Atmospheric Mercury Measurements in the Gulf of Mexico and Mid-Atlantic: Trends in Concentrations and Estimated Deposition
Winston Luke1 Mark Cohen1 Paul Kelley1, Steve Brooks2 and Jake Walker3
We present results from two sites established to monitor mercury species and ancillary trace gases in the atmosphere: a rural site at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Moss Point, MS, and a suburban site on the campus of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, MD. The measured atmospheric mercury concentrations at the sites (elemental Hg(0), reactive gaseous mercury, and fine particulate mercury) will be summarized, and will be interpreted using ancillary measurements of primary (CO, NO/NOY, SO2) and secondary (O3) trace gases at each site; prevailing meteorology; and back trajectory analysis. Trends of air concentrations and estimated and measured deposition patterns will be evaluated. Plans for a 2010 field intensive, designed to study the role of halogens in the conversion of Hg(0) to more soluble species, will be presented.
1 NOAA/Air Resources Laboratory (R/ARL), SSMC3, Rm. 3316, 1315 East West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 713-0295 (), (), ()
2 ( ); Canaan Valley Institute, P.O. Box 673, Davis, WV 26260; (304) 463-4739
3 (); Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 6005 Bayou Heron Rd., Moss Point, MS 39562; (228) 475-7047