactory agreement.  相似文献   

4.
Research on mercury (Hg) distribution and speciation was carried out in Lake Baikal, a large, strong-oligotrophic freshwater reservoir in Siberia, Russia, during June 1992 and march 1993. In summer, total Hg in the water column ranged from 0.14 to 0.77 ng Hg/L, with the highest concentrations observed in the central basin of the lake in surface water samples. Labile inorganic Hg was found to be 7 to 20 % of the total Hg content. Highest total Hg concentrations were found in river waters: up to 2 ng Hg/L. Labile methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations ranged from 2 to 38 pg Hg/L in the water column, with the higher concentrations in the central part of the lake, and showing a slight increase in near bottom waters. Labile MeHg makes up 1 to 15 % of the total Hg content in the water column, with larger fractions in deep waters. The slight increase of the MeHg gradient with depth corresponds with the O2 minimum region. Highest MeHg concentrations were observed in river waters (up to 145 pg Hg/L) and in some bays of the lake (up to 160 pg Hg/L). In these high temperature- and phytoplankton-rich water masses, the MeHg-fraction increased up to 35 % of total Hg. Labile MeHg concentrations in water samples taken in winter in the southern basin (under the ice cover), showed slightly higher concentrations than in summer, possibly due to an early spring bloom. In rainwater, total Hg ranged from 3 to 20 ng Hg/L and MeHg from 0.1 to 0.25 ng Hg/L. In snow, a large fraction of total Hg is bound to particulate matter; concentrations of total Hg ranged from 8 to 60 ng Hg/L and labile MeHg from 0.1 to 0.25 ng Hg/L. Atmospheric Hg was found to be 0.73 to 2.31 ng/m3 as gaseous Hg and 0.005 to 0.02 ng/m3 in its particulate form. Spatial distribution patterns of atmospheric Hg show slightly higher concentrations over the central part of the lake and the Selenga river delta. In winter, atmospheric Hg values (measured in the southern region), ranged from 1.2 to 6.1 ng/m3 as total gaseous Hg and 0.02 to 0.09 ng/m3 as total particulate Hg, and are higher than in summer, probably influenced by coal burning and traffic by the local population. MeHg contents in fish ranged from 20 ng Hg/g dry weight in small Cottocomephorus to 300 ng Hg/g dry weight in pike and trout species, which were caught in organic-rich waters.  相似文献   

