Mercury (Hg) is a hazardous heavy metal and global pollutant, which exists in the atmosphere predominantly as gaseous elemental mercry. Mercury can be transported to remote areas such as Tibetan Plateau (TP) where it can be oxidized and deposited, significantly impacting the alpine ecosystem. 

However, current studies on Hg from southeaster TP region cannot be used to accurately estimate the spatial and temporal scale. Thus, it is essential to systematically study the insights of Hg in surface snow/ice and various other environmental matrices from the southeastern TP region. 

Recently, a research group led by Prof. KANG Shichang from Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated concentration, spatiotemporal distribution and sources of mercury in Mt. Yulong, to explore the reasons of Hg concentrations and distribution variations in different glaciers of southeastern TP. 

The study indicated the concentration of Hg was higher in the lower elevation of the glaciers possibly due to the surface melting concentration of particulates. 

The result of principal component analysis further confirmed that the source of Hg in the Mt. Yulong is from crustal source. However, it was evident of the presence of an anthropogenic source of pollutants that have been long-range transported to Mt. Yulong. 

Moreover, Hg concentrations and variations in different environmental matrices including surface snow, snow pit, meltwater, rivers, reservoir, swamps, and lakes for the first time in southeastern TP were studied. 

Overall, this study included spatial and temporal variations of Hg in Mt. Yulong and their comparisons with the existing data from other parts of TP to expand the knowledge of Hg in the alpine regions of the TP, as well as to explore the increased levels of Hg in the recent past. 

The study entitled “Concentration, spatiotemporal distribution, and sources of mercury in Mt. Yulong, a remote site in southeastern Tibetan Plateau” was published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 

Contact: 

KANG Shichang 

E-mail: shichang.kang@lzb.ac.cn 

State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.