The influence of long-range transport on atmospheric mercury on Jeju Island, Korea

The concentrations of total gaseous mercury (TGM) and relevant environmental parameters were measured at a remote area on Jeju Island, Korea from May 2006 to May 2007. The hourly mean concentration of Hg for the entire study period was 3.85 ± 1.68 ng m − 3 (range of 0.10–17.9: n = 7450). The temporal patterns of Hg at the island site were characterized by the relative dominance in spring/fall over summer/winter and in daytime over nighttime. The possible impact of Asian dust (AD) on Hg distribution was examined by assessing its relationship with PM 10 data. Because of a strong inverse log–log correlation between Hg and PM 10 levels (above 200 µg m − 3 ), a direct relationship between the two parameters is difficult to account for. However, the analysis of air mass movement patterns confirmed that the Hg levels on Jeju Island were affected most by the combined effects of major source processes in the surrounding areas: industrial and AD (China), industrial (Korea), and volcanic activity (Japan).