5.
During the last decade a new pattern of Hg pollution has been discerned, mostly in Scandinavia and North America. Fish from low productive lakes, even in remote areas, have been found to have a high Hg content. This pollution problem cannot be connected to single Hg discharges but is due to more widespread air pollution and long-range transport of pollutants. A large number of waters are affected and the problem is of a regional character. The national limits for Hg in fish are exceeded in a large number of lakes. In Sweden alone, it has been estimated that the total number of lakes exceeding the blacklisting limit of 1 mg Hg kg-1 in 1-kg pike is about 10 000. The content of Hg in fish has markedly increased in a large part of Sweden, exceeding the estimate background level by about a factor of 2 to 6. Only in the northernmost part of the country is the content in fish close to natural values. There is, however, a large variation of Hg content in fish within the same region, which is basically due to natural conditions such as the geological and hydrological properties of the drainage area. Higher concentrations in fish are mostly found in smaller lakes and in waters with a higher content of humic matter. Since only a small percentage of the total flow of Hg through a lake basin is transferred into the biological system, the bioavailability and the accumulation pattern of Hg in the food web is of importance for the Hg concentrations in top predators like pike. Especially, the transfer of Hg to low trophic levels seems to be a very important factor in determining the concentration in the food web. The fluxes of biomass through the fish community appear to be dominated by fluxes in the pelagic food web. The Hg in the lake water is therefore probably more important as a secondary source of Hg in pike than is the sediment via the benthic food chain. Different remedy actions to reduce Hg in fish have been tested. Improvements have been obtained by measures designed to reduce the transport of Hg to the lakes from the catchment area, eg. wetland liming and drainage area liming, to reduce the Hg flow via the pelagic nutrient chains, eg. intensive fishing, and to reduce the biologically available proportion of the total lake dose of Hg, eg. lake liming with different types of lime and additions of selenium. The length of time necessary before the remedy gives result is a central question, due to the long half-time of Hg in pike. In general it has been possible to reduce the Hg content in perch by 20 to 30% two years after treatments like lake liming, wetland liming, drainage area liming and intensive fishing. Selenium treatment is also effective, but before this method can be recommended, dosing problems and questions concerning the effects of selenium on other species must be evaluated. Regardless how essential these kind of remedial measures may be in a short-term perspective, the only satisfactory long-term alternative is to minimize the Hg contamination in air, soil and water. Internationally, the major sources of Hg emissions to the atmosphere are chlor-alkali factories, waste incineration plants, coal and peat combustion units and metal smelter industries. In the combustion processes without flue gas cleaning systems, probably about 20 to 60% of the Hg is emitted in divalent forms. In Sweden, large amounts of Hg were emitted to the atmosphere during the 50s and 60s, mainly from chlor-alkali plants and from metal production. In those years, the discharges from point sources were about 20 to 30 t yr 1. Since the end of the 60s, the emission of Hg has been reduced dramatically due to better emission control legislation, improved technology, and reduction of polluting industrial production. At present, the annual emissions of Hg to air are about 3.5 t from point sources in Sweden. In air, more than 95% of Hg is present as the elemental Hg form, HgO0. The remaining non-elemental (oxidized) form is partly associated to particles with a high wash-out ratio, and therefore more easily deposited to soils and surface waters by precipitation. The total Hg concentration in air is normally in the range 1 to 4 ng m-3. In oceanic regions in the southern hemisphere, the concentration is generally about 1 ng m?3, while the corresponding figure for the northern hemisphere is about 2 ng m-3. In remote continental regions, the concentrations are mainly about 2 to 4 ng m?3. In precipitation, Hg concentrations are generally found in the range 1 to 100 ng L?1. In the Nordic countries, yearly mean values in rural areas are about 20 to 40 ng L?1 in the southern and central parts, and about 10 ng L?1 in the northern part. Accordingly, wet deposition is about 20 (10 to 35) g km?2 yr?1 in southern Scandinavia and 5 (2 to 7) in the northern part. Calculations of Hg deposition based on forest moss mapping techniques give similar values. The general pattern of atmospheric deposition of Hg with decreasing values from the southwest part of the country towards the north, strongly suggests that the deposition over Sweden is dominated by sources in other European countries. This conclusion is supported by analyses of air parcel back trajectories and findings of significant covariations between Hg and other long range transported pollutants in the precipitation. Apart from the long range transport of anthropogenic Hg, the deposition over Sweden may also be affected by an oxidation of elemental Hg in the atmosphere. Atmospheric Hg deposited on podzolic soils, the most common type of forest soil in Sweden, is effectively bound in the humus-rich upper parts of the forest soil. In the Tiveden area in southern Sweden, about 75 to 80% of the yearly deposition is retained in the humus layer, chemically bound to S or Se atoms in the humic structure. The amount of Hg found in the B horizon of the soils is probably only slightly influenced by anthropogenic emissions. In the deeper layers of the soil, hardly any accumulation of Hg takes place. The dominating horizontal flow in the soils takes place in the uppermost soil layers (0 to 20 cm) during periods of high precipitation and high groun water level in the soils. The yearly transport of Hg within the soils has been calculated to be about 5 to 6 g km?2. The specific transport of total Hg from the soil system to running waters and lakes in Sweden is about 1 to 6 g km?2 yr1. The transport of Hg is closely related to the transport of humic matter in the water. The main factors influencing the Hg content and the transport of Hg in run-off waters from soils are therefore the Hg content in soils, the transport of humic matter from the soils and the humus content of the water. Other factors, for example acidification of soils and waters, are of secondary importance. Large peatlands and major lake basins in the catchment area reduce the out-transport of Hg from such areas. About 25 to 75% of the total load of Hg of lakes in southern and central Sweden originates from run-off from the catchment area. In lakes where the total load is high, the transport from run-off is the dominating pathway. The total Hg concentrations in soil solution are usually in the range 1 to 50, in ground water 0.5 to 15 and in run-off and lake water 2 to 12 ng L?1, respectively. The variation is largely due to differences in the humus content of the waters. In deep ground water with a low content of humic substances, the Hg concentration is usually below 1 ng L?1. The present amount and concentrations of Hg in the mor layer of forest soils are affected by the total anthropogenic emissions of Hg to the atmosphere, mainly during this century. Especially in the southern part of Sweden and in the central part along the Bothnian coast, the concentrations in the mor layer are markedly high. In southern areas the anthropogenic part of the total Hg content is about 70 to 90%. Here, the increased content in these soils is mainly caused by long-range transport and emissions from other European countries, while high level areas in the central parts are markedly affected by local historical emissions, mainly from the chlor-alkali industry. When comparing the input/output fluxes to watersheds it is evident that the present atmospheric deposition is much higher than the output via run-off waters, on average about 3 to 10 times higher, with the highest ration in the southern parts of Sweden. Obviously, Hg is accumulating in forest soils in Sweden at the present atmospheric deposition rate and, accordingly, the concentrations in forest soils are still increasing despite the fact that the emissions of Hg have drastically been reduced in Sweden during the last decades. The increased content of Hg in forest soils may have an effect on the organisms and the biological processes in the soils. Hg is by far the most toxic metal to microorganisms. In some regions in Sweden, the content of Hg in soils is already today at a level that has been proposed as a critical concentration. To obtain a general decrease in the Hg content in fish and in forest soils, the atmospheric deposition of Hg has to be reduced. The critical atmospheric load of Hg can be defined as the load where the input to the forest soils is less than the output and, consequently, where the Hg content in the top soil layers and the transport of Hg to the surface waters start to decrease. A reduction by about 80% of the present atmospheric wet deposition has to be obtained to reach the critical load for Scandinavia.  相似文献   

