Issue 5, 2014

Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

Abstract

Gaseous elemental (GEM), particulate bound (PBM) and gaseous oxidised (GOM) mercury species were monitored between 2009 and 2011 at the rural monitoring site, Auchencorth Moss, Scotland using the Tekran speciation monitoring system. GEM average for the three year period was 1.40 ± 0.19 ng m−3 which is comparable with other northern hemisphere studies. PBM and GOM concentrations are very low in 2009 and 2010 with geometric mean (×/÷ standard deviation) PBM values of 2.56 (×/÷ 3.44) and 0.03 (×/÷ 17.72) pg m−3 and geometric mean (×/÷ standard deviation) GOM values of 0.11 (×/÷ 4.94) and 0.09 (×/÷ 8.88) pg m−3 respectively. Using wind sector analysis and air mass back trajectories, the importance of local and regional sources on speciated mercury are investigated and we show the long range contribution to GEM from continental Europe, and that the lowest levels are associated with polar and marine air masses from the north west sector.

Graphical abstract: Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Dec 2013
Accepted
18 Mar 2014
First published
02 Apr 2014

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2014,16, 1112-1123

Author version available

Patterns and source analysis for atmospheric mercury at Auchencorth Moss, Scotland

J. Kentisbeer, S. R. Leeson, H. M. Malcolm, I. D. Leith, C. F. Braban and J. N. Cape, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2014, 16, 1112 DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00700F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements