Abstract
The concentration of atmospheric mercury(Hg0 and relevent environmental parameters that include both meteorological and criteria pollutant data were dtermined at hourly intervals during two field campaigns covering the periods of September 1997 and May/June 1998. The mean concentrations of Hg for the two study periods were computed as 3.94 and 3.43ngm-3, respectively. Through a separation of these data into both daytime and nighttime periods, we further analyzed diurnal variation patterns for Hg between two different seasons. Using our Hg data sets, we were able to recognize two contrasting diurnal variation patterns of Hg between two diffeerent seasons that can be characterized as: (1) the occurrences of peak Hg concentration during daytime(fall0 and (2) slight reductions in daytime Hg concentration relative to nighttiime Hg data(summer). To study the systematic differences in diurnal patterns between two different seasons, we analyzed Hg data in terms of different statistical approaches such as correlation(and linear regression0 and factor analysis. Results of these analyses consistently indicated that different mechanisms were responsible for controlling the daytime distribution patterns of Hg. The variation of boundary layer conditions betwen day/night periods may have been important in introducing the relative reduction in daytime Hg levels during summer. However, when the relationship between Hg and concurrently determined O3 is concerned, these differences are unlikely to be an effective sink mechanism within the ranges of ozone concentrations determined concurrently during this study, regardless of season. To further provide the general account for short-term variations in Hg distribution data, we should be able to describe the various factors underlying its sink mechanism.