6.
To assess the sources, transport and deposition of atmospheric mercury (Hg) in Michigan, a multi-site network was implemented in which Hg concentrations in event precipitation and ambient samples (vapor and participate phases) were determined. Results from the analysis of 2 years of event precipitation samples for Hg are reported here. The volume-weighted average Hg concentration in precipitation was 7.9, 10.8 and 10.2 ng/L for the Pellston, South Haven and Dexter sites, respectively. Yearly wet deposition of Hg for 1992–93 and 1993–94 was 5.8 and 5.5 μg/m2 at Pellston, 9.5 and 12.7 μg/m2 at South Haven and 8.7 and 9.1 μg/m at Dexter. A spatial gradient in both the Hg concentration and wet deposition was observed. Northern Michigan received almost half the deposition of Hg recorded at the southern Michigan sites. The concentration of Hg in precipitation exhibited a strong seasonal behavior with low values of 1.0 to 2.0 ng/L in winter and maximum values greater than 40 ng/L in summer. The spring, summer and autumn precipitation accounted for 89 to 91% of the total yearly Hg deposition. Mixed-layer back trajectories were calculated for each precipitation event to investigate the meteorological history and transport from potential Hg source regions. Elevated Hg concentrations were observed with air mass transport from the west, southwest, south, and southeast. At each of the sites precipitation events for which the Hg concentration was in the 90th and 10th percentile were-analyzed for trace elements by ICP-MS to investigate source impacts.  相似文献   

7.
Gold-coated denuders have been used to separate gas phase and particulate phase Hg in air samples. The denuders were 65 cm long with a 0.4 cm i.d. and were capable of removing >99.9% of the vapor phase elemental Hg in an air stream at flow rates of about 1 L min?1. Data were obtained at different sampling locations around the city of Göteborg. The concentration of particulate Hg was found to be within the range of 0.11 to 0.57 ng m?3, which corresponds to 2.8 to 16.9% of the total airborne Hg. Positive correlations between the concentration of particulate Hg and that of soot and suspended particles as well as a negative correlation between the concentration of particulate Hg and relative humidity were observed.  相似文献   

