dc.description.abstract | Mercury is a global pollutant. The research of the mercury in America and Europe has been widely conducted, but quite scare in Taiwan, especially for atmospheric mercury. In this study, we attempt to quantify the concentration of atmospheric mercury at the ground and the mountain levels in Taiwan, in order to characterize its spatial and vertical distributions.
Five sampling sites were operated from coast to mountain area. In Tao-yuan, the highest total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentration was measured at the NCU (4.37 ± 0.93 ng m-3), followed by Hsin-Wu (3.78 ± 1.44 ng m-3) and Fu-Hsin (2.90 ± 0.70 ng m-3). Besides, the correlation coefficient between the NCU and Hsin-Wu is 0.86, indicating that both sites have the same tendency. However, Fu-Hsin has not the same tendency as the other sites in Tao-yuan. The highest TGM concentration was observed in winter for three these sites.
In Lu-lin Mt., mean TGM concentration was 2.56 ± 1.14 ng m-3. It’s daytime value was higher than nighttime value, and the highest in fall and the lowest in winter. The mean TGM concentration associated with the airflow from Asian continent was 4.31 ± 0.56 ng m-3. In contrast, it was 2.30 ± 0.52 ng m-3 for the airflow from the ocean.
With respect to the altitude, the TGM concentration was 2.90 ± 0.70, 2.42 ± 1.03 and 2.56 ± 1.14 ng m-3 were at Fu-Hsin(400 m MSL), Bamboo Mt.(1100 m MSL) and Lu-Lin Mt.(2862 m MSL), respectively. We can see a stable distribution, indicating the vertical TGM concentration was well mixed. In our study, the TGM concentration was ranged in 2.42 – 2.90 ng m-3, lower than other areas. | en_US |