Evidence for a free troposphere source of mercury in wet deposition in the Western United States.

Mercury (Hg) in wet deposition in the United States is measured as part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program--Hg Deposition Network (MDN). This study focused on compiling and assessing data collected since 2003 at two sites in Nevada, and at one in Nevada and three in Idaho where data were collected over shorter time intervals. At all locations the highest volume weighted concentrations and deposition were observed in the summer, a time of low precipitation, but high gaseous oxidized Hg (GOM) concentrations. Detailed assessment of high Hg wet deposition events showed variability across the region and higher deposition at the higher elevation sites. Potential Source Contribution Function analyses showed no specific point sources associated with the high Hg wet deposition events, but air masses derived predominantly from the southwest. Although this region has potential local and regional sources of GOM, detailed back trajectory analyses, the environmental setting of Nevada, results from other studies in Nevada, and GEOS-Chem modeling results point toward a free troposphere contribution to mercury in wet deposition input to this area of the western United States.