title: Mercury Wet Scavenging and Deposition Differences by Precipitation Type.
abstract: We analyze the effect of precipitation type on mercury wet deposition using a new database of individual rain events spanning the contiguous United States. Measurements from the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) containing single rainfall events were identified and classified into six precipitation types. Mercury concentrations in surface precipitation follow a power law of precipitation depth that is modulated by precipitation system morphology. After controlling for precipitation depth, the highest mercury deposition occurs in supercell thunderstorms, with decreasing deposition in disorganized thunderstorms, quasi-linear convective systems (QLCS), extratropical cyclones, light rain, and land-falling tropical cyclones. Convective morphologies (supercells, disorganized, and QLCS) enhance wet deposition by a factor of at least 1.6 relative to nonconvective morphologies. Mercury wet deposition also varies by geographic region and season. After controlling for other factors, we find that mercury wet deposition is greater over high-elevation sites, seasonally during summer, and in convective precipitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, Alabama 35806, United States.
authors.forename: Aaron S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8319-1126
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kaulfus
authors.affiliation: Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville , Huntsville, Alabama 35806, United States.
authors.forename: Udaysankar
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University , Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2727-0954
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University , Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Landing
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008628:Mercury; D011891:Rain; D012621:Seasons; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D008628:Mercury