8.
The “Great Waters” program, established in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, mandated that atmospheric deposition of hazardous air pollutants to Lake Champlain (including Hg) be assessed. An assessment of the magnitude and seasonal variation of atmospheric Hg deposition in the Lake Champlain basin was initiated in December 1992 with one year of event precipitation collection, as well as collection of vapor and particle phase Hg in ambient air. Samples were collected at the Vermont Monitoring Cooperative air monitoring site at the Proctor Maple Research Center in Underhill Center, VT. The average volume-weighted concentration for Hg in precipitation was 8.3 ng/L for the sampling year and the average amount of Hg deposited with each precipitation event was 0.069 μg/m2. The total amount of Hg deposited through precipitation during 1993 was 9.26 μg/m2/yr. A seasonal pattern for Hg in precipitation was evident, with increased concentrations and deposition during spring and summer months. Meteorological analysis indicated the highest levels of Hg in precipitation were associated with regional transport from the south regardless of season, and with transport from the west, southwest and northwest during spring and summer months. Concentrations of ambient vapor phase Hg were typical of rural locations and consistent across seasons. Ambient particulate Hg concentrations averaged 11 pg/m3 with highest concentrations during the winter months.  相似文献   

9.
Litterfall can be an important flux of mercury (Hg) to soils in forested landscapes, yet typically the only available data to evaluate Hg deposition is from precipitation Hg monitoring. Litterfall was collected at 39 sampling sites in two small research watersheds, in 2003 and 2004, and analyzed for total Hg. Four vegetation classes were designated in this study as hardwoods, softwoods, mixed and scrub. The mean litter Hg concentration in softwoods (58.8 ± 3.3 ng Hg g?1 was significantly greater than in mixed (41.7 ± 2.8 ng Hg g?1 and scrub (40.6 ± 2.7 ng Hg g?1, and significantly lower than in hardwoods (31.6 ± 2.6 ng Hg g?1. In contrast, the mean weighted litter Hg flux was not significantly different among vegetation classes. The lack of a significant difference in litter Hg flux between hardwoods and softwoods was attributable to the large autumnal hardwood litter Hg flux being balanced by the higher softwood litter Hg concentrations, along with the higher chronic litterfall flux throughout the winter and spring in softwoods. The estimated annual deposition of Hg via litterfall in Hadlock Brook watershed (10.1 μg m?2 and Cadillac Brook watershed (10.0 μg m?2 was greater than precipitation Hg deposition and similar to or greater than the magnitude of Hg deposition via throughfall. These results demonstrate that litterfall Hg flux to forested landscapes can be at least as important as precipitation Hg inputs.  相似文献   

10.
Historical deposition rates of Hg were determined in 7 ombrotrophic bogs located far from direct sources in Sweden and Norway. The peat bog cores were dated using 210Pb. Based on the dating result 10 to 12 slices from each core were analyzed for Hg. In Southwestern Scandinavia (Rörvik) the deposition rate has increased from about 10 to about 30 μg Hg m?2 yr?1 since the beginning of this century. In Northwestern Norway (Överbygd) the deposition rate has increased from about 10 to about 35 μg Hg m?2 yr?1 since the 1960's. In Southeast Sweden (Aspvreten) the deposition rate decreased since the beginning of this century. There are no significant trends in the historical deposition rates at the two other stations in middle Scandinavia. A comparison between recent Hg deposition rates measured by peat bog analysis, wet precipitation and mosses shows good agreement at all stations except those in Northern Norway were local dry deposition of Hg may be an important source of Hg.  相似文献   

11.
The dry and wet deposition of N and S compounds to the Baltic Sea Basin were assessed using daily concentration measurements of air and precipitation concentrations, and actual meteorological data on precipitation, daily wind speed and wind direction, as well as the buoyant fluxes at the air- sea interface. The data cover the period 1980–86. Both concentrations and deposition levels show distinct south-north gradients and strong seasonal variability. Dry deposition is an important contribution in the case of S (25 to 80%) but is less significant for the N compounds (10 to 30%). The contribution of particles to dry deposition is negligible for S, equivalent to the gaseous contribution for oxidized N and about 10 to 20% for reduced nitrogen compounds. The obtained total annual deposition of about 1.4 to 1.8 g(S) m?2 for the S compounds, and 1 g(N) m?2 for the N compounds are comparable with, but on the upper side of, previous empirical and model estimates.  相似文献   

