1. Meteorological Drivers of Atmospheric Mercury Seasonality in the Temperate Northern Hemisphere.
- Author
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Xu, Zeng, Chen, Long, Zhang, Yanxu, Han, Guoling, Chen, Qing, Chu, Zhaohan, Zhang, Yanping, Li, Chao, Yang, Yi, and Wang, Xuejun
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ATMOSPHERIC mercury , *ATMOSPHERIC transport , *ATMOSPHERIC circulation , *ATMOSPHERIC temperature , *CHEMICAL amplification , *GLOBAL warming - Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxic pollutant that can be transported globally by atmospheric circulation and poses risks to wildlife and humans. Strong atmospheric Hg seasonality has been observed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere and explained by several hypothetical mechanisms. Here, we found that meteorological conditions were important drivers of the seasonality across diverse temperate regions particularly Asia through various indirect effects. Meteorological conditions can explain approximately 47%, 43%, and 67% of the seasonal amplitudes at the North American (NA) remote sites, European remote sites, and Asian monsoon sites, respectively. Surface air temperature, solar radiation, and surface wind collectively contributed significantly to the seasonality at the NA and European sites through vegetation resistance and oceanic evasion, while monsoon wind and precipitation promoted the summertime removal of Hg at the Asian sites through atmospheric transport and wet deposition, respectively. The findings predicted further changes in atmospheric Hg seasonality under future global warming. Plain Language Summary: Mercury is a neurotoxic pollutant that can be transported globally by atmospheric circulation before being removed from the atmosphere by deposition. Deposited mercury poses potential risks to ecosystems and human health owing to methylation and bioaccumulation. Strong seasonality of atmospheric mercury concentrations has been observed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this strong seasonality, including vegetation uptake, chemical transformations, and anthropogenic emissions. In this study, we found that meteorological conditions were important drivers of the seasonality across diverse temperate regions particularly Asia through various indirect effects. Typical monsoon climate in Asia led to differences in the crucial meteorological factors between Asia and other temperate regions. Key Points: Meteorological conditions contributed significantly to atmospheric mercury seasonality across diverse temperate regions particularly AsiaTypical monsoon climate in Asia led to differences in the crucial meteorological factors between Asia and other temperate regionsSignificant contributions of meteorological factors predicted further changes in atmospheric mercury seasonality under future global warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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