Articles | Volume 21, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3447-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3447-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Mar 2021
Research article |
| 05 Mar 2021
| 05 Mar 2021
Seasonal patterns of atmospheric mercury in tropical South America as inferred by a continuous total gaseous mercury record at Chacaltaya station (5240 m) in Bolivia
Alkuin Maximilian Koenig
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université
Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, France
Olivier Magand
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université
Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, France
Paolo Laj
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université
Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, France
Marcos Andrade
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Isabel Moreno
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
Fernando Velarde
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
Grover Salvatierra
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
René Gutierrez
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
Luis Blacutt
Laboratorio de Física de la Atmósfera, Instituto
de Investigaciones Físicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La
Paz, Bolivia
Diego Aliaga
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System
Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki,
00014, Finland
Thomas Reichler
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake
City, UT 84112, USA
Karine Sellegri
Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Laboratoire de
Météorologie Physique, UMR 6016, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Olivier Laurent
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement,
LSCE-IPSL (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay,
Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Michel Ramonet
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement,
LSCE-IPSL (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay,
Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Aurélien Dommergue
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université
Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, Grenoble, France
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Cited
22 citations as recorded by crossref.
- New particle formation dynamics in the central Andes: contrasting urban and mountaintop environments D. Aliaga et al. 10.5194/ar-3-15-2025
- Enhanced daytime atmospheric mercury in the marine boundary layer in the South Oceans Y. Tang et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164691
- Temporal variation of speciated atmospheric Hg and characteristics of size-fractioned HgP at a suburban site in Shijiazhuang City, North China C. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.apr.2021.101253
- Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data C. Sayers et al. 10.1007/s10646-023-02706-y
- Meteorological Drivers of Atmospheric Mercury Seasonality in the Temperate Northern Hemisphere Z. Xu et al. 10.1029/2022GL100120
- A synthesis of mercury research in the Southern Hemisphere, part 1: Natural processes L. Schneider et al. 10.1007/s13280-023-01832-5
- Atmospheric Modelling of Mercury in the Southern Hemisphere and Future Research Needs: A Review J. Leiva González et al. 10.3390/atmos13081226
- Use of atmospheric concentrations and passive samplers to assess surface-atmosphere exchange of gaseous mercury in forests E. Roy et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140113
- Evidence for Interhemispheric Mercury Exchange in the Pacific Ocean Upper Troposphere A. Koenig et al. 10.1029/2021JD036283
- Evaluating atmospheric mercury (Hg) uptake by vegetation in a chemistry-transport model A. Feinberg et al. 10.1039/D2EM00032F
- Mercury in the free troposphere and bidirectional atmosphere–vegetation exchanges – insights from Maïdo mountain observatory in the Southern Hemisphere tropics A. Koenig et al. 10.5194/acp-23-1309-2023
- Measurement report: Molecular-level investigation of atmospheric cluster ions at the tropical high-altitude research station Chacaltaya (5240 m a.s.l.) in the Bolivian Andes Q. Zha et al. 10.5194/acp-23-4559-2023
- Seven-year monitoring of mercury in wet precipitation and atmosphere at the Amsterdam Island GMOS station A. Tassone et al. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14608
- Tracing Atmospheric Mercury from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining N. Szponar et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c10521
- Probing the limits of sampling gaseous elemental mercury passively in the remote atmosphere C. Hoang et al. 10.1039/D2EA00119E
- A synthesis of mercury research in the Southern Hemisphere, part 2: Anthropogenic perturbations J. Fisher et al. 10.1007/s13280-023-01840-5
- Patterns and trends of atmospheric mercury in the GMOS network: Insights based on a decade of measurements M. Bencardino et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125104
- Assessment of multi-year mercury concentration measurements over the South African highveld: a case study of 2016–2023 selected dataset M. Belelie et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121261
- Tropical tropospheric aerosol sources and chemical composition observed at high altitude in the Bolivian Andes C. Moreno et al. 10.5194/acp-24-2837-2024
- Mercury compound-specific stable isotope fractionation in high-altitude lake ecosystems of the Bolivian Altiplano J. Masbou et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179630
- Long-Term Variation Characteristics and Health Risks of Atmospheric Hg in the Largest City in Northwestern China Y. Pang et al. 10.3390/toxics12120935
- Spatial and Temporal Changes and Influencing Factors of Mercury in Urban Agglomeration Land Patterns: A Case from Changchun Area, Old Industrial Base of Northeast China Z. Zhang et al. 10.3390/land14030652
22 citations as recorded by crossref.
