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Arctic springtime depletion of mercury

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Abstract

The Arctic ecosystem is showing increasing evidence of contamination by persistent, toxic substances, including metals such as mercury1, that accumulate in organisms. In January 1995, we began continuous surface-level measurements of total gaseous mercury in the air at Alert, Northwest Territories, Canada (82.5° N, 62.5° W). Here we show that, during the spring (April to early June) of 1995, there were frequent episodic depletions in mercury vapour concentrations, strongly resembling depletions of ozone in Arctic surface air, during the three-month period following polar sunrise (which occurs in March)2,3.

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Figure 1: Time series of six-hour average values for air temperature and for total gaseous mercury (TGM) and ozone concentrations at Alert, Canada, in 1995.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Environment Service, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, M3H 5T4, Ontario, Canada

    W. H. Schroeder, K. G. Anlauf, L. A. Barrie, J. Y. Lu & A. Steffen

  2. Tekran Inc., 132 Railside Road, Toronto, M3A 1A3, Ontario, Canada

    D. R. Schneeberger

  3. Norwegian Institute for Air Research, PO Box 100, Kjeller, N-2007, Norway

    T. Berg

Authors
  1. W. H. Schroeder
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  2. K. G. Anlauf
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  3. L. A. Barrie
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  4. J. Y. Lu
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  5. A. Steffen
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  6. D. R. Schneeberger
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  7. T. Berg
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Schroeder, W., Anlauf, K., Barrie, L. et al. Arctic springtime depletion of mercury. Nature 394, 331–332 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/28530

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