Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of global concern due to its long-range atmospheric transport and high toxicity. The focus of this research is on the role of the forest canopy in the accumulation, and delivery of Hg to the soil Hg pool. Particular focus is on the role of atmospheric speciation of Hg on deposition. An urban-rural gradient was examined from Mississauga to Dorset, Ontario, to determine the role of locally emitted Hg: RGM, and PM on deposition. [GEM] was measured to be similar at both sites, and [PM] and [RGM] were greater in the urban location. Seasonal accumulation of Hg on foliar surfaces was dominated by GEM, and similar at the urban (8.74 ng cm-2) and rural (9.80 ng cm-2) locations. Increased [PM] and [RGM] at the urban location resulted in a transient upper canopy Hg pool, and throughfall enrichment at the urban site.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/18865 |
| Date | 15 February 2010 |
| Creators | Stupple, Geoffrey |
| Contributors | Branfireun, Brian |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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