Spatial and temporal trends of gaseous elemental mercury over a highly impacted coastal environment (Northern Adriatic, Italy)

Abstract

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant, being highly persistent in the atmosphere, in particular gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), which can easily be emitted and then transported over long distances. In the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy), contamination byHgis well characterised but little is known regarding the concentrations, sources and fate of GEM in the atmosphere. In this work, discrete measurements of GEM were recorded from several sites at different times of the year. The database is consistent with temporal night-day variations monitored using a continuous real-time device. The meteorological conditions were collected as ancillary parameters. GEM levels varied from