| Abstract Title: | Atmospheric mercury levels recorded at the High-Altitude Monte Curcio GAW Station |
| Presenter Name: | Mariantonia Bencardino |
| Company/Institution: | CNR-Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research |
| Session: | Atmospheric Hg cycling: Source and Emissions |
| Co-Authors: | Mariantonia Bencardino,Maria Martino,Antonella Tassone,Valentino Mannarino,Domenico Amico,Francesco D'Amore,Francesca Sprovieri,Nicola Pirrone |
Abstract Information :
As highlighted by the text of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM), the monitoring of mercury (Hg) as a global pollutant is increasingly at the centre of political and scientific attention. The Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) network, designed in 2010 and still operating as part of the Global Observation System for Mercury (GOS4M) GEO Flagship, is one of the existing monitoring programmes recognized to support the MCM effectiveness evaluation, by providing comparable data of atmospheric Hg measurements from over 35 ground-based stations distributed worldwide. Among the GMOS stations, the High-Altitude Observatory located at Monte Curcio, Italy (MCU - 1796 m a.s.l,) represents a key infrastructure in understanding the global cycle and fate of Hg. MCU is a regional station of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) program, established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) located within the Sila National Park, in the southern Apennines, which benefits from a strategic location in the centre of the Mediterranean basin, allowing the advantage of intercepting long-range transported air masses. Continuous Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) measurements have been carried out at the MCU station since 2019 by using the Tekran 2537X analyzer and following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed within the GMOS project. The available TGM dataset for MCU showed levels ranging around an average of 1.35 ng/m3, with notable high daily values observed in conjunction with summer wildfire events. Seasonal trends demonstrated lower concentrations during spring and autumn while the most significant higher TGM values were recorded during winter. The restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation led to unusually low TGM values during winter 2021, thus giving the possibility of assessing in a sense a ?blank? condition. Influence of volcanic plumes linked to the recent increased paroxysmal episodes at the summit craters of the nearby Mt. Etna was also investigated.
