title: Use of passive sampling methods and models to understand sources of mercury deposition to high elevation sites in the Western United States.
abstract: To understand gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) sources to the Western US, data were collected with passive samplers for ambient GOM concentrations and dry deposition at 10 sites from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to Great Basin National Park. Tests were done to better understand the samplers and the materials used. Measured dry deposition of GOM was significantly higher at sites >2000 m elevation relative to those below due to high GOM concentrations and atmospheric turbulence. At these high elevation sites, GOM dry deposition was higher in spring due to long-range transport from Asia (air parcels from the free troposphere) and some high GOM dry deposition events were related to regional emissions. Dry deposition of GOM at two sites was calculated using the passive sampler data and a multiple-resistance model. A previously developed relationship between the sampling rate of the passive sampler and GOM concentrations was used to estimate dry deposition and a scaling factor of 3 was used to adjust GOM concentrations, due to underestimation by KCl-coated denuder measurements. With the scaling factor of 3, modeled deposition was in the range of results estimated from two different models settings. However, dry deposition did not correlate consistently with either model. The disagreement could be due to uncertainties associated with measurements and/or modeling, or different GOM compounds existing in the atmosphere. If the atmospheric GOM compounds are known, dry deposition velocities could be estimated more accurately. Lastly, we investigated the potential for use of a new sampling material for GOM and checked the efficiency of the passive sampler.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno , 1664 N. Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States.
authors.forename: Jiaoyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Mae Sexauer
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gustin
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000531:Altitude; D001272:Atmosphere; D002140:California; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D017669:Mercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009505:Nevada; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D012621:Seasons; D035501:Uncertainty
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005740:Gases; D017669:Mercury Compounds; D008628:Mercury