Search results for " solfatara crater"
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Measurements of Hg0 (and H2S) at the Solfatara Crater (Southern Italy): Estimating the atmospheric distribution with a real-time approach
2015
Volcanic and geothermal areas are important emitters of natural gas compounds into the atmosphere, which can be of concern when discharging close to densely, populated sites. Mercury has a strong environmental impact, its organic and inorganic complexes being toxic. The dominant form of Hg in the atmosphere is gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), which has high volatility and residence time of 1-2 years. Volcanic degassing accounts for a significant part of the natural mercury emissions. No mercury limits or target values in ambient air are present in the EU legislations, whereas US-EPA and ATSDR impose 300 and 200 ng/m3, respectively, as a limit for chronic exposure. WHO has proposed the annua…
Measurements of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in diffuse soil emission using the static closed-chamber method
2015
Measurements aimed to evaluate the contribution of natural and anthropogenic gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) to the atmosphere are critical for monitoring and mitigating the impact of this highly toxic air contaminant. Notwithstanding, the amounts of GEM originating from different sources are difficult to be estimated, since specific protocols dictating the most appropriate sampling and analytical techniques are lacking. This study was aimed to test a methodological approach enables to measure GEM released through diffuse degassing from the soil, a mechanism that in volcanic and geothermal areas significantly contributes to the discharge of geogenic fluids to the atmosphere. A static closed…