NATURAL MERCURY ISOTOPES AS TRACERS OF SOURCES, CYCLING, AND DEPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY
Description:
This research centers on the use of mercury isotope systematics as a new way of investigating natural and anthropogenic emissions of mercury into the atmosphere and of the atmospheric processes that affect transportation and deposition. Given the fact that isotope systematics of carbon and nitrogen constrain the cycling models of these elements in the environment, variations in mercury isotopic compositions hold the promise of being able to delimit sources, evaluate their contribution to the atmospheric burden, and to impose new constraints on models of mercury cycling. We now have the ability to make the high precision mercury isotope ratio measurements necessary to begin establishing the isotopic boundaries for mercury models.
Record Details:
Record Type:PROJECT(
ABSTRACT
)
Start Date:10/02/2002
Completion Date:12/31/2006
Record ID:
57772
Keywords:
MERCURY CYCLING, ATMOSPERIC MERCURY, MODELING, ISOTOPIC MEASUREMENTS, DEPOSITION, ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY,
Related Organizations:
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Mailing Address
:211 Westcott Bldg
Citation
:Tallahassee
State
:FL
Zip Code
:32306
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:NATIONAL HIGH MAGNETIC FIELD LABORATORY
Citation
:Los Alamos
State
:NM
Zip Code
:87545
Project Information:
Approach
:Atmospheric mercury contains components from far-field, regional, and local sources. We propose to determine the isotopic composition of atmospheric mercury (1) thought to be dominated by far-field sources (Olympic Peninsula WA, Barbados, New Zealand, (2) influenced by both far field and regional or local sources (Florida "Supersite"), and (3) influenced by known point sources (Southern Company's coal burning generators as well as waste incinerators). These studies will include both elemental and oxidized mercury, collected total gaseous mercury (TGM), and rain. These sites will be heavily instrumented for a variety of high-frequency measurements which can be used as a context for the interpretation of Hg-isotopes. Another important area of study will be the measurement of the isotopic ratios of Hg emissions from naturally enriched soils in collaboration with the flux chamber measurements of Dr. Mae Gustin of the University of Nevada Reno. Ore, soil, and plant will also be isotopically measured. We are joined in these efforts By Frontier Geosciences Inc. Collaborators include Southern Company, Florida DEP, Mae Gustin (U Nev-Reno), and Keith Hunter (U. Otago, NZ).
Cost
:$827,147.00
Project IDs:
ID Code
:R830603
Project type
:EPA Grant