atmospheric mercury Articles
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Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations from Several Observatory Sites in the Northern Hemisphere
In an effort to investigate both large-scale (spatial) and short/long-term (temporal) distribution characteristics of atmospheric mercury, we have combined and analyzed the Hg concentration data sets collected continuously by four different scientific groups for the areas and periods covering (1) America (three sites near the Canadian Great Lakes (CGL): 1997–2000), (2) Asia (Seoul, Korea (SEL): ...
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Response of fish tissue mercury in a freshwater lake to local, regional, and global changes in mercury emissions
A suite of mechanistic atmospheric and mercury cycling/bioaccumulation models is applied to simulate atmospheric mercury deposition and mercury concentrations in the water column and fish in a mercury‐impaired freshwater lake located in the northeastern United States that receives its mercury loading primarily through deposition. Two future‐year scenarios evaluate the long‐term response of ...
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Evaluation of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) as biomonitors of mercury contamination in aquatic ecosystems
Zebra mussels have invaded many lakes in the United States and could be a useful tool for monitoring responses of aquatic biota to changes in mercury loading. The goal of the present study was to evaluate zebra mussels for use as a biomonitor of mercury contamination by comparing zebra mussel mercury concentrations between a lake with only indirect atmospheric mercury contamination (Otisco ...
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Estimation and Mapping of Wet and Dry Mercury Deposition Across Northeastern North America
Whereas many ecosystem characteristics and processes influence mercury accumulation in higher trophic-level organisms, the mercury flux from the atmosphere to a lake and its watershed is a likely factor in potential risk to biota. Atmospheric deposition clearly affects mercury accumulation in soils and lake sediments. Thus, knowledge of spatial patterns in atmospheric deposition may provide ...
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Tekran instruments—monitoring around the world
Tekran provides trace-level mercury analytical and monitoring technology for a variety of applications including laboratory-based sample analysis, continuous point-source emissions and ambient air monitoring. This article focuses on and highlights the results of an application of Tekran’s Ambient Air Mercury Speciation System. In contrast to most other heavy metals, mercury (Hg) and ...
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Patterns of Hg Bioaccumulation and Transfer in Aquatic Food Webs Across Multi-lake Studies in the Northeast US
The northeastern USA receives some of the highest levels of atmospheric mercury deposition of any region in North America. Moreover, fish from many lakes in this region carry Hg burdens that present health risks to both human and wildlife consumers. The overarching goal of this study was to identify the attributes of lakes in this region that are most likely associated with high Hg burdens in ...
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Increase in mercury in Pacific yellowfin tuna
Mercury is a toxic trace metal that can accumulate to levels that threaten human and environmental health. Models and empirical data suggest that humans are responsible for a great deal of the mercury actively cycling in the environment at present. Thus, one might predict that the concentration of mercury in fish should have increased dramatically since the Industrial Revolution. Evidence in ...
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Long-term Atmospheric Mercury Wet Deposition at Underhill, Vermont
Section 112(m) of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, referred to as the Great Waters Program, mandated an assessment of atmospheric deposition of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) to Lake Champlain. Mercury (Hg) was listed as a priority HAP and has continued to be a high priority for a number of national and international programs. An assessment of the magnitude and seasonal variation of ...
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Modeling Monomethylmercury and Tributyltin Speciation with EPA’s Geochemical Speciation Model MINTEQA2
Monomethylmercury (MMHg) is the compound responsible for the majority of fish consumption advisories in forty eight states in the United States of America. These widespread low level (but toxicologically significant) ecological exposures to MMHg result from microbial methylation of atmospherically deposited inorganic mercury in our national waterbodies. Tributyltin (TBT) is an industrially ...
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Designing a relational database for tracking and analysis of atmospheric deposition of mercury and trace metals in the Pensacola (Florida) Bay Watershed
The need to track and analyse the atmospheric deposition of mercury and trace metals in the Pensacola (Florida) Bay Watershed in recent years has resulted in the need for a data management system that will allow data to be efficiently stored, checked for errors, manipulated, retrieved for analysis and shared within the research community. In this paper, we describe a relational database that was ...
