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Fast depletion of gaseous elemental mercury in the Kongsvegen Glacier snowpack in Svalbard
Author(s) -
Fain Xavier,
Ferrari Christophe P.,
Gauchard PierreAlexis,
Magand Olivier,
Boutron Claude
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl025223
Subject(s) - snowpack , snow , glacier , mercury (programming language) , elemental mercury , reaction rate constant , environmental science , environmental chemistry , atmospheric sciences , chemistry , geology , kinetics , geomorphology , flue gas , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM, Hg°) was measured in the snowpack interstitial air on the Kongsvegen Glacier (Svalbard) between the surface and 190 cm depth. A rapid depletion of GEM from ∼5 to 0.4 ng.m −3 in the snowpack air was measured in less than 8 hours at a calculated depletion rate of ∼0.5–0.7 ng.m −3 .h −1 while concentration of GEM above the snow stayed constant about 1.7 ng.m −3 . This depletion could only be explained by chemical processes and this study suggests that Br . could be the most important reactant for the oxidation of GEM in the interstitial snow air. The lifetime of GEM was estimated to be ∼10 minutes with second order reaction rate constant between GEM and Br . of about ∼2 × 10 −11 cm −3 .molecule −1 .s −1 . These first experimental kinetic values for GEM oxidation in the snow air are in good agreement with both theoretical and modelling studies previously reported.