Interannual variability of air-sea exchange of mercury in the global
ocean: the “seesaw effect” in the equatorial Pacific and contributions
to the atmosphere
Abstract
Air-sea exchange of mercury (Hg) is influenced by meteorological factors
that have substantial interannual variability. Here we investigate its
interannual variability and influcing factors by using the MITgcm ocean
model. We elucidate a latitudinal pattern with a relatively small
variability in the mid-latitudes (6.4%-8.5%) and a large one in the
Arctic and Equator (15%). Wind speed, salinity, and sea ice dominate
the patterns in equatorial, mid-, and high-latitudinal oceans,
respectively. A in equatorial Pacific is found between El Niño and La
Niña events, owing to wind speed anomaly caused by the variation of
Walker circulation. A higher atmospheric Hg concentration (1-2%) in
northern hemisphere is found by the GEOS-Chem simulation due to higher
ocean evasion fluxes, consistent with the CAMNet and EMEP (1-11%)
observations. Besides, a slight fluctuation in the upper tropospheric
(±0.5%) reveals a potential contribution from the ocean evasion for
interannual variability of tropospheric Hg.