Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Factors Driving Mercury Variability In The Arctic Atmosphere And Ocean Over The Past 30 Years, Jenny A. Fisher, Daniel J. Jacob, Anne L. Soerensen, Helen M. Amos, Elizabeth S. Corbitt, David G. Streets, Qiaoqiao Wang, Robert M. Yantosca, Elsie M. Sunderland

Jenny A Fisher

[1] Long-term observations at Arctic sites (Alert and Zeppelin) show large interannual variability (IAV) in atmospheric mercury (Hg), implying a strong sensitivity of Hg to environmental factors and potentially to climate change. We use the GEOS-Chem global biogeochemical Hg model to interpret these observations and identify the principal drivers of spring and summer IAV in the Arctic atmosphere and surface ocean from 1979–2008. The model has moderate skill in simulating the observed atmospheric IAV at the two sites (r ~ 0.4) and successfully reproduces a long-term shift at Alert in the timing of the spring minimum from May to April …