“Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic metal of global concern, with its anthropogenic emissions strictly controlled by the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The effectiveness of this convention is evaluated by global atmospheric Hg monitoring among other indicators. However, it is uncertain to directly link anthropogenic Hg emissions to atmospheric Hg concentrations mainly due to legacy Hg re-emissions. Here, we reconstructed the past atmospheric Hg concentrations and isotope compositions using the annually resolved (1982–2020) leaves of Androsace tapete at Mt. Everest, Tibetan Plateau. Our reconstruction indicates that the atmospheric Hg concentrations increased from the early 1980s to 2002 (3.31 ng m–3), followed by a large (∼70%) decline until 2020 (0.90 ng m–3). The declining trend of atmospheric Hg concentrations resembles those observed at North Hemisphere background sites, particularly in Chinese rural areas.”
American Chemical Society | Pollution