Dynamic flux chamber measurement of gaseous mercury emission fluxes over soils: Part 2—effect of flushing flow rate and verification of a two-resistance exchange interface simulation model

Both field and laboratory tests demonstrated that soil Hg emission fluxes measured by dynamic flux chamber (DFC) operations strongly depend on the flushing air flow rates used. The general trend is an increase in the fluxes with increasing flushing flow rates followed by an asymptotic approach to flux maximum at sufficiently high (optimum) flushing flow rates. This study indicates that the DFC measurements performed at low flushing flow rates can underestimate Hg emission fluxes over soils, especially Hg-enriched soils. High flushing flow rates therefore are recommended for accurate estimation of soil Hg emission fluxes by DFC operations. The dependence of DFC-measured soil Hg emission fluxes on flushing flow rate is a physical phenomenon inherent in DFC operations, regardless of DFC design and soil physical characteristics. Laboratory tests using DFCs over different soils confirmed the predictions of a two-resistance exchange interface model and demonstrated the capability of this model in quantitatively simulating Hg emissions from soils measured by DFC operations.