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Journal ArticleDOI

Atmospheric mercury—An overview

01 Mar 1998-Atmospheric Environment (Pergamon)-Vol. 32, Iss: 5, pp 809-822
TL;DR: In this paper, a broad overview and synthesis of current knowledge and understanding pertaining to all major aspects of mercury in the atmosphere is presented, including physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of this element.
About: This article is published in Atmospheric Environment.The article was published on 1998-03-01. It has received 1668 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Atmospheric dispersion modeling & Mercury (element).
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Rolf Sander1
TL;DR: According to Henry's law, the equilibrium ratio between the abundances in the gas phase and in the aqueous phase is constant for a dilute solution as discussed by the authors, and a compilation of 17 350 values of Henry's Law constants for 4632 species, collected from 689 references is available at http://wwwhenrys-law.org
Abstract: Many atmospheric chemicals occur in the gas phase as well as in liquid cloud droplets and aerosol particles Therefore, it is necessary to understand the distribution between the phases According to Henry's law, the equilibrium ratio between the abundances in the gas phase and in the aqueous phase is constant for a dilute solution Henry's law constants of trace gases of potential importance in environmental chemistry have been collected and converted into a uniform format The compilation contains 17 350 values of Henry's law constants for 4632 species, collected from 689 references It is also available at http://wwwhenrys-laworg

1,935 citations

Book
01 Mar 2007
TL;DR: Trace Elements of the Human Environment: Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements and Trace Elements of Group 1 (Previously Group Ia).
Abstract: Biogeochemistry of the Human Environment.- The Biosphere.- Soils.- Waters.- Air.- Plants.- Humans.- Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements.- Trace Elements of Group 1 (Previously Group Ia).- Trace Elements of Group 2 (Previously Group IIa).- Trace Elements of Group 3 (Previously Group IIIb).- Trace Elements of Group 4 (Previously Group IVb).- Trace Elements of Group 5 (Previously Group Vb).- Trace Elements of Group 6 (Previously Group VIb).- Trace Elements of Group 7 (Previously Group VIIb).- Trace Elements of Group 8 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 9 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 10 (Previously Part of Group VIII).- Trace Elements of Group 11 (Previously Group Ib).- Trace Elements of Group 12 (Previously Group IIb).- Trace Elements of Group 13 (Previously Group IIIa).- Trace Elements of Group 14 (Previously Group IVa).- Trace Elements of Group 15 (Previously Group Va).- Trace Elements of Group 16 (Previously Group VIa).- Trace Elements of Group 17 (Previously Group VIIa).

1,700 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
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.
Abstract: Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. We synthesize understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects, and consider the implications of Hg-control policies. Primary anthropogenic Hg emissions greatly exceed natural geogenic sources, resulting in increases in Hg reservoirs and subsequent secondary Hg emissions that facilitate its global distribution. The ultimate fate of emitted Hg is primarily recalcitrant soil pools and deep ocean waters and sediments. Transfers of Hg emissions to largely unavailable reservoirs occur over the time scale of centuries, and are primarily mediated through atmospheric exchanges of wet/dry deposition and evasion from vegetation, soil organic matter and ocean surfaces. A key link between inorganic Hg inputs and exposure of humans and wildlife is the net production of methylmercury, which occurs mainly in reducing zones in freshwater, terrestrial, and coastal environments, and the subsurface ocean. Elevated human exposure to methylmercury primarily results from consumption of estuarine and marine fish. Developing fetuses are most at risk from this neurotoxin but health effects of highly exposed populations and wildlife are also a concern. Integration of Hg science with national and international policy efforts is needed to target efforts and evaluate efficacy.

