Variational Characteristics and Implications of Gaseous Elemental Mercury for Three Continuous Typhoons in China
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Arch Environ Contam Toxicol (2016) 70:692–699 DOI 10.1007/s00244-015-0225-9 Variational Characteristics and Implications of Gaseous Elemental Mercury for Three Continuous Typhoons in China 1,2 1 1 1,4 1 Zhiqiang Gao • Jiaren Sun • Ming Liu • Laiguo Chen • Yutao Lei • 3 4 2 1 Donghai Xie • Jingyong Liu • Jie Li • Zhencheng Xu Received: 12 July 2015 / Accepted: 26 August 2015 / Published online: 16 September 2015 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015 Abstract Coupling air pollutants with particular meteo- transport from the Chinese mainland can reasonably account rological conditions can induce air pollution episodes. To for this abnormality. There was a significantly positive our knowledge, how typhoons influence mercury (Hg) as correlation between the GEM and SO2,NOx, CO, and O3 an extreme weather phenomena has not been reported. levels during the three typhoons periods, which indicates Gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) was measured during a time they came from the same sources or areas. A backward period (from September 16, 2011 to October 9, 2011) that trajectory analysis and the concentration weighted field at included three typhoons (Haitang, Nesat, and Nalgae) at our monitoring site indicated that clean air masses mainly the Wuzhishan National Atmospheric Background Station. came from Southeast Asia or the southeast and northeast sea The GEM concentration during these typhoons ranged surfaces during non-typhoon periods, while polluted air from 1.81 to 4.73 ng/m3 (2.97 ± 0.58 ng/m3), 1.27 to masses came from the Chinese mainland during the three 4.42 ng/m3 (2.69 ± 0.83 ng/m3), and 1.43 to 2.99 ng/m3 typhoon periods. The results implied that the increased GEM (2.47 ± 0.32 ng/m3), which was higher than for the non- concentrations in the Wuzhi Mountain were caused by the typhoon period (1.14–2.93 ng/m3, 1.61 ± 0.52 ng/m3). long-range atmospheric transport of Hg from the Chinese Simultaneously, the three typhoon periods exhibited a mainland during the typhoon periods. The combustion of significant positive correlation between the GEM concen- coal may be the main emission sources. tration and wind speed. These results differ from the common belief that lower pollutant concentrations will occur due to a typhoon accelerating pollutant diffusion. Atmospheric mercury (Hg) exists in three inorganic forms: Changes in the wind direction and long range pollutant gaseous elemental Hg (GEM), gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM), and particulate Hg (PHg). GEM exists primarily in the gas phase in the atmosphere (more than 97 %) and is a & Laiguo Chen global pollutant due to its long range transport (Schroeder [email protected]; [email protected] and Munthe 1998; Seigneur et al. 2001; Ebinghaus et al. & Donghai Xie 2002; Dastoor and Larocque 2004). Recent studies suggest [email protected] that Hg emission rates from anthropogenic activities have 1 decreased in Europe and North America based on long- Urban Environment and Ecology Research Center, South term atmospheric Hg concentration observations over the China Institute of Environmental Sciences (SCIES), Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Guangzhou 510655, past decade (Slemr and Scheel 1998; Slemr et al. 2003). China However, this trend is not true on a larger regional or 2 Institute of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, global scale. Rapid economic development for some Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730000, China developing countries has increased Hg emissions (Jaffe 3 Hainan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, et al. 2005; Pacyna et al. 2006). China is the largest con- Haikou 570206, China tributor to global atmospheric Hg. The total anthropogenic 4 School of Environment Science and Engineering, Guangdong Hg emissions were estimated to have continuously University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China increased from 356 t in 2000 to 538 t in 2010 for an 123 Arch Environ Contam Toxicol (2016) 70:692–699 693 average annual increase of 4.2 % (Zhang et al. 2015). Manual injections were used to evaluate these automated China has received increasing attention due to its outflow calibrations using a saturated mercury vapor standard from of atmospheric mercury. an external mercury vapor source (Tekran 2505) both Multiple meteorological factors can strongly influence before and after the campaign. The relative percent dif- the transport, transformation, dry and wet deposition, and ference between the manual injections and automated other processes of atmospheric Hg (Miller et al. 2005; calibrations was below 10 %. The GEM detection limit for Pirrone et al. 2001, 2010). Some studies reported that this operating mode was below 0.1 ng/m3. variations in