12.
Air pollution meteorology related to the dispersion of toxic chemicals in the southeast Ohio River valley was analyzed for a 32-mo period. Attendant air quality measurements of benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, As, Cd, and Cr concentrations were also studied for a 24-mo period. Analysis of the meteorological data showed that wind flow in the valley is significantly affected by the synoptic wind pattern above the hilltop. Sampling at multiple stations showed that daily average concentrations were on the order of 7 μg m?3 for benzene, 2 ng m?3 for benzo(a)pyrene and As, 7 ng m?3 for Cd, and 20 ng m?3 for Cr. Correlations between different species concentrations ranged from 0.25 to 0.6. Based on multi-variable regression analysis, the average benzene concentrations were shown to correlate with the average wind speed and the morning and evening potential temperature gradients at the airport, with a correlation coefficient on the order of 0.5.  相似文献   

13.
An intensive multi-site pilot study of atmospheric Hg was conducted in Broward County, Florida in August and September of 1993. Broward County, which contains the city of Fort Lauderdale, is located in southeastern Florida. The county borders the Florida Everglades on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. A network of four sampling sites was set up for 20 days throughout Broward County to measure Hg in both the vapor phase and the particle phase as well as Hg in precipitation. The mean concentrations of total vapor phase Hg measured at two inland sites were found to be significantly higher (3.3 and 2.8 ng/m3) than that measured at a site located on the Atlantic shore (1.8 ng/m3). The mean concentrations of particle phase Hg collected at the two inland sites (51 and 49 pg/m3) were found to be 50% greater than that measured at the coastal site (34 pg/m3). In addition, event precipitation samples were collected at four sampling sites over the 20 day study period and were analyzed for both reactive and total Hg. The mean concentration of total Hg in the precipitation samples was found to be 44 ng/L, with a range of 14 to 130 ng/L. It was determined that further meteorological analysis and a more complete characterization of the aerosol and precipitation composition are needed to identify the probable source(s) contributing to the increased deposition of Hg.  相似文献   

14.
Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is an organic derivative of manganese used as an additive in unleaded gasoline in Canada since 1977. Moreover, Canada is the only country in the world to have authorized the replacement of lead alkyls by MMT in gasoline. The purpose of the present study is to assess the importance of air contamination by Mn in relation to other air pollutants (gaseous and particulates), meteorological variables and traffic density. The concentration of both the gaseous (O3, CO, NO, NO2, SO2) and the particulate pollutants (Mn, Pb, NO? 3, SO?? 4, TSP) had been measured by the Montreal Urban Community in 1990 at seven sampling stations located in high traffic and low traffic density areas. Data on the meteorological conditions during that same period were also used. Non-parametric correlation, ANOVA and discriminant analyses were used to compare gaseous and particulate pollutants found between both levels of traffic density. In almost 50% of the daily air samples measured in 1990, the Mn concentrations are higher than the urban background level estimated at 0.04 μg m?3 and the variations of Mn concentrations are significantly correlated in time with traffic density. Moreover, Mn and TSP discriminate the best high and low traffic density areas. No significant differences have been observed between Pb, O3 and SO2 concentrations in both areas. These results should not be interpreted in terms of potential health effects since it is presently impossible to determine the fate of the Mn in the environment and its importance in terms of human exposure.  相似文献   