1,631 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
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.
Abstract: Mercury pollution poses global human health and environmental risks. Although mercury is naturally present in the environment, human activities, such as coal burning, have increased the amount of mercury cycling among the land, atmosphere, and ocean by a factor of three to five. Emitted to the atmosphere in its elemental form, mercury travels worldwide before oxidizing to a form that deposits to ecosystems. In aquatic systems, mercury can convert into methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin. People and wildlife are exposed to methylmercury as it bioaccumulates up the food chain. Mercury continues to circulate in the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial system for centuries to millennia before it returns to deep-ocean sediments. Areas of uncertainty in the global biogeochemical cycle of mercury include oxidation processes in the atmosphere, land-atmosphere and ocean-atmosphere cycling, and methylation processes in the ocean. National and international policies have addressed direct mercury emissions, but further...

1,034 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Iron and manganese (hydr)oxides were found to be the main carriers for Cd, Zn and Ni under oxic conditions, whereas the organic fraction was most important for Cu.

987 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
12 May 1988-Nature
TL;DR: Calculated loading rates of trace metals into the three environmental compartments demonstrate that human activities now have major impacts on the global and regional cycles of most of the trace elements.
Abstract: Calculated loading rates of trace metals into the three environmental compartments demonstrate that human activities now have major impacts on the global and regional cycles of most of the trace elements. There is significant contamination of freshwater resources and an accelerating accumulation of toxic metals in the human food chain.

4,097 citations


"Atmospheric mercury—An overview" refers background in this paper

  • ...Using emission factors for the release of mercury from 7 source categories, Nriagu and Pacyna (1988) estimated world-wide anthropogenic mercury emissions for the year 1983 to have been in the range of 91G6200 tonnes, with a median value of 3560 ton....

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  • ...Since then, Nriagu and Pacyna (1988) and Nriagu (1989) have estimated global natural mercury emissions to be approximately 3 000 ton per annum....

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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Mar 1989-Nature
TL;DR: For most of the toxic metals, the natural fluxes are small compared with emissions from industrial activities, implying that mankind has become the key agent in the global atmospheric cycle of trace metals and metalloids as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A PROPER inventory of atmospheric emissions from natural sources is basic to our understanding of the atmospheric cycle of the trace metals (and metalloids), and is also needed for assessing the extent of regional and global pollution by toxic metals1. It is generally presumed that the principal natural sources of trace metals in the atmosphere are wind-borne soil particles, volcanoes, seasalt spray and wild forest fires2–6. Recent studies have shown, however, that particulate organic matter is the dominant component of atmospheric aerosols in non-urban areas7–10 and that over 60% of the airborne trace metals in forested regions can be attributed to aerosols of biogenic origin11,12. Here I estimate that biogenic sources can account for 30–50% of the global baseline emissions of trace metals. For most of the toxic metals, the natural fluxes are small compared with emissions from industrial activities, implying that mankind has become the key agent in the global atmospheric cycle of trace metals and metalloids.

1,483 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 1974-Nature
TL;DR: In this paper, the use of a two-layer model to estimate the flux of various gases across the air-sea interface has been described, and the model has been used to estimate flux of different gases across different regions of the world.
Abstract: This article describes the use of a two-layer model to estimate the flux of various gases across the air-sea interface.

1,384 citations


"Atmospheric mercury—An overview" refers methods in this paper

  • ...The most widely employed paradigm describing mass transfer (i.e. flux) of chemicals across the air-water interface was derived by Liss and Slater (1974)....

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01 Jan 1989

1,370 citations


"Atmospheric mercury—An overview" refers background in this paper

  • ...Since then, Nriagu and Pacyna (1988) and Nriagu (1989) have estimated global natural mercury emissions to be approximately 3 000 ton per annum....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Control strategies for these contaminants will require a better understanding of how they move around the globe.
Abstract: Control strategies for these contaminants will require a better understanding of how they move around the globe.

1,181 citations


"Atmospheric mercury—An overview" refers background in this paper

  • ...…compounds such as PCBs, HCB and organochlorine pesticides (e.g. HCHs, DDT, chlordane, toxaphene) there exists strong scientific evidence (Mackay et al., 1986: Schroeder and Lane, 1988; Kurtz, 1990; Wania and Mackay, 1996) that these chemicals participate in a “global distillation” phenomenon....

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