Search for: All records

Abstract Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element that has been greatly enriched in the environment by human activities like mining and fossil fuel combustion. Despite commonalities in some carbon dioxide (CO₂) and Hg emission sources, the implications of long‐range climate scenarios for anthropogenic Hg emissions have yet to be explored. Here, we present comprehensive projections of anthropogenic Hg emissions extending to the year 2300 and evaluate impacts on global atmospheric Hg deposition. Projections are based on four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) ranging from sustainable reductions in resource and energy intensity to rapid economic growth driven by abundant fossil fuel exploitation. There is a greater than two‐fold difference in cumulative anthropogenic Hg emissions between the lower‐bound (110 Gg) and upper‐bound (235 Gg) scenarios. Hg releases to land and water are approximately six times those of direct emissions to air (600–1,470 Gg). At their peak, anthropogenic Hg emissions reach 2,200–2,600 Mg a⁻¹sometime between 2010 (baseline) and 2030, depending on the SSP scenario. Coal combustion is the largest determinant of differences in Hg emissions among scenarios. Decoupling of Hg and CO₂emission sources occurs under low‐to mid‐range scenarios, though contributions from artisanal and small‐scale gold mining remain uncertain. Future Hg emissions may have lower gaseous elemental Hg (Hg⁰) and higher divalent Hg (Hg^II), resulting in a higher fraction of locally sourced Hg deposition. Projected reemissions of previously deposited anthropogenic Hg follow a similar temporal trajectory to primary emissions, amplifying the benefits of primary Hg emission reductions under the most stringent mitigation scenarios. 

Abstract Volcanism is the largest natural source of mercury (Hg) to the biosphere. However, past Hg emission estimates have varied by three orders of magnitude. Here, we present an updated central estimate and interquartile range (232 Mg a⁻¹; IQR: 170–336 Mg a⁻¹) for modern volcanic Hg emissions based on advances in satellite remote sensing of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and an improved method for considering uncertainty in Hg:SO₂emissions ratios. Atmospheric modeling shows the influence of volcanic Hg on surface atmospheric concentrations in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere is 1.8 times higher than in the Southern Hemisphere. Spatiotemporal variability in volcanic Hg emissions may obscure atmospheric trends forced by anthropogenic emissions at some locations. This should be considered when selecting monitoring sites to inform global regulatory actions. Volcanic emission estimates from this work suggest the pre‐anthropogenic global atmospheric Hg reservoir was 580 Mg, 7‐fold lower than in 2015 (4,000 Mg). 

High levels of methylmercury accumulation in marine biota are a concern throughout the Arctic, where coastal ocean ecosystems received large riverine inputs of mercury (Hg) (40 Mg⋅y −1 ) and sediment (20 Tg⋅y −1 ) during the last decade, primarily from major Russian rivers. Hg concentrations in fish harvested from these rivers have declined since the late 20th century, but no temporal data on riverine Hg, which is often strongly associated with suspended sediments, were previously available. Here, we investigate temporal trends in Russian river particulate Hg (PHg) and total suspended solids (TSS) to better understand recent changes in the Arctic Hg cycle and its potential future trajectories. We used 1,300 measurements of Hg in TSS together with discharge observations made by Russian hydrochemistry and hydrology monitoring programs to examine changes in PHg and TSS concentrations and fluxes in eight major Russian rivers between ca. 1975 and 2010. Due to decreases in both PHg concentrations (micrograms per gram) and TSS loads, annual PHg export declined from 47 to 7 Mg⋅y −1 overall and up to 92% for individual rivers. Modeling of atmospheric Hg deposition together with published inventories on reservoir establishment and industrial Hg release point to decreased pollution and sedimentation within reservoirs as predominant drivers of declining PHg export. We estimate that Russian rivers were the primary source of Hg to the Arctic Ocean in the mid to late 20th century.