15.
The Hg concentrations in coal as fired in power plants in the Netherlands are low, 0.2 mg·kg?1 on average. After combustion the Hg is released partly (between 1 and 98%, on average 42%) in a gaseous phase, which is finally emitted into the air. The other part of the Hg, which remains in the ash is separated from the flue gases by electrostatic precipitators. The variation of the vaporisation percentage of Hg is probably caused by the presence of two chemical forms: Hgo and HgCl2. This may be concluded from the observation that relatively high concentrations of HCl in the flue gases (≈150 mg·m?3) give rise to low Hg concentration in the vapor phase. In cases when the concentrations of HCl are relatively low (≈25 mg·m?3) the amount of Hg in the vapor phase is high. The average gas phase concentrations of Hg in the flue gases, based on 33 measurements with no FGD, is 4.1 μg·mfo ?3. In a wet FGD based on the lime/limestone-gypsum process 50 to 70% of the Hg in the flue gases is removed, leaving a residual concentration of 1–2 μg·mfo ?3. The emission factor is then about 0.5 mg·GJ?1 or 5 μg·kWhr?1. In one particular measuring serie the fate of Hg was studied in a FGD-installation with a prescrubber.  相似文献   

16.
Mercury concentrations and depositions for northeastern Minnesota were measured in precipitation to investigate depositional trends, relationships with major cations and anions, and possible source emission regions. Results for 1987–1990 showed that environmentally significant amounts of Hg are present in precipitation and air and are subsequently deposited to remote lake watersheds. Volume-weighted concentrations of total Hg in precipitation averaged about 18 ng Hg L−1 with calculated annual depositions near 15 μg Hg m−2. Mercury concentrations in precipitation are positively correlated with the major ions, conductivity, and pH, and are negatively correlated with precipitation volume. The best predictor equation from stepwise regression has an r2 of 0.65 with Mg and chloride concentrations as predictor variables. From measurements of Hg in rain concentrations as a function of time within events, scavenging ratios for “washable” Hg were calculated to be 140 ± 80 (mass based at a 1 mm hr −1 precipitation rate). Up to about 10% of the total Hg in air is subject to washout by precipitation for a given event. Air parcel back-trajectories indicate that possible source regions within 72-hr travel time were located mostly to the south, southeast, and southwest, up to 2500 km distance away but local sources may also be important.  相似文献   

17.
During processing of the historic Comstock Ore, Virginia City, NV, an estimated 5.5 × 109 g of metallic mercury (Hg) were released into the Carson River Drainage Basin. The Bessels Mill site is one of at least 75 locations where Hg was used to amalgamate the gold and silver from the ore. Although the mill is no longer standing, Hg contaminated tailings attest to its past location. Mercury concentrations in samples of tailings from the Bessels Mill site are as high as 1570 μg/g. Mercury concentrations vary spatially over the site. Total Hg concentrations in air measured directly over the site are well above regional background levels (1 to 7.1 ng/m3). The highest average atmospheric Hg concentration measured at the site was 240 ng/m3 for October 1993. The estimated range of Hg flux to the atmosphere from the site was 37 to 500 ng/m2 hr. Atmospheric Hg concentrations varied seasonally, diurnally and spatially. Atmospheric Hg concentrations varied as a function of Hg concentration, soil and air temperature, wind speed and surface morphology.  相似文献   

18.
During one year, samples from eight drainage lakes, seven run-off stations and three deposition sites from various geographical areas in Sweden were collected and analyzed for methyl Hg (MeHg) and total Hg (Hg-tot). The MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.04 to 0.64 ng L?1, 0.04 to 0.8 ng L?1, and <0.05 to 0.6 ng L?1 in run-off, lake water and rain water, respectively. The corresponding Hg-tot concentrations were found in the range 2 to 12 ng L?1, 1.35 to 15 ng L?1, and 7 to 90 ng L?1, respectively. A Hg-tot level of about 60 ng Hg L?1 was found in throughfall water. The MeHg and Hg-tot concentrations are positively correlated in both run-off and lake water, but not in rain and throughfall water. A strong positive correlation between the MeHg, as well as the Hg-tot concentration, and the water color is observed in both run-off and lake waters, which suggests that the transport of MeHg and other Hg fractions from soil via run-off water to the lake is closely related to the transport of organic substances; and is a consequence of the biogeochemical processes and the water flow pathway. The ratio between the mean values of MeHg and Hg-tot seems to be an important parameter, with an indicated negative coupling to the mean value of pH for run-off water, but a strong positive correlation to Hg-content in fish, the ratio between the area of the catchment and the lake, as well as to the retention time of lake.  相似文献   

