Updated trends for atmospheric mercury in the Arctic: 1995–2018
Katrina MacSween, Geoff W. Stupple, Wenche Aas, Katriina Kyllönen, Katrine Aspmo Pfaffhuber, Henrik Skov, A. Steffen, Torunn Berg, Michelle Nerentorp Mastromonaco
Abstract
, while fall generally had no significant trends. High-Arctic speciation of GOM and PHg at Alert and Zeppelin showed that the timing and composition of atmospheric mercury deposition events are shifting. Alert GOM trends are increasing throughout the year, while PHg trends decreased or not significant. Zeppelin saw the opposite, moving towards increasing PHg and decreasing GOM. Atmospheric mercury trends over the last 20 years indicate that Hg concentrations are decreasing across the Arctic, though not uniformly. This is potentially driven by environmental change, such as plant productivity and sea ice dynamics.