Collaborative Research: Development of a Better Understanding of Ambient RM Chemistry, Reactions Forming, and Methods for Measurement

这个项目的重点是发展测量大气中活性汞的改进方法。将进行受控的实验室实验，以测试和开发用于检测氧化汞的新的和更好的材料。该项目包括在具有不同大气化学成分的不同地点测量环境大气中的活性汞。提高对活性汞化合物的浓度和化学性质进行量化的能力，对于制定减轻其破坏性影响的战略至关重要。这一努力有三个主要目标。这些目标是：(1)通过实验室实验和实地活动，更好地了解形成和转化活性汞（RM）的化学反应；(2)测试和开发新的更好的氧化汞（Hg）检测材料，包括鉴定可解吸、长期收集和短期收集表面，以获得更好的分辨率测量；(3)开发和测试一种利用存档数据估算过去20年RM浓度的方法。这项工作对于理解汞的生物地球化学循环和模拟大气汞的过程和沉积至关重要，这是NADP环境中的汞和沉积科学联系委员会最近确定的两个优先重点领域。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project focuses on the development of improved methods for measuring reactive mercury in the atmosphere. Controlled laboratory experiments will be conducted to test and develop new and better materials for detecting oxidized mercury. The project includes measurements of reactive mercury in the ambient atmosphere at a diverse group of sites with different atmospheric chemistry. Improving the ability to quantify the concentrations and chemistry of reactive mercury compounds is critical to developing strategies for mitigating their damaging impacts.This effort has three main objectives. These are to: (1) Develop a better understanding of the chemical reactions responsible for forming and transforming reactive mercury (RM) through laboratory experiments and field campaigns; (2) Test and develop new and better materials for oxidized mercury (Hg) detection, including the identification of desorbable, long-term collection, and short-term collection surfaces for better resolved measurements; and (3) Develop and test a method to estimate RM concentrations measured over the past 20 years using archived data. The work is critical for understanding the Hg biogeochemical cycle and modeling atmospheric Hg processes and deposition, the two priority focus areas recently identified by the NADP’s Mercury in the Environment and Links to Deposition Science (MELD) Committee.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.