Mercury emissions

Global mercury emissions in relation to mercury levels in the Arctic

The Arctic receives a disproportionate amount of mercury deposition relative to emissions within the region. This is a result of long-range transport and enhanced deposition in the Arctic as a result of atmospheric mercury depletion events in early spring. As a result, some Arctic human populations receive exposures to (methyl-)mercury exceeding WHO tolerable weekly intakes. To model atmospheric mercury transport and deposition to the Arctic, Steenhuisen is developing methods for spatially distributing mercury emission data. This is done in close corporation with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).

The main sources of mercury emissions are the use of coal and artisanal gold mining. Lesser, but still significant contributors are for instance production of metals and cement, waste incineration and chlor-alkali processes. A spatial distribution model is being developed to model mercury emission to the atmosphere. The model domain is a 0.5x0.5° global raster. The model output includes total Hg, particulate Hg, Hg²⁺ and Hg0. The model also takes into account chimney/stack height (currently three classes).