19.
Ambient concentrations and dry deposition fluxes of Hg in the gas and particle phase to Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Huron were estimated with a hybrid receptor-deposition model (HRD). The ambient gas and particulate phase Hg concentrations were predicted to vary by a factor of 12 to 18 during the transport of air masses traversing the lakes. The ensemble average deposition fluxes of fine particle Hg ranged from 7 pg/m2-h to 15.3 pg/m2-h over Lake St. Clair, 0.5 to 4.2 pg/m2-h over Lake Huron and 5.1 to 20.6 pg/m2-h over Lake Erie. The deposition flux of coarse particle Hg was in the range of 50 to 84 pg/m2-h over Lake St. Clair, 4.7 to 24.2 pg/m2-h over Lake Huron and 5.1 to 20.6 pg/m2-h over Lake Erie. Gaseous Hg volatilized at a rate of 0.21 to 0.52 ng/m2-h from Lake Huron and 0.13 to 0.36 from Lake Erie. Gas phase Hg was deposited at a rate of 5.9 ng/m2-h and/or volatilized at a rate of 0.5 ng/m2-h from Lake St. Clair depending upon the location of the sampling site used in the HRD model. The effect of meteorological conditions, particle size distributions and type and location of the sampling sites played an important role in the transfer of atmospheric Hg to and/or from the lakes.  相似文献   

20.
Source-oriented models are ideally suited to examine the impact of terrain and meteorology and source factors such as stack height when evaluating exposures to air pollutants. A source-oriented, Gaussian plume air pollution dispersion model AERMOD was used to estimate the spatial distribution of elemental mercury (Hg0) from a typical coal-fired boiler emitting 0.001 g Hg0/s. Hg0 was chosen because of its health impact related to potential neurological and reproductive effects which may be especially important for high-risk populations. Results from four simulations using meteorological data from 2004 were compared for flat and hilly terrain from 20- and 55-m stacks at a distance of 1,350 m from the source. Variations within a quadrant were affected primarily by topography. For the 20-m stack, the average annual ambient concentration for individuals living within the northeast (NE) quadrant was significantly lower at 2.5 ng Hg0/m3 (P?<?0.001; confidence interval (CI), 2.4?C2.6) in flat terrain versus 3.3 ng Hg0/m3 in hilly (P?<?0.001; CI, 1.2?C1.3). NE concentrations of the source showed high spatial variability attributed to topography with 1-h maximums of 4.0 ng Hg0/m3 flat versus 7.1 ng Hg0/m3 hilly. Not unexpectedly, average annual concentrations were considerably lower for the 55-m stack although topography remained a significant variable with 0.1 ng Hg0/m3 in flat terrain (p?<?0.001; CI, 0.11?C0.13) and double that exposure at 0.2 ng Hg0/m3 in hilly terrain (p?<?0.001; CI, 0.16?C0.18). Annual average mercury concentrations due to emissions from the 20-m stack were ~20 times higher than ambient concentrations associated with the 55-m stack. A sensitivity analysis was performed for meteorological effects, using meteorological data from years 2001?C2005. Varying the roughness factor had no significant effect on the results. For all simulations, the highest concentrations were located in the NE quadrant. During 2001?C2005, the highest average annual ambient Hg concentration ranged from 6.2 to 7.0 ng Hg0/m3 for the 20-m stack and 0.3?C0.5 ng Hg0/m3 for the 55-m stack. Thus, this model is robust. These results demonstrate the usefulness of a source-oriented model such as AERMOD for incorporating multiple factors for estimating air pollution exposures for communities near point sources. The importance of considering topography, meteorology, and source characteristics when placing air samplers to measure air quality and when using buffer zones to estimate ambient residential exposures is also illustrated. Residential communities in hilly terrain near industrial point sources may have between two to three times the exposures as those in flat terrain. Exposures will vary depending on the stack height of the point source.  相似文献   

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