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态：气态元素汞(GEM)和活性气态汞(RGM)。该仪器将通过两种方法来量化RGM，一种是一小时分辨率，另一种是2.5分钟分辨率。将比较这两种技术的数据，并评估RGM测量的不确定度。这将使飞机首次对GEM和RGM进行高时间分辨率观测，并解决关于大气汞循环的以下问题：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)飞机对GEM的观测与在Mt.俄勒冈州的单身汉天文台？3)可以像以前在山上看到的那样，用升高的RGM来空气质量。单身汉和模特预测会出现在美国西南部，是不是可以确定？如果是这样的话，美国西部RGM的化学和气象控制是什么？4)GEM和RGM在对流层中的分布是什么？5)是否可以利用航空测量来量化工业来源的GEM和RGM的通量？该项目应有助于更好地了解大气汞的化学处理过程及其在美国的来源和汇。汞的生物累积是一个具有全球和国家意义的问题，因为它对健康有影响。华盛顿大学的一名博士后研究员和一名本科生将参与该项目。

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.