1 research outputs found
Global Atmospheric Transport and Source-Receptor Relationships for Arsenic
Arsenic and many of its compounds
are toxic pollutants in the global
environment. They can be transported long distances in the atmosphere
before depositing to the surface, but the global source-receptor relationships
between various regions have not yet been assessed. We develop the
first global model for atmospheric arsenic to better understand and
quantify its intercontinental transport. Our model reproduces the
observed arsenic concentrations in surface air over various sites
around the world. Arsenic emissions from Asia and South America are
found to be the dominant sources for atmospheric arsenic in the Northern
and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. Asian emissions are found
to contribute 39% and 38% of the total arsenic deposition over the
Arctic and Northern America, respectively. Another 14% of the arsenic
deposition to the Arctic region is attributed to European emissions.
Our results indicate that the reduction of anthropogenic arsenic emissions
in Asia and South America can significantly reduce arsenic pollution
not only locally but also globally