Laurier Poissant Senior research scientist Science

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Laurier PoissantSenior research
scientistScience technology branch
Environment CanadaMontréal
POLARCAT First International Science Planning
Meeting - Université Pierre et Marie
Curie/Jussieu, Paris, France - 4-6 June, 2007
Mercury in the Arctic
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Mercury in the Arctic

• The Arctic is not a pristine ecosystem in regard
  to mercury(1,2)
• Evidences of a recent exposure risk for native
  populations
• Polar bear hairs(3), birds feathers(4), teeth of
  belugas and walrus(5)
• Increase of THg concentrations in sediments(6,7)
• THg in beluga liver above the guidelines(8)

• How the Hg is delivered in the Arctic?

(1) MacDonald et al., 2000 (2) Braune et al.,
2005 (3) Dietz et al., 2006 (4) Dietz et al.,
2006 (5) Outridge et al., 2002 (6) Hermanson,
1998 (7) Lockhart et al., 1998 (8) Lockhart et
al., 2005.
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Source A Dastoor, MSC
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Sampling site Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik
5517'N, 7746'W
Centre dÉtudes Nordiques (U. Laval)

• TGM O3 monitored since 1999(1,2)
• Site investigated for snow and atmospheric
  processes (Canada(3), England(4), French(5,6,7)
  and Germany(8))

(1) Poissant, 2001 (2) Steffen et al., 2005 (3)
Lahoutifard et al., 2006 (4) Carpenter et al.,
2005 (5) Gauchard et al., 2005 (6) Dommergue et
al., 2003a (7) Dommergue et al., 2003b (8)
Poissant and Hönninger, 2004.
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Atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs)
AMDEs Between 89 and 450 Tg of Hg are deposited
annually in the Arctic(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11)
(From Lindberg et al., 2001)
(1) Ariya et al., 2004 (2) Skov et al., 2004
(3) Scott, 2001 (4) Lalonde et al., 2002 (5)
Poissant et al., 2002 (6) Lindberg et al., 2002
(7) Dommergue et al., 2003 (8) Ferrari et al.,
2004 (9) Ferrari et al., 2002 (10) Lahoutifard
et al., 2005 (11) St. Louis et al., 2005.
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Time series TGM, TPM RGM at Kuujjuarapik (2-12
April, 2001)
RGM TPM formation is operating during MDEs
Poissant Pilote, 2003. J. Phys IV, 1079-1082
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During Spring 2001 2004 a comprehensive
chemical survey along with Hg speciation was done
with German collaboration University of
Heidelberg ( DOAS (Differential Optical
Absorption Spectroscopy) method (Platt, 1994)
ozone, nitrogen oxides (NO2, NO3, HONO), SO2,
halogen oxides (BrO, IO, OClO), and up to 30
different hydrocarbons.
Source Gerd Hoenninger University of Heidelberg
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Relations between BrO and Mercury species (2001)
Poissant Hoenninger (2004), RMZ- MG, 1722-1725
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In early spring AMDEs and Hg snow concentrations
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Sources of methyl mercury for the snow cover of a
sub arctic ecosystem
How much mercury is retained in the Arctic?
Mercury biomagnification and the effects on
biota human health
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In late Spring Increase of MeHg snow
concentrations
Proportion of MeHg reached 7.6 of THg Is there
active Hg methylation processes in the melting
snow cover?
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• Snow in Kuujjuarapik was enriched in regard of
• MeHg
• Particles (organic and inorganic)
• Microorganisms

. in situ production of MeHg
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(No Transcript)
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Mercury in the Arctic marine boundary layer
ArcticNet (Centre of excellence of Canada)
Amundsen Icebreaker 2005
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Amundsen Icebreaker 2005
A
b
Picture of (A) the removable tower utilized to
for TGM and O3 measurements and (B) the mercury
speciation unit. Monitoring of wind speed and
direction ensured that measurements were not
affected by ship emissions.
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GEM
Speciation of atmospheric mercury has been
studied during a scientific cruise onboard the
NGCC Amundsen from August to the end of October
2005. Spatial distribution of O3, GEM, TPM and
RGM are presented
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IPY projects

• OASIS-Canada COBRA (Mercury)
• CiCAT (Carbon)

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In March 2008, more than 25 scientists from UK
(U. Leeds U. of York U. Manchester, U.
Cambridge, British Antarctic Survey) Germany (U.
Hamburg) will be Kuujjuarapik to study the
Combined Impact of Bromine and Iodine on the
Arctic Atmosphere (COBRA) (Carpenter et al.) and
the mercury fate in the Arctic (Poissant et al.).
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Temperature and precipitation fluctuations of
Arctic tundra wetlands and their impact on
hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and carbon
dioxide tropospheric concentrations and
fluxes.CiCAT project 7M for 3 years
IPY

• Laurier Poissant (Senior research scientist)
• Environnement Canada, 105, rue McGill, 7e étage,
  Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2Y 2E7.
• Adjunct professor U of Ottawa

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Theme (A) Melting permafrost
Rational Climate changes will shift the taiga
further north and displace the tundra up north
with huge impacts on carbon cycling e.g.. cause
the thawing of the permafrost Gap in the actual
knowledge CH4 and CO2 emissions from this
melting. Is there an active CH4 oxidation?

• Thermokarst ponds at different stage of formation
• Dissolved CH4 concentrations profile in the
  sediments
• Static flux chamber
• Passive samplers(1)

(1) Spalding and Warson, Environ. Sci. Technol.,
2006
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Theme (B) CO2 and CH4 fluxes
Rational Climate changes will change the annual
precipitations and temperature Gap in the actual
knowledge Impact of precipitations on CO2 and
CH4 air to soil exchanges in the Arctic
(A) Strategic sampling Control areas vs rain
protected/irrigated areas (B) Micrometeorological
fluxes (Bowen Ratio)
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• The Government of Canada has dedicated 150
  million over six years to IPY.
• This funding will be used to carry out an
  innovative and interdisciplinary Canadian IPY
  program.
• Focus on two important challenges for Canadas
  northern regions
• climate change impacts and adaptation and
• the health and well-being of northern
  communities.

A total of 44 Canadian science and research
projects were selected for International Polar
Year (IPY) 2007-2008 funding from the
Government of Canada.
http//www.ipy-api.gc.ca/intl/index_e.html