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Trends in Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations over the Atlantic Ocean and at the Wank Summit, and the Resulting Constraints on the Budget of Atmospheric Mercury

  • Chapter
Global and Regional Mercury Cycles: Sources, Fluxes and Mass Balances

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASEN2,volume 21))

Abstract

In 1977 – 1980, 1990, and 1994 we measured the latitudinal distribution of atmospheric mercury over the Atlantic Ocean. The results of these measurements show a pronounced concentration gradient between the northern and southern hemispheres and a rather small variability of mercury concentrations within the hemispheres, especially within the southern hemisphere. The measurements made during the cruises also suggest globally increasing atmospheric mercury concentrations by 17.5% in the northern and 14.0% in the southern hemispheres between 1977 – 1980 and 1990 to concentrations of 2.25 ng Hg m3 in the northern and 1.50 ng Hg nr3 in the southern hemispheres in 1990 and a global decrease between 1990 and 1994. The decrease between 1990 and 1994 of 20.4% in the northern and 21.2% in the southern hemispheres is consistent with the decrease of 23.3% observed in the same period at the Wank summit (1780 m a.s.l) in southern Germany. The results of all these measurements are reviewed. From these results and from measurements reported by others, we derive several constraints on the budget of atmospheric mercury, its atmospheric burden, residence time, sources, and sinks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer-Institute for Atmospheric Environment Research, Kreuzeckbahnstraße 19, D-82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    F. Slemr

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  1. F. Slemr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Analytical Chemistry, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Willy Baeyens

  2. GKSS Forschungszentrum Geesthacht Gmbh, Max Planckstaβe 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Ralf Ebinghaus

  3. Institute for Water and Environmental Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 105 Papaninsev Street, 65099, Barnaul, Russia

    Oleg Vasiliev

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Slemr, F. (1996). Trends in Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations over the Atlantic Ocean and at the Wank Summit, and the Resulting Constraints on the Budget of Atmospheric Mercury. In: Baeyens, W., Ebinghaus, R., Vasiliev, O. (eds) Global and Regional Mercury Cycles: Sources, Fluxes and Mass Balances. NATO ASI Series, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1780-4_2

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