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Deconstruction of Historic Mercury Accumulation in Lake Sediments, Northeastern United States
Total atmospheric contribution of mercury (HgT) to lake sediment was estimated using 210Pb-dated sediment cores. Algorithms based on estimates of lake and watershed processes were applied to more accurately assess anthropogenic contributions of Hg to the environment and HgT. Factors addressed include: lake-specific background accumulation rates of Hg (HgB), variability of sediment accumulation ...
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An environmental problem hidden in plain sight? Small Human‐made ponds, emergent insects, and mercury contamination of biota in the Great Plains
Mercury (Hg) contamination of small human‐made ponds and surrounding terrestrial communities may be 1 of the largest unstudied Hg‐pollution problems in the United States. Humans have built millions of small ponds in the Great Plains of the United States, and these ponds have become contaminated with atmospherically deposited mercury. In aquatic ecosystems, less toxic forms of Hg deposited from ...
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Patterns of Mercury Deposition and Concentration in Northeastern North America (1996–2002)
Data from 13 National Atmospheric Deposition Program Mercury Monitor Network (NADP/MDN) monitoring stations (1996–2002) and the Underhill (VT) event-based monitoring site (1993–2002) were evaluated for spatial and temporal trends. More precipitation and mercury deposition occurred in the southern and coastal MDN sites, except for the Underhill site, which received more mercury deposition than ...
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Mercury in litterfall and upper soil horizons in forested ecosystems in Vermont, USA
Mercury (Hg) is an atmospheric pollutant that, in forest ecosystems, accumulates in foliage and upper soil horizons. The authors measured soil and litterfall Hg at 15 forest sites (northern hardwood to mixed hardwood/conifer) throughout Vermont, USA, to examine variation among tree species, forest type, and soils. Differences were found among the 12 tree species sampled from at least two sites, ...
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Northern Rivers Ecosystem Initiative: Distribution and Effects of Contaminants
In response to a number of recommendations following the Northern Rivers Basin Studies (NRBS) contaminant program, the Northern Rivers Ecosystem Initiative (NREI) focused considerable attention on assessing contaminants from specific sources including pulp mill effluents, atmospheric transport of mercury and the Alberta oil sands operations. NRBS identified a number of major contaminants of ...
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Soil CEC and Selectivity Sequence for Mercury (II) Ion
Abstract Mercury is one of the most hazardous air and water pollutants. Since the issuance of the Clean Air Mercury Rule for coal-fired electric boiler utilities in March 2005, numerous scientific researches have focused on the fate and transport of mercury in both atmosphere and aqueous environment. The issue of aqueous mercury transport as the major mercury transport mechanism becomes more and ...
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Avian, salamander, and forest floor mercury concentrations increase with elevation in a terrestrial ecosystem
High‐elevation ecosystems of the northeastern United States are vulnerable to deposition and environmental accumulation of atmospheric pollutants, yet little work has been done to assess mercury (Hg) concentrations in organisms occupying montane ecosystems. The authors present data on Hg concentrations in ground‐foraging insectivorous songbirds, a terrestrial salamander, and forest floor ...
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Modeling Mercury Fluxes and Concentrations in a Georgia Watershed Receiving Atmospheric Deposition Load from Direct and Indirect Sources
Mercury (Hg) is considered a priority pollutant because of its toxicity and potential for strong bioaccumulation.There are many serious environmental and human health concerns associated with elevated levels of Hg linked to industrial Hg emissions.2,3 Complex biological and chemical interactions, however, prolong Hg cycling between the various environmental compartments.4 The complex ...
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Mercury stabilization takes the sting out of mercury
In elementary form, mercury is a danger to humans and the environment. But chemically bound to sulfur it loses its toxicity and can be disposed safely. The process which transforms the highly toxic metal into an unproblematic red powder is called mercury stabilization. As a specialist for cleaning mercury contaminated soil and waste by vacuum distillation econ also offers a process for mercury ...
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Mercury Analysis
Characteristics of Mercury What is Mercury? Mercury is a naturally occurring silver-colored metallic element noted for its occurrence as a liquid at room temperature and toxic to living organisms. This silvery, opaque liquid metal is very dense, yet has a high surface tension that causes it to form tiny perfect spheres in the pores of the rocks it is found in. It is designated with the chemical ...
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