ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2004, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (3): 221-228.
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Abstract:
The recent monitoring results suggest that the level of gaseous mercury abruptly decreases corresponding to the depletion of ozone in the Arctic troposphere. This abnormal phenomenon is ascribed to the increase of reactive halogen species (RHS) in the atmosphere. RHS like Br/Cl interacts with ozone resulting in the depletion of ozone and production of BrO/ClO, which converts gaseous Hg 0 to reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and deposition from the atmosphere. The source of RHS mainly comes from the photochemical degradation of volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOC) emission from marine macroalgae and inorganic halogen species from sea salts. During the several decades, the RHS level enhances and the rate of deposition of mercury increases since the Arctic sea ice becomes thinner and the area diminishes in responding to warming up. This process hence strengthens mercury contamination in the Arctic ecosystem. Due to the trend of decrease of the Arctic sea ice, the role of depletion of mercury in the atmosphere influences on the Arctic ecosystem should be received broad attention. Here we summary the progress of research related to this topic and propose possible research plane in the near future.
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https://journal.chinare.org.cn/EN/Y2004/V16/I3/221