atmospheric mercury monitoring at the cape point gaw station...

Doc Ref no: 5th Waste Khoro:DEA_Durban 31 May

Dr. Lynwill G. MartinLead Scientist on Mercury Program at Cape Point

UNEP Global Mercury Partner

Atmospheric Mercury Monitoring at the Cape Point G AW Station of the SA Weather Service

Cape Point Mercury Monitoring Program

Outline of Talk

1. What is Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW)

2. History of Cape Point Hg Program

3. Involvement of Cape Point within GMOS

4. Hg Research in SA: What do we know so far…..

5. Take Home Message “Act Now”

Doc Ref no: 5th Waste Khoro:DEA_Durban 31 May

SAWS RESEARCH STRUCTURE

Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW)

CAPE POINT

RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH MONITORING

(CERM)

Cape Point location, Location, LOCATION

summer winter

Measuring Program� Greenhouse gases:

– CO2

– CH4

– Halocarbons (CFC’s)

– N2O (since 1994)

– SF6

– Surface O3 (since 1983)

– Other gases:

• 222Rn

• CO (longest data set in SH since 1977)

• SO2

• Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM)

– Aerosols:• Light scattering-absorption:

• Aerosol optical depth (AOD)

• Chemical composition

• Condensation particles (CPC)

� Others:– Solar radiation

Team members - Cape Point GAW Jan 2015Nkanyiso Mbatha , Thumeka Mkololo, Lynwill Martin, Casper LabuschagneDanie van der Spuy and EG Brunke

WHY MERCURY???

Mercury is a GLOBAL Pollutant

Mercury and its compounds are very toxic and therefore hazardous for human health and the environment.

Mercury is number three on the ATSDR 2015 Substance Priority List. 1. Arsenic2. Lead3. Hg

Two-thirds of the mercury entering the environment comes from man-made sources including industrial plants, coal burning, and incinerators,

Mercury is on the priority list of many international agreements and conventions dealing with environmental protection and human health(e.g. HELCOM, OSPAR, AMAP, UN-ECE, EMEP, EU-AQFWD, UNEP,

Minamata Convention , ...)

Atmospheric Chemistry of Hg

GEM (Gaseous Elemental Mercury)GOM (Gaseous Oxidized Mercury)PBM (Particulate Bound Mercury)

BrOH

O3

Atmospheric Mercury: Emissions

Anthropogenic sources mass (Mg/yr)

Natural sources (incl. re-emission) mass (Mg/yr)

Coal and oil combustion (power plant)Gold miningNon-ferrous metal productionCement productionWaste disposalCaustic soda productionMercury productionOther

Total

81040031023618716350191

2320

Water (ocean/lake/river)ForestVegetation (Tundra/Grassland/Savannah/…)Dessert/non-vegetated zonesBiomass burningVolcanoes and geothermal areasOther

Total

2778342448

54667590328

5207

Pirrone et al., 2010

Cape Point Hg Results

Nineteen years (1995-2014) of CPT monthly mean GEM data

Doc Ref no: NACA_LAS _Workshop_30 Sep_2015

0.800

0.900

1.000

1.100

1.200

1.300

1.400

1.500

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

GEM

ng/

m3

Year

Yearly Means of GEM at CPT from 1995 - 2015

Some Cape Point results: TGM

Influence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on GEM


Detrended monthly median GEM

concentrations respond to SOI with a delay

of 6-11 months.

GEM measurements in the Southern Hemisphere

Cape Point

NeumayerTroll

Map via Google Earth

Cape Point GEM yearly averages 1995-2011

Troll GEM data courtesy of NILU

Cape Point yearly GEM averages 1995 - 2011

Comparison betweenCape Point and Trollfor 2007- 2011 period.

Troll GEM data courtesy of NILU

Cape Point became a Partner of the

Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS)

Nov 2010 – Oct 2015

6.8 Million Euros Budget

EU Funded project (FP7-ENV -2010)

GOAL of GMOS

To establish a Global Observation System for Mercur y using

� Ambient Concentrations

� Deposition fluxes of Hg

� Observations from permanent ground based stations

� Ship Cruises

� Tropospheric measurements Campaigns

GMOS: ground-based monitoring network

GMOS: ground-based monitoring network

GMOS: Tropospheric & Regional Campaigns

Oceanographic-Based Observation System

CNR – Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rome, Italy

http://www.iia.cnr.it

GMOS: Major Achievements

GMOS: Major Achievements

is currently taken as ca. 1.5 to 1.7 ng m -3 in the Northern Hemisphere and

ca. 1.1 to 1.3 ng m -3 in the Southern Hemisphere

*refers to the average sea-level atmospheric Hg(0) at remote sites

GMOS Future Goals

� To build a global observing system for monitoring mercury concentrations in ambient air, biota and terrestrial ecosystems to measure the effectiveness of measures (Art.22)

� To support UNEP and Nations in implementing the Minamata Conventions.

