DESIGN AND INITIAL TESTS OF A DYNAMIC ENCLOSURE CHAMBER FOR MEASUREMENTS OF VAPOR-PHASE MERCURY FLUXES OVER SOILS

In an effort to establish reliable methodologies for measuring fluxes of mercury (Hg) across the soil-air interface, we have developed a field flux chamber built with FEP Teflon. To evaluate our field flux chamber system, a series of laboratory and field tests were performed. The observations of relatively low chamber blanks and low blank-to-sample ratios for the FEP Teflon chamber suggest its potential in Hg flux investigations. Despite its potential, Hg exchange rate measurements using the field flux chamber method must be made with great caution since it can be subject to contamination problems associated with the selection of chamber materials.