ARL News

ARL atmospheric mercury studies sent to Siberia

 

November 2, 2001

As an extension of work that has been continuing at Barrow, Alaska, for the past several years, ARL’s mercury measurement program is now stretching across the Bering Sea. The work at Barrow has been in collaboration with CMDL. Under funding from the NOAA Arctic Programs Office, initial instrumentation to monitor atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury was recently delivered to Lavrentiya, Russia where measurements will begin soon. The instrumentation is now housed in a refurbished laboratory structure just outside of Lavrentiya that is owned and managed by the Chukotka Science Support Group. Meanwhile, this year has been substantially less exciting than last at Barrow. Peak total mercury levels in the Barrow snowpack during springtime 2001 were well below those of 2000. The peak value in 2001 was about 55 ng/l, compared with 95 ng/l for spring 2000. Coupled with a lesser total snowpack mass in 2001, this result shows the 2001 springtime deposition to be approximately half that for 2000.

Contact information: Steven B Brooks
Phone: (865) 576-9148
e-mail: Brooks@atdd.noaa.gov