Historical variations of mercury stable isotope ratios in Arctic glacier firn and ice cores

Abstract

AbstractThe concentration and isotopic composition of mercury (Hg) were determined in glacier core samples from Canadian Arctic ice caps dating from preindustrial to recent time (early 21st century). Mean Hg levels increased from ≤ 0.2 ng L−1 in preindustrial time to ~0.8–1.2 ng L−1 in the modern industrial era (last ~200 years). Hg accumulated on Arctic ice caps has Δ199Hg and Δ201Hg that are higher (~ −1 to 2.9‰) than previously reported for Arctic snow impacted by atmospheric Hg depletion events (mostly < −1‰), suggesting that these events contribute little to Hg accumulation on ice caps. The range of δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, and Δ201Hg in glacier cores overlaps with that of Arctic Hg0(g) and of seawater in Baffin Bay and also with that of midlatitude precipitation and industrial Hg sources, including coal and Hg ores. A core from Agassiz ice cap (80.7°N) shows a ~ +1‰ shift in δ202Hg over the nineteenth to twentieth centuries that could reflect changes in the isotopic composition of the atmospheric Hg pool in the High Arctic in response to growing industrial emissions at lower latitudes. This study is the first ever to report on historical variations of Hg stable isotope ratios in Arctic ice cores. Results could help constrain future modeling efforts of the global Hg biogeochemical cycle and the atmosphere's response to changing Hg emissions, past and future.