Western Airborne Mercury Observations (WAMO)

该项目的目标是开发、评估和利用机载仪器来测量汞（Hg）的两种最重要的化学形式：气态元素汞（GEM）和活性气态汞（RGM）。该仪器将通过两种方法定量RGM，一种是1小时分辨率，另一种是2.5分钟分辨率。将比较两种技术的数据，并评估RGM测量值的不确定度。这将使首次通过飞机对GEM和RGM进行高时间分辨率观测成为可能，并允许解决以下关于大气汞循环的问题：1)两种不同的机载RGM测量是否在各自的不确定度范围内一致？2)飞机观测到的地球观测与俄勒冈州巴学士山天文台的观测结果是否一致？3)以前在巴彻利山看到的、经模型预测将出现在美国西南部的RGM升高的气团能否被识别？如果是这样，美国西部对RGM的化学和气象控制是怎样的？4) GEM和RGM在对流层的分布情况如何？5)是否可以使用空气测量来量化来自工业来源的GEM和RGM的通量？该项目将使人们更好地了解大气中汞的化学处理过程及其在美国的来源和汇。汞的生物积累是一个具有全球和国家意义的问题，因为它对健康有影响。华盛顿大学博士后1名，本科生1名。

The goal of this project is to develop, evaluate, and utilize an airborne instrument to measure two of the most important chemical forms of mercury (Hg): gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM). The instrument will quantify RGM by two methods, one with one-hour resolution and a second with 2.5-minute resolution. Data from the two techniques will be compared and the uncertainty of the RGM measurements will be assessed. This will enable the first high time resolution observations of both GEM and RGM by aircraft and allow the following questions on the atmospheric mercury cycle to be addressed: 1) Do the two different airborne RGM measurements agree within their respective uncertainties? 2) Do GEM observations by aircraft agree with observations at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory in Oregon? 3) Can air masses with elevated RGM, seen previously at Mt. Bachelor and predicted by models to be present over the southwest U.S., be identified? If so, what are the chemical and meteorological controls on RGM in the western U.S.? 4) What is the distribution of GEM and RGM in the troposphere? 5) Can airborne measurements be used to quantify the flux of GEM and RGM from industrial sources? This project should lead to a better understanding of the chemical processing of atmospheric mercury and its sources and sinks in the U.S.Bioaccumulation of mercury is a problem with global and national significance because of its health impacts. One postdoctoral fellow and one undergraduate student from the University of Washington will participate in the project.