Journal ArticleDOI
A Synthesis of Progress and Uncertainties in Attributing the Sources of Mercury in Deposition
Steve E. Lindberg,Russell Bullock,Ralf Ebinghaus,Daniel R. Engstrom,Xinbin Feng,William F. Fitzgerald,Nicola Pirrone,Eric M. Prestbo,Christian Seigneur +8 more
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TLDR
It is agreed that the uncertainty is strongly dependent upon scale and that the question as stated is answerable with greater confidence both very near and very far from major point sources, assuming that the “global pool” is a recognizable “source.”Abstract:
A panel of international experts was convened in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2005, as part of the 8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. Our charge was to address the state of science pertinent to source attribution, specifically our key question was: "For a given location, can we ascertain with confidence the relative contributions of local, regional, and global sources, and of natural versus anthropogenic emissions to mercury deposition?" The panel synthesized new research pertinent to this question published over the past decade, with emphasis on four major research topics: long-term anthropogenic change, current emission and deposition trends, chemical transformations and cycling, and modeling and uncertainty. Within each topic, the panel drew a series of conclusions, which are presented in this paper. These conclusions led us to concur that the answer to our question is a "qualified yes," with the qualification being dependent upon the level of uncertainty one is willing to accept. We agreed that the uncertainty is strongly dependent upon scale and that our question as stated is answerable with greater confidence both very near and very far from major point sources, assuming that the "global pool" is a recognizable "source." Many regions of interest from an ecosystem-exposure standpoint lie in between, where source attribution carries the greatest degree of uncertainty.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Mercury as a Global Pollutant: Sources, Pathways, and Effects
TL;DR: Understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects are synthesized, and integration of Hg science with national and international policy efforts is needed to target efforts and evaluate efficacy.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global mercury emissions to the atmosphere from anthropogenic and natural sources
Nicola Pirrone,Sergio Cinnirella,Xinbin Feng,R. B. Finkelman,Hans R. Friedli,Joy J. Leaner,Robert P. Mason,Arun B. Mukherjee,Glenn B. Stracher,David G. Streets,Kevin Telmer +10 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provided an up-to-date assessment of global mercury emissions from anthropogenic and natural sources, including re-emission processes and primary emissions from natural reservoirs.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global Biogeochemical Cycling of Mercury: A Review
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied uncertainty in the global biogeochemical cycle of mercury, including oxidation processes in the atmosphere, land atmosphere and ocean-atmosphere cycling.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mechanisms Regulating Mercury Bioavailability for Methylating Microorganisms in the Aquatic Environment: A Critical Review
TL;DR: This Review evaluates the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanisms regulating microbial mercury methylation, including the speciation of mercury in environments where methylation occurs and the processes that control mercury bioavailability to these organisms.
Journal ArticleDOI
Whole-ecosystem study shows rapid fish-mercury response to changes in mercury deposition
R. Harris,John W. M. Rudd,Marc Amyot,Christopher L. Babiarz,Ken G. Beaty,Paul J. Blanchfield,R.A. Bodaly,Brian A. Branfireun,Cynthia C. Gilmour,Jennifer A. Graydon,Andrew Heyes,Holger Hintelmann,James P. Hurley,Carol A. Kelly,David P. Krabbenhoft,Steve E. Lindberg,Robert P. Mason,Michael J. Paterson,Cheryl L. Podemski,Art Robinson,Ken A. Sandilands,George R. Southworth,Vincent L. St. Louis,Michael T. Tate +23 more
TL;DR: Mercury emissions reductions will yield rapid (years) reductions in fish methylmercury concentrations and will yield concomitant reductions in risk, however, a full response will be delayed by the gradual export of mercury stored in watersheds.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
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TL;DR: In this article, the mechanisms of the reactions of gaseous Hg atoms with O3 and OH radical are evaluated from current kinetic and enthalpy data, and the reaction, O3+Hg→HgO+O2, is considered to be an unlikely pathway for atmospheric conditions.
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TL;DR: In large reservoirs, where the effects of wind and fetch are greater than in the small experimental reservoir the authors constructed, differences can occur in the timing and extent of peat and soil erosion, effecting either transport of MeHg to the food chain or the fueling of microbial activity in open water sediments, both of which could have important long-term implications for MeHG concentrations in predatory fish.
Journal ArticleDOI
Atmosphere-surface exchange of mercury in a forest: Results of modeling and gradient approaches
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors modified recently published dry deposition models to estimate deposition velocities (Vd) for Hg in both fine aerosol and vapor form to forest canopy surfaces.
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Worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury since 1977
Franz Slemr,E.-G. Brunke,Ralf Ebinghaus,Christian Temme,John Munthe,Ingvar Wängberg,W.H. Schroeder,Alexandra Steffen,Torunn Berg +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a first attempt to reconstruct the worldwide trend of atmospheric mercury concentrations from direct measurements since the late 1970s, using data from 8 ship cruises over the Atlantic Ocean (1977-2000).