Gaseous dry deposition of atmospheric mercury: A comparison of two surface resistance models for deposition to semiarid vegetation

In the United States, atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition, from regional and international sources, is the largest contributor to increased Hg concentrations in bodies of water leading to bioaccumulation of methyl mercury in fish. In this work, modeled dry deposition velocities (v(d)) for gaseous Hg are calculated using two surface resistance parameterizations found in the literature. The flux is then estimated as the product of the species concentration and modeled v(d). The calculations utilize speciated atmospheric mercury concentrations measured during an annual monitoring campaign in southern Idaho. Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) were monitored with Tekran models 2537A and 1130, respectively. Two anemometers collected meteorological data, including one fast-response three-dimensional sonic anemometer to measure turbulence parameters. For the flux calculation, three resistances are required to model the mechanisms that transport gaseous Hg from the atmosphere to the surface, with the surface resistance being the largest source of error. Results from two surface resistance models are presented. In particular, the downward flux is sensitive to the choice of model and input parameters such as seasonal category and mesophyll resistance. A comparison of annual GEM and RGM fluxes calculated using the two models shows good agreement for RGM (3.2% difference for annual deposition); however, for the low-solubility species of GEM, the models show a 64% difference in annual fluxes, with a range of 32% to 200% in seasonal fluxes. Results indicate the importance of understanding the diurnal variation of the physical processes modeled in the surface resistance parameterization for v(d).