ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY MEASUREMENTS IN THE NORTHERN-HEMISPHERE FROM 56-DEGREES TO 82.5-DEGREES N LATITUDE

Sampling of total gaseous mercury (TGM) in air was initiated at Alert, Northwest Territories, Canada (82.5 degrees N;62.3 degrees W) by Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) staff during August 1992 on an exploratory basis for a year. TGM was pre-concentrated onto traps (2 in series) containing Au-coated quartz sand for sampling periods of 1 (or more) week(s) at now-rates of 30 - 50 mL/min. During the first winter cruise of the RV ''POLARSTERN'' from Germany (56 degrees N) to the Nordic Seas, and at an ice-camp (81 degrees N;5 degrees E) in the Arctic, simultaneous samples of TGM and aerosol black carbon (''soot'') were collected, from February to April 1993, by the GKSS group. The analytical methods for TGM determinations (2-stage gold amalgamation/thermal desorption, followed by cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy) were essentially the same for both studies. Experimental details, results, and conclusions are presented and discussed.