Project Title: Ambient Mercury Speciation Measurements for Tracking the Progress of Emission Reduction Strategies in the Lake Ontario Basin

Chemicals Studied: Mercury: elemental, reactive gaseous, and particle-bound

Geographic Areas: Lake Ontario Basin

Project Start Date: August 2010

Project Status: Completed

Synopsis: In order to track the progress of emissions reductions, this project will continue operation and maintenance of a mercury wet deposition sampler and speciated Tekran system at a site along the shore of Lake Ontario, downwind of coal-fired facilities in the Ohio River Valley, western New York, and Ontario. The following measurements will be collected: ambient, speciated mercury concentrations (elemental, reactive gaseous, and particle-bound) and wet deposition in Rochester, New York - this will be a continuation of effort initiated in 2008. The data prior to 2010 will be used to provide information on reference baseline ambient mercury levels, and subsequent data collection will be used to track the effects of mercury emission reduction efforts in the region.

Potential Results and Implications: This project will (i) provide information on whether or not regional mercury emission reduction programs are resulting in reduced deposition of mercury; (ii) maintain mercury monitoring efforts in the eastern Great Lakes region, which does not have as much coverage as the western Great Lakes; providing estimates of ambient concentrations and wet deposition of mercury in an urban setting, in contrast to the more rural AMNet/MDN sites in New York and surrounding states; (iii) analyze diurnal, seasonal, and year-to-year trends in ambient mercury and related co-pollutants, and developing air trajectory analysis, to investigate potential sources of mercury in the region; (iv) provide information to support the development of mercury TMDLs; (v) provide data that could be used to help evaluate regional-scale modeling efforts; and (vi) continue to build mercury monitoring capability within New York State.

Project Contact:
Dirk Felton, P.E.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Air Resources, Bureau of Air Quality Surveillance
Phone: (518) 402-8508
Email: hdfelton@gw.dec.state.ny.us