Oceanic evasion fuels Arctic summertime rebound of atmospheric mercury and drives transport to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems

Shaojian Huang, Tengfei Yuan, Zhengcheng Song, Ruirong Chang, Dong Peng, Peng Zhang, Ling Li, Peipei Wu, Guiyao Zhou, Fange Yue, Zhouqing Xie, Feiyue Wang and Yanxu Zhang ()
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Shaojian Huang: Nanjing University
Tengfei Yuan: Nanjing University
Zhengcheng Song: Nanjing University
Ruirong Chang: Nanjing University
Dong Peng: Nanjing University
Peng Zhang: Nanjing University
Ling Li: Nanjing University
Peipei Wu: Nanjing University
Guiyao Zhou: Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Fange Yue: University of Science and Technology of China
Zhouqing Xie: University of Science and Technology of China
Feiyue Wang: University of Manitoba
Yanxu Zhang: Tulane University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Mercury (Hg) contamination poses a persistent threat to the remote Arctic ecosystem, yet the mechanisms driving the pronounced summer rebound of atmospheric gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0) and its subsequent fate remain unclear due to limitations in large-scale seasonal studies. Here, we use an integrated atmosphere–land–sea-ice–ocean model to simulate Hg cycling in the Arctic comprehensively. Our results indicate that oceanic evasion is the dominant source (~80%) of the summer Hg0 rebound, particularly driven by seawater Hg0 release facilitated by seasonal ice melt (~42%), with further contributions from anthropogenic deposition and terrestrial re-emissions. Enhanced Hg0 dry deposition across the Arctic coastal regions, especially in the Arctic tundra, during the summer rebound highlights the potential transport of Hg from the pristine Arctic Ocean to Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Arctic warming, with a transition from multi-year to first-year ice and tundra greening, is expected to amplify oceanic Hg evasion and intensify Hg0 uptake by the Arctic tundra due to increased vegetation growth, underlining the urgent need for continued research to evaluate Hg mitigation strategies effectively in the context of a changing Arctic.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3

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