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MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY SPECIES AND RELATED POLLUTANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA FROM 2000-2005
Citation:
STEVENS, R. K., M. S. LANDIS, G. J. KEELER, T. D. ATKESON, AND K. LARSON. MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY SPECIES AND RELATED POLLUTANTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA FROM 2000-2005. Presented at International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, Madison, WI, August 06 - 11, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The overall research objective of this task is to improve our understanding of the emission, transport, transformation, and deposition of atmospheric mercury. Information garnered from this research is used to improve and evaluate EPA deterministic models that are used to investigate the (i) relative impact to local, regional, and global sources to atmospheric mercury deposition, and (ii) benefits of various emission reduction scenarios.
Specifically, individual research project objectives are listed below:
(1) Evaluate the ability of speciated mercury (Hg0, Hg2+, HgP) measurements to aid source apportionment models in identifying anthropogenic source contributions to atmospheric mercury deposition
(2) Elucidate the contribution of coal combustion sources to observed mercury wet deposition in the Ohio River Valley
(3) Obtain atmospheric profiles (200 - 12,000 ft) of speciated ambient mercury off the south Florida Coast
- Evaluate the role of long range transport of RGM to Florida in the marine free troposphere.
- Identify any vertical mercury gradients that might indicate the presence of rapid mercury chemistry in air or in cloud water.
(4) Conduct research at Mauna Loa Observatory to elucidate elemental mercury oxidation in the remote marine free troposphere.
(5) Conduct laboratory kinetics experiments to determine the rate constants of elemental mercury oxidation to gaseous inorganic divalent mercury species from atmospheric halide species (e.g. BrO, ClO).
Description:
In 2000, Florida DEP, USEPA, and Broward EPD located an atmospheric mercury monitoring site adjacent to the Everglades in southeast Florida for the purposes of field testing the Tekran mercury speciation system under long-term operational conditions and evaluating the impact of emissions sources in South Florida. A second site was subsequently established in downtown Ft. Lauderdale in 2001. Rainfall mercury remains high in southern Florida despite striking local emissions reductions in the early
1990¿s, begging the question of what processes underlie this phenomenon? The objective was to obtain data to support modeling of the fate and transport of mercury emission from sources in the region. Measurements will be incorporated into meteorological and receptor models to calculate the fate and transport of mercury. Elevated concentrations of mercury and related species were observed at the Everglades site with prevailing winds from the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami urban area. As part of the modeling, the amount of deposition and or transformations, occurring during transport between the monitoring sites will be estimated.