| Abstract Title: | Temporal Assessment of Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations at Welgegund, South Africa |
| Presenter Name: | Liezl Bredenkamp |
| Company/Institution: | Atmospheric Chemistry Research Group, Chemical Resource Beneficiation, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa |
| Session: | Special Session - Mercury in the Southern Hemisphere |
| Co-Authors: | Liezl Bredenkamp,Pieter van Zyl,Kerneels Jaars,Lynwill Martin,Micky Josipovic |
Abstract Information :
Although South Africa?s atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions are estimated to be amongst the highest globally, anthropogenic emissions are not yet regulated. However, Hg has been identified as a pollutant of concern in South Africa and legislative measures to control atmospheric concentrations of Hg are imminent. Until recently, most atmospheric Hg studies in South Africa have been carried out at a marine background site. Therefore, to better understand atmospheric Hg concentrations in South Africa, it is imperative to conduct atmospheric Hg measurements in the anthropogenically impacted interior of the country. This study aims to assess the temporal patterns in atmospheric Hg concentrations at Welgegund, a regional site located in the northern interior of South Africa, which is impacted by air masses passing over the most significant Hg source regions in South Africa, as well as a clean background region. Hg concentrations will be continuously measured over an entire seasonal cycle using a Tekran 2537X ambient Hg vapour analyser.
