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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Atmospheric Mercury in Asia
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Atmospheric Mercury in Asia

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2019) | Viewed by 12527

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Young-Ji Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
Interests: transport and transformation of heavy metals (especially, mercury) in multimedia environments; receptor modeling to identify the sources of air pollutants; wet and dry depositions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal of concern that can exist naturally in the gas phase; hence, it can actively circulate between environmental media after being emitted. East and Southeast Asia have the largest emissions of Hg in the world, contributing approximately 40% of the global anthropogenic emissions. However, the history of atmospheric Hg measurements in most Asian countries is relatively shorter than in the USA and Canada. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide updated information on the current situation of atmospheric Hg levels in urban, rural, and background areas in Asia, and their impacts on other environmental media and human health.

Studies on the temporal and spatial variations of atmospheric Hg, updated emissions inventories, transport and source allocation, air–surface Hg exchange, and wet and dry depositions, by means of monitoring and modelling works, are highly welcome for this issue.

Prof. Dr. Young-Ji Han
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mercury
  • Asia
  • atmospheric concentration
  • atmospheric transport and transformation
  • atmospheric emission
  • air–surface exchange
  • wet deposition
  • dry deposition
  • source attribution
  • re-mobilization

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3616 KiB  
Article
Application of the Passive Sampler Developed for Atmospheric Mercury and Its Limitation
by Ji-Won Jeon, Young-Ji Han, Seung-Hwan Cha, Pyung-Rae Kim, Young-Hee Kim, Hyuk Kim, Gwang-Seol Seok and Seam Noh
Atmosphere 2019, 10(11), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10110678 - 5 Nov 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2834
Abstract
In this study, a passive sampler for gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was developed and applied to field monitoring. Three Radiello® diffusive bodies with gold-coated beads as Hg adsorbent were installed in an acrylic external shield. Hg uptake mass linearly increased as the [...] Read more.
In this study, a passive sampler for gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was developed and applied to field monitoring. Three Radiello® diffusive bodies with gold-coated beads as Hg adsorbent were installed in an acrylic external shield. Hg uptake mass linearly increased as the deployment time increased until 8 weeks with an average gaseous Hg concentration of 2 ng m−3. The average of the experimental sampling rate (SR) was 0.083 m3 day−1 and showed a good correlation with theoretical SRs, indicating that a major adsorption mechanism was molecular diffusion. Nonetheless, the experimental SR was approximately 33% lower than the modeled SR, which could be associated with inefficient uptake of GEM in the sampler or uncertainty in constraining model parameters. It was shown that the experimental SR was statistically affected by temperature and wind speed but the calibration equation for the SR by meteorological variables should be obtained with a wider range of variables in further investigation. When the uptake rates were compared to the active Hg measurements, the correlation was not significant because the passive sampler was not sufficiently adept at detecting a small difference in the GEM concentration of from 1.8 to 2.0 ng m−3. However, the results for spatial Hg concentrations measured near cement plants in Korea suggest a possible application in field monitoring. Future research is needed to fully employ the developed passive sampler in quantitative assessment of Hg concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Mercury in Asia)
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17 pages, 2190 KiB  
Communication
A New Monitoring Effort for Asia: The Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network (APMMN)
by Guey-Rong Sheu, David A. Gay, David Schmeltz, Mark Olson, Shuenn-Chin Chang, Da-Wei Lin and Ly Sy Phu Nguyen
Atmosphere 2019, 10(9), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10090481 - 21 Aug 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4387
Abstract
The Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network (APMMN) cooperatively measures mercury in precipitation in a network of sites operating in Asia and the Western Pacific region. The network addresses significant data gaps in a region where mercury emission estimates are the highest globally, and [...] Read more.
The Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network (APMMN) cooperatively measures mercury in precipitation in a network of sites operating in Asia and the Western Pacific region. The network addresses significant data gaps in a region where mercury emission estimates are the highest globally, and available measurement data are limited. The reduction of mercury emissions under the Minamata Convention on Mercury also justifies the need for continent-wide and consistent observations that can help determine the magnitude of the problem and assess the efficacy of reductions over time. The APMMN’s primary objectives are to monitor wet deposition and atmospheric concentrations of mercury and assist partners in developing their own monitoring capabilities. Network planning began in 2012 with wet deposition sampling starting in 2014. Currently, eight network sites measure mercury in precipitation following standardized procedures adapted from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. The network also has a common regional analytical laboratory (Taiwan), and quality assurance and data flagging procedures, which ensure the network makes scientifically valid and consistent measurements. Results from our ongoing analytical and field quality assurance measurements show minimal contamination in the network and accurate analytical analyses. We are continuing to monitor a potential concentration and precipitation volume bias under certain conditions. The average mercury concentration in precipitation was 11.3 (+9.6) ng L−1 for 139 network samples in 2018. Concentrations for individual sites vary widely. Low averages compare to the low concentrations observed on the U.S. West Coast; while other sites have average concentrations similar to the high values reported from many urban areas in China. Future APMMN goals are to (1) foster new network partnerships, (2) continue to collect, quality assure, and distribute results on the APMMN website, (3) provide training and share best monitoring practices, and (4) establish a gaseous concentration network for estimating dry deposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Mercury in Asia)
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17 pages, 5872 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Observation of Atmospheric Speciated Mercury during 2007–2018 at Cape Hedo, Okinawa, Japan
by Kohji Marumoto, Noriyuki Suzuki, Yasuyuki Shibata, Akinori Takeuchi, Akinori Takami, Norio Fukuzaki, Kazuaki Kawamoto, Akira Mizohata, Shungo Kato, Takashi Yamamoto, Jingyang Chen, Tatsuya Hattori, Hiromitsu Nagasaka and Mitsugu Saito
Atmosphere 2019, 10(7), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10070362 - 30 Jun 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4522
Abstract
The concentrations of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 μm; PBM2.5) were continuously observed for a period of over 10 years at Cape Hedo, located on the north edge [...] Read more.
The concentrations of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particle-bound mercury (particles with diameter smaller than 2.5 μm; PBM2.5) were continuously observed for a period of over 10 years at Cape Hedo, located on the north edge of Okinawa Island on the border of the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Regional or global scale mercury (Hg) pollution affects their concentrations because no local stationary emission sources of Hg exist near the observation site. Their concentrations were lower than those at urban and suburban cities, as well as remote sites in East Asia, but were slightly higher than the background concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere. The GEM concentrations exhibited no diurnal variations and only weak seasonal variations, whereby concentrations were lower in the summer (June–August). An annual decreasing trend for GEM concentrations was observed between 2008 and 2018 at a rate of −0.0382 ± 0.0065 ng m−3 year−1 (−2.1% ± 0.36% year−1) that was the same as those in Europe and North America. Seasonal trend analysis based on daily median data at Cape Hedo showed significantly decreasing trends for all months. However, weaker decreasing trends were observed during the cold season from January to May, when air masses are easily transported from the Asian continent by westerlies and northwestern monsoons. Some GEM, GOM, and PBM2.5 pollution events were observed more frequently during the cold season. Back trajectory analysis showed that almost all these events occurred due to the substances transported from the Asian continent. These facts suggested that the decreasing trend observed at Cape Hedo was influenced by the global decreasing GEM trend, but the rates during the cold season were restrained by regional Asian outflows. On the other hand, GOM concentrations were moderately controlled by photochemical production in summer. Moreover, both GOM and PBM2.5 concentrations largely varied during the cold season due to the influence of regional transport rather than the trend of atmospheric Hg on a global scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Mercury in Asia)
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