Unexpected anthropogenic emission decreases explain recent atmospheric mercury concentration declines.

ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic activities emit ~2,000 Mg y^-1 of the toxic pollutant mercury (Hg) into the atmosphere, leading to long-range transport and deposition to remote ecosystems. Global anthropogenic emission inventories report increases in Northern Hemispheric (NH) Hg emissions during the last three decades, in contradiction with the observed decline in atmospheric Hg concentrations at NH measurement stations. Many factors can obscure the link between anthropogenic emissions and atmospheric Hg concentrations, including trends in the reemissions of previously released anthropogenic ("legacy") Hg, atmospheric sink variability, and spatial heterogeneity of monitoring data. Here, we assess the observed trends in gaseous elemental mercury (Hg⁰) in the NH and apply biogeochemical b

SUBMITTER: Feinberg A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11494326 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature