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Global Mercury Observatory System (GMOS): measurements of atmospheric mercury in Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico during 2012

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Abstract

Within the Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) project, long-term continuous measurements of total gaseous mercury (TGM) were carried out by a monitoring station located at Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico, a coastal site along the Gulf of Mexico. The measurements covered the period from January 28th to October 17th, 2012. TGM data, at the Celestun site, were obtained using a high-resolution mercury vapor analyzer. TGM data show values from 0.50 to 2.82 ng/m3 with an annual average concentration of 1.047 ± 0.271 ng/m3. Multivariate analyses of TGM and meteorological variables suggest that TGM is correlated with the vertical air mass distribution in the atmosphere, which is influenced by diurnal variations in temperature and relative humidity. Diurnal variation is characterized by higher nighttime mercury concentrations, which might be influenced by convection currents between sea and land. The back trajectory analysis confirmed that local sources do not significantly influence TGM variations. This study shows that TGM monitoring at the Celestun site fulfills GMOS goals for a background site.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to especially thank Nicola Pirrone, the director of the GMOS project, and his collaborator Francesca Sprovieri for their great support and the guidance they have provided for our work. We would also like to thank the DUMAC staff, from both Merida and Celestun, for their contributions in the management of the measuring station. This project received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for Research, Technological Development, and Demonstration under grant agreement No. 265113.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático (INECC), Periférico 5000 Col. Insurgentes Cuicuilco, Delegación Coyoacán, CP 04530, México, D.F., Mexico

    Antonio Velasco, Martha Ramírez & Abraham Ortinez

  2. Unidad de Química Sisal, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto de Abrigo s/n, Sisal, Yucatán, 97355, Mexico

    Flor Arcega-Cabrera & Ismael Oceguera-Vargas

  3. European Commission-Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Via Enrico Fermi, 2749, 21027, Ispra, Italy

    Gunther Umlauf & Fabrizio Sena

Authors
  1. Antonio Velasco
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  2. Flor Arcega-Cabrera
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  3. Ismael Oceguera-Vargas
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  4. Martha Ramírez
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  5. Abraham Ortinez
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  6. Gunther Umlauf
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  7. Fabrizio Sena
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Flor Arcega-Cabrera.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Velasco, A., Arcega-Cabrera, F., Oceguera-Vargas, I. et al. Global Mercury Observatory System (GMOS): measurements of atmospheric mercury in Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico during 2012. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 17474–17483 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6852-5

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