J. Phys. IV France 107 (2003) 683
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:20030395

Present century record of mercury species pollution in high altitude alpine snow and ice

P. Jitaru¹, H.G. Infante¹, C.P. Ferrari^{2, 3}, A. Dommergue², C.F. Boutron^{2, 4} and F.C. Adams<sup>1

1</sup>  Department of Chemistry, Micro-and Trace Analysis Center (MiTAC), University of Antwerp (UIA), Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
²  Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement, CNRS (LGGE), Grenoble, France
³  École Polytechnique Universitaire de Grenoble, Université Joseph Fourier, 28 avenue Benoît Frachon, BP. 53, 38041 Grenoble, France
⁴  Unités de Formation et de Recherche de Mécanique et de Physique, Université Joseph Fourier, Institut Universitaire de France, Domaine Universitaire, BP. 68, 38041 Grenoble, France

Abstract
Mercury speciation analysis has been performed in an ice/snow core drilled at an altitude of 4250 m in the Col du Dôme glacier on the Mont Blanc, France. The study provides the first time series for mercury speciation analysis in the Alpine snow/ice for the last century. Measured concentrations range from 0.25 to 3.96 pg g ^-1 for MeHg ⁺ and 0.20 to 1.80 pg g ^-1 for Hg ²⁺. Since the beginning of 20 century, a clear increase in total mercury concentration is observed with a maximum for 1965 with an approximately 5-fold increase compared to 1885. A drop in both methylmercury and total mercury concentrations was observed after 1965 and might be linked with the reduction in the mercury emissions from anthropogenic activities.

© EDP Sciences 2003