Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems
Abstract Mercury (Hg) contamination poses a persistent threat to the remote Arctic ecosystem, yet the mechanisms driving the pronounced summer rebound of atmospheric gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0) and its subsequent fate remain unclear due to limitations in large-scale seasonal studies. Here, we use an...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 |
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| author | Shaojian Huang Tengfei Yuan Zhengcheng Song Ruirong Chang Dong Peng Peng Zhang Ling Li Peipei Wu Guiyao Zhou Fange Yue Zhouqing Xie Feiyue Wang Yanxu Zhang |
| author_facet | Shaojian Huang Tengfei Yuan Zhengcheng Song Ruirong Chang Dong Peng Peng Zhang Ling Li Peipei Wu Guiyao Zhou Fange Yue Zhouqing Xie Feiyue Wang Yanxu Zhang |
| author_sort | Shaojian Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Mercury (Hg) contamination poses a persistent threat to the remote Arctic ecosystem, yet the mechanisms driving the pronounced summer rebound of atmospheric gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0) and its subsequent fate remain unclear due to limitations in large-scale seasonal studies. Here, we use an integrated atmosphere–land–sea-ice–ocean model to simulate Hg cycling in the Arctic comprehensively. Our results indicate that oceanic evasion is the dominant source (~80%) of the summer Hg0 rebound, particularly driven by seawater Hg0 release facilitated by seasonal ice melt (~42%), with further contributions from anthropogenic deposition and terrestrial re-emissions. Enhanced Hg0 dry deposition across the Arctic coastal regions, especially in the Arctic tundra, during the summer rebound highlights the potential transport of Hg from the pristine Arctic Ocean to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Arctic warming, with a transition from multi-year to first-year ice and tundra greening, is expected to amplify oceanic Hg evasion and intensify Hg0 uptake by the Arctic tundra due to increased vegetation growth, underlining the urgent need for continued research to evaluate Hg mitigation strategies effectively in the context of a changing Arctic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae2ffc32f6304c56af30b150cc0edf35 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae2ffc32f6304c56af30b150cc0edf352025-01-26T12:40:58ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111410.1038/s41467-025-56300-3Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystemsShaojian Huang0Tengfei Yuan1Zhengcheng Song2Ruirong Chang3Dong Peng4Peng Zhang5Ling Li6Peipei Wu7Guiyao Zhou8Fange Yue9Zhouqing Xie10Feiyue Wang11Yanxu Zhang12School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing UniversityLaboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Institute of Polar Environment & Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Polar Environment & Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of ChinaCentre for Earth Observation Science, and Department of Environment and Geography, University of ManitobaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tulane UniversityAbstract Mercury (Hg) contamination poses a persistent threat to the remote Arctic ecosystem, yet the mechanisms driving the pronounced summer rebound of atmospheric gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0) and its subsequent fate remain unclear due to limitations in large-scale seasonal studies. Here, we use an integrated atmosphere–land–sea-ice–ocean model to simulate Hg cycling in the Arctic comprehensively. Our results indicate that oceanic evasion is the dominant source (~80%) of the summer Hg0 rebound, particularly driven by seawater Hg0 release facilitated by seasonal ice melt (~42%), with further contributions from anthropogenic deposition and terrestrial re-emissions. Enhanced Hg0 dry deposition across the Arctic coastal regions, especially in the Arctic tundra, during the summer rebound highlights the potential transport of Hg from the pristine Arctic Ocean to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Arctic warming, with a transition from multi-year to first-year ice and tundra greening, is expected to amplify oceanic Hg evasion and intensify Hg0 uptake by the Arctic tundra due to increased vegetation growth, underlining the urgent need for continued research to evaluate Hg mitigation strategies effectively in the context of a changing Arctic.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 |
| spellingShingle | Shaojian Huang Tengfei Yuan Zhengcheng Song Ruirong Chang Dong Peng Peng Zhang Ling Li Peipei Wu Guiyao Zhou Fange Yue Zhouqing Xie Feiyue Wang Yanxu Zhang Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems Nature Communications |
| title | Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| title_full | Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| title_short | Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| title_sort | oceanic evasion fuels arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to arctic terrestrial ecosystems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 |
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