The atmospheric cycling and air–sea exchange of mercury species in the South and equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Measurements of gas-, particle- and precipitation-phases of atmospheric mercury (Hg) were made in the South and equatorial Atlantic Ocean as part of the 1996 IOC Trace Metal Baseline Study (Montevideo, Uruguay to Barbados). Total gaseous mercury (TGM) ranged from 1.17 to 1.99 ng m−3, with a weighted mean of 1.61±0.09 ng m−3. These values compare well with Pacific Ocean data and earlier results from the Atlantic. The open-ocean samples recorded a distinctive inter-hemispheric gradient, which is consistent with a long-lived trace gas emitted to a greater extent from the Northern than from the Southern Hemisphere. Correlations with surface 222Rn measurements indicate an influence of regional terrestrial sources on open-ocean TGM concentrations. Total Hg in precipitation ranged from 10 to 99 pM (volume-weighted average: 17.8±2.9 pM). On average, about 72% of the total Hg was “reactive” (i.e., reducible by SnCl2). The data showed an apparent rapid nonlinear decrease in concentration with event size (“washout curve”). The wet depositional flux was estimated at 18–36 nmol m−2 yr−1 (4–7 μg m−2 yr−1), which is slightly lower than that found in mid-continental locations of North America (6–12 μg m−2 yr−1). 210Pb analyses indicate a strong impact of particles on rain Hg concentrations. Particle-phase Hg (range 5–25 fmol m−3; mean 12±1 fmol m−3; 66% “reactive”) was comparable to values over the equatorial Pacific. The dry depositional flux is ca. 0.4 nmol m−2 yr−1, or 0.4–1.0% of the wet flux. Particle-phase Hg concentrations did not change significantly when African dust was present during sampling. However, the Hg/Al ratios were consistent with crustal values during the dust periods. The residence time of TGM was calculated to be 1.3–3.4 yr in this region, based on standing stock estimates. Incubation of rainwater added to surface seawater gave reduction rates [i.e., production of elemental Hg (Hg°); 1.6–4.3% d of total Hg added] comparable to additions of inorganic ionic standards, indicating that Hg+2 from precipitation is reduced in a similar manner in surface waters. Thus, precipitation-phase Hg is generally available for evasion to the atmosphere following deposition to the surface ocean, effectively enhancing the mobility and residence time of Hg at the Earthʹs surface.