O3, particulate matter, and gaseous pollutant concentrations were associated with typhoons (Huang et al. Dividing the Monitoring Period 2005; Chang et al. 2011; Cheng et al. 2014). To our knowledge, how typhoons influence mercury as an extreme During the monitoring period, three typhoons (Hangtang, weather phenomena has not been reported. There are no Nesat and Nalgae) continuously affected Hainan Island. significant industrial pollution sources on Hainan Island, Haitang landed in Vietnam, with influence on Hainan and its environmental quality is superior. Therefore, it is Island. Nesat and Nalgae landed in Wenchang at 14:30 on ideally positioned to study variations in and the sources of September 20, 2011 and Wanning at 12:30 on October 4, pollutants due to long range transport. This study measured 2011 on Hainan Island, respectively (Fig. 1). To study the the GEM concentration during three typhoons that con- temporal Hg concentration trends, the whole period (from tinuously affected Hainan Island. The variation trends and September 16 to October 9) was divided into seven stages: factors influencing the GEM concentration were analyzed the period before the typhoons (S1), during Haitang (S2), before, during, and after these three typhoons. typhoon interval I (S3), during Nesat (S4), typhoon interval II (S5), during Nalgae (S6), and the period after the typhoons (S7). The segmentation points before and during Materials and Methods the typhoons were determined based on the average wind speed during stable weather conditions and the continuous Location of Sampling Site rise of wind speed, whereas the points during and after the typhoon were determined using the average wind speeds The hinterland of South Central Hainan Island holds its before the typhoon. Accordingly, a wind speed of 2.8 m/s highest mountain, Wuzhi Mountain, at 1867 m above sea level. The regional topography consists of forests and mountainside with a tropical monsoon climate. The annual precipitation ranges from 1300 to 1800 mm, and the annual average temperature is 22.4 °C. The sampling site was located at the Wuzhishan National Atmospheric Back- ground Station in the Wuzhi Mountain National Nature Reserve. There are no distinct industrial emission sources within 40 km of the monitoring site, and atmospheric pollutants predominantly come from long-distance atmo- spheric transport. Atmospheric GEM Measurement GEM was monitored using an automatic Hg vapor analyzer (Model 2537B, Tekran Inc., Toronto, Canada) with a time resolution of 5 min and sampling flow rate of 1.5 L/min. There has been much discussion among Hg researchers as to whether the Tekran 2537 measures the total gaseous Hg (TGM, TGM = GEM ? GOM) versus GEM. The particle cut inlet, particle filtration device, and heated line may cause remove GOM via the filter and tubing wall (Gustin et al. 2015). Therefore, GEM is considered to be the measured Hg species. The analyzer was automatically calibrated every 25 h Fig. 1 Sampling site located in Wuzhi mountain and the typhoon using the instrument’s internal mercury permeation source. pathways 123 694 Arch Environ Contam Toxicol (2016) 70:692–699 (the average from September 1 to September 20) was (200 grid cells across the latitude by 200 grid cells across considered to be the segmentation point for the first and last the longitude) with each covering a 0.1° by 0.1° area. typhoons in this study. The seven stages (S1–S7) were from 0:00 on September 16 to 16:00 on September 21 (S1), from 17:00 on September 21 to 2:00 on September 27 (S2), Results and Discussion from 3:00 on September 27 to 8:00 on September 28 (S3), Temporal Level of GEM During the Typhoon from 9:00 on September 28 to 7:00 on October 1 (S4), from Period 8:00 on October 1 to 19:00 on October 2 (S5), from 20:00 on October 2 to 11:00 on October 5 (S6), and from 12:00 During the Haitang, Nesat, and Nalgae typhoons (S2, S4, on October 5 to 24:00 on October 9 (S7). and S6, respectively), the daily average GEM concentra- tion ranged from 1.81 to 4.73 ng/m3 (2.97 ± 0.58 ng/m3), Meteorological Parameters and Criteria Pollutant 1.27 to 4.42 ng/m3 (2.69 ± 0.83 ng/m3), and 1.43 to Data 2.99 ng/m3 (2.47 ± 0.32 ng/m3), respectively. During the non-typhoon periods (S1, S3, S5, and S7), the daily average Conventional meteorological data (i.e., wind speed, wind GEM concentration ranged from 1.14 to 2.93 ng/m3 direction, temperature, relative humidity, and pressure) (1.61 ± 0.52 ng/m3), 1.35 to 2.37 ng/m3 (1.87 ± 0.41 ng/ were synchronously collected using a meteorological m3), 1.25 to 1.64 ng/m3 (1.34 ± 0.08 ng/m3), and 1.27 to instrument (model ZZ11B, Shanghai meteorological 2.56 ng/m3 (1.69 ± 0.34 ng/m3), respectively. Because instrument factory, China). The pollutant criteria (i.e., SO2, typhoons bring strong winds to accelerate pollutant diffu- NOx, CO, and O3) came from Wuzhishan National Atmo- sion, they are generally thought to lower pollutant con- spheric Background Station.