� To contribute to GEO (Group on Earth Observations) in developing GEOSS through the GEO Flagship on Tracking Pollutants (Hg & POPs) that will be part of the GEO (2016-2025) Strategic Plan

Mercury Research in SA

J.M Pacyna, E.G Pacyna, F. Steenhuisen, S. Wilson

Mapping 1995 global anthropogenic emissions of mercury,

Atmos.Environ., 37, S109–S117, 2003.

Hg emission for Southern Africa 257 t GEM yr−1

South Africa the 2nd Highest Hg polluter in the WORLD after China


South African Mercury Assessment Programme (SAMA)

Was established during 2006 to serve as the princip al programme through which mercury research in South Africa should be co -coordinated.

Key Role Players: CSIR, SU, WITS, ESKOM, SASOL


CSIR: Dr. Joy Leaner

A few pilot studies, funded by the CSIR and National Research Foundation, were undertaken.

The studies form part of a larger project that focuses on:

A mercury inventory for South Africa, and developing scenarios on its emissions

A national survey of mercury pollution and impacts in South Africa to determine the sources,

fate and transport of Hg in South Africa, in air and water resources;

Evaluating the impacts of artisanal gold mining on human health and environmental health


CSIR: Dr. Joy Leaner

A pilot study on the fate and transport of mercury in selected South African

rivers in the Western Cape (Liesbeek, Black, Eerste/Kuils, Silvermine), and Gauteng

and Mpumalanga (Steenskoolspruit, Vaal River) was undertaken.

Total mercury and methylmercury analyses were made of all air, water, sediment

and biota samples collected, in collaboration with the University of Connecticut,

USA.

CSIR-Stellenbosch only lab that can analyse MeHg


University of Stellenbosch: Prof Andrew Crouch

This Group focuses on analytical method development for mercury speciation, with new methods for detecting elemental and inorganic mercury at low levels eg. Coal

The method has been tested at the Cape Point Global Atmospheric Watch station,

as a pilot study. Capacity was also developed on a new technique to study the impact of humic acids

on mercury and methylmercury bioavailability

Mercury emissions estimates in South Africa using CPT Data

� The total emission of elemental mercury of 20 t GEM yr−1 was derived

from GEM/CH4, GEM/CO2, and GEM/CO emission ratios in 2007–

2009.

� Emissions calculated were close to the current mercury inventories

calculated by Leaner et al. (2009) 40 t Hg yr−1 for 2004 and by

Masekoameng et al. (2010) 50 t Hg yr−1 for 2006.

� Our study conducted supports the work of Dabrowski et al. (2008),

Leaner et al. (2009), and Masekoameng et al. (2010) that gold

production does not contribute substantially to mercury emissions in

South Africa. (Cyanide Tech. does not emit Hg)

� Our observation and estimates of GEM clearly disprove the existence

of the high mercury emissions postulated by older emission

inventories for Southern Africa 257 t GEM yr−1


UNEP Toolkit level 1 (2011)

The mercury release calculations used in this Toolkit are based on the mass balance principle:

Give you and idea of the Hg emissions sources but No info of Hg levels in the environment which we need to know.

What is the current situation

128 Countries Singed MC

25 Ratify to Date

Future Plans: We Must Act NOW

� Continue with long term monitoring as CPT is an important link between SH

and NH

� Greater awareness of the importance of Hg research and monitoring in SA.

� Key elements need to be in place if SA wants to Ratify the MC

� Closer ties between government, industry and Hg researchers in SA

� Need more monitoring sites in SA we need to know the influence of local

emissions

� Establish a South to North Verticle Profile Cape Point as background Site

� We must be ready for COP1 MC in 2017/2018

Partners on Cape Point Hg Program

� CSIR

� North West, UCT, UP, WITS, UWC

� European Commission Joint Research Centre

� MIT

� Harvard

� University of Wollongong (Aus)

Dr. Lynwill G MartinCape Point GAW StationSA Weather [email protected] 888-2636

atmospheric mercury monitoring at the cape point gaw station...

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