- New particle formation dynamics in the central Andes: contrasting urban and mountaintop environments D. Aliaga et al. 10.5194/ar-3-15-2025
- Enhanced daytime atmospheric mercury in the marine boundary layer in the South Oceans Y. Tang et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164691
- Temporal variation of speciated atmospheric Hg and characteristics of size-fractioned HgP at a suburban site in Shijiazhuang City, North China C. Wang et al. 10.1016/j.apr.2021.101253
- Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data C. Sayers et al. 10.1007/s10646-023-02706-y
- Meteorological Drivers of Atmospheric Mercury Seasonality in the Temperate Northern Hemisphere Z. Xu et al. 10.1029/2022GL100120
- A synthesis of mercury research in the Southern Hemisphere, part 1: Natural processes L. Schneider et al. 10.1007/s13280-023-01832-5
- Atmospheric Modelling of Mercury in the Southern Hemisphere and Future Research Needs: A Review J. Leiva González et al. 10.3390/atmos13081226
- Use of atmospheric concentrations and passive samplers to assess surface-atmosphere exchange of gaseous mercury in forests E. Roy et al. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140113
- Evidence for Interhemispheric Mercury Exchange in the Pacific Ocean Upper Troposphere A. Koenig et al. 10.1029/2021JD036283
- Evaluating atmospheric mercury (Hg) uptake by vegetation in a chemistry-transport model A. Feinberg et al. 10.1039/D2EM00032F
- Mercury in the free troposphere and bidirectional atmosphere–vegetation exchanges – insights from Maïdo mountain observatory in the Southern Hemisphere tropics A. Koenig et al. 10.5194/acp-23-1309-2023
- Measurement report: Molecular-level investigation of atmospheric cluster ions at the tropical high-altitude research station Chacaltaya (5240 m a.s.l.) in the Bolivian Andes Q. Zha et al. 10.5194/acp-23-4559-2023
- Seven-year monitoring of mercury in wet precipitation and atmosphere at the Amsterdam Island GMOS station A. Tassone et al. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14608
- Tracing Atmospheric Mercury from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining N. Szponar et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c10521
- Probing the limits of sampling gaseous elemental mercury passively in the remote atmosphere C. Hoang et al. 10.1039/D2EA00119E
- A synthesis of mercury research in the Southern Hemisphere, part 2: Anthropogenic perturbations J. Fisher et al. 10.1007/s13280-023-01840-5
- Patterns and trends of atmospheric mercury in the GMOS network: Insights based on a decade of measurements M. Bencardino et al. 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125104
- Assessment of multi-year mercury concentration measurements over the South African highveld: a case study of 2016–2023 selected dataset M. Belelie et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121261
- Tropical tropospheric aerosol sources and chemical composition observed at high altitude in the Bolivian Andes C. Moreno et al. 10.5194/acp-24-2837-2024
- Mercury compound-specific stable isotope fractionation in high-altitude lake ecosystems of the Bolivian Altiplano J. Masbou et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179630
- Long-Term Variation Characteristics and Health Risks of Atmospheric Hg in the Largest City in Northwestern China Y. Pang et al. 10.3390/toxics12120935
- Spatial and Temporal Changes and Influencing Factors of Mercury in Urban Agglomeration Land Patterns: A Case from Changchun Area, Old Industrial Base of Northeast China Z. Zhang et al. 10.3390/land14030652
Latest update: 29 Jul 2025
Short summary
The environmental cycling of atmospheric mercury, a harmful global contaminant, is still not sufficiently constrained, partly due to missing data in remote regions. Here, we address this issue by presenting 20 months of atmospheric mercury measurements, sampled in the Bolivian Andes. We observe a significant seasonal pattern, whose key features we explore. Moreover, we deduce ratios to constrain South American biomass burning mercury emissions and the mercury uptake by the Amazon rainforest.
The environmental cycling of atmospheric mercury, a harmful global contaminant, is still not...
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