Fremont Glacier Atmospheric Mercury Data ----------------------------------------------------------------------- World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Boulder and NOAA Paleoclimatology Program ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: PLEASE CITE CONTRIBUTORS WHEN USING THIS DATA!!!!! NAME OF DATA SET: Fremont Glacier Atmospheric Mercury Data LAST UPDATE: 6/2002 (Original Receipt by WDC Paleo) CONTRIBUTOR: Paul Schuster, USGS IGBP PAGES/WDCA CONTRIBUTION SERIES NUMBER: 2002-038 SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: Schuster, P.F., et al., 2002, Fremont Glacier Atmospheric Mercury Data, IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series # 2002-038. NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA. ORIGINAL REFERENCE: Schuster, P.F., D.P. Krabbenhoft, D.L. Naftz, L.D. Cecil, M.L. Olson, J.F. Dewild, D.D. Susong, J.R. Green, and M.L. Abbott, 2002, Atmospheric Mercury Deposition during the Last 270 Years: A Glacial Ice Core Record of Natural and Anthropogenic Sources Environmental Science and Technology, Volume 36, No. 11, pp. 2303-2310. GEOGRAPHIC REGION: Wyoming, USA PERIOD OF RECORD: 1720-1993 AD. LIST OF FILES: Fremont_Hg.xls (Microsoft Excel format), Fremont_Hg.txt (tab-delimited text format). DESCRIPTION: Schuster et al. Fremont Glacier Atmospheric Mercury Data. 270-year record of atmospheric mercury deposition from a high resolution ice core from the Fremont Glacier, Wyoming, USA (43°07'N, 109°37'W) ABSTRACT: Mercury (Hg) contamination of aquatic ecosystems and subsequent methylmercury bioaccumulation are significant environmental problems of global extent. At regional to global scales, the primary mechanism of Hg contamination is atmospheric Hg transport. Thus, a better understanding of the long-term history of atmospheric Hg cycling and quantification of the sources is critical for assessing the regional and global impact of anthropogenic Hg emissions. Ice cores collected from the Upper Fremont Glacier (UFG), Wyoming, contain a high-resolution record of total atmospheric Hg deposition (ca. 1720-1993). Total Hg in 97 ice-core samples was determined with trace-metal clean handling methods and low-level analytical procedures to reconstruct the first and most comprehensive atmospheric Hg deposition record of its kind yet available from North America. The record indicates major atmospheric releases of both natural and anthropogenic Hg from regional and global sources. Integrated over the past 270-year ice-core history, anthropogenic inputs contributed 52%, volcanic events 6%, and background sources 42%. More significantly, during the last 100 years, anthropogenic sources contributed 70% of the total Hg input. Unlike the 2-7-fold increase observed from preindustrial times (before 1840) to the mid-1980s in sediment-core records, the UFG record indicates a 20-fold increase for the same period. The sediment-core records, however, are in agreement with the last 10 years of this ice-core record, indicating declines in atmospheric Hg deposition. DATA: Core sample ID Depth Total Hg Age meters ng/L years UFG 98-3 3.8 14.23 1993.8 UFG 98-3 4.4 12.75 1993.0 UFG 98-3 5.7 14.97 1991.5 UFG 98-3 7.1 12.50 1990.0 UFG 98-3 9.1 11.04 1987.7 UFG 98-3 10.5 15.03 1986.0 UFG 98-3 12.0 23.85 1984.3 UFG 98-3 13.6 22.85 1982.6 UFG 98-3 15.0 20.73 1980.9 UFG 98-3 16.5 22.63 1979.3 UFG 98-3 17.2 31.25 1978.4 UFG 98-3 18.0 34.97 1977.5 UFG 98-3 19.5 24.22 1975.8 UFG 98-3 21.1 19.82 1974.0 UFG 98-3 22.5 19.26 1972.4 UFG 98-3 23.6 19.3 1971.2 UFG 98-3 23.8 18.3 1970.9 UFG 98-3 24.1 18.9 1970.6 UFG 98-3 24.3 17.1 1970.3 UFG 98-3 24.5 18.9 1970.1 UFG 98-3 24.8 17.0 1969.8 UFG 98-3 25.1 17.9 1969.4 UFG 98-3 25.3 17.1 1969.2 UFG 98-3 25.5 16.8 1968.9 UFG 98-3 27.0 15.8 1967.2 UFG 98-3 28.5 15.88 1965.5 UFG 98-3 30.1 14.85 1963.7 UFG 98-3 31.5 16.50 1962.1 UFG 98-3 33.0 11.13 1960.3 UFG 98-3 34.6 10.70 1958.6 UFG 98-3 36.1 11.66 1956.9 UFG 98-3 37.5 11.89 1955.2 UFG 98-3 39.0 8.45 1953.5 UFG 98-3 40.5 8.46 1951.8 UFG 98-3 42.0 8.66 1950.1 UFG 98-3 43.5 11.41 1948.4 UFG 98-3 45.0 5.43 1946.7 UFG 98-3 46.4 6.81 1945.0 UFG 98-3 48.1 5.62 1943.2 UFG 98-3 49.4 4.56 1941.6 UFG 91 FRE 50.0 7.91 1944.8 UFG 91 FRE 51.0 7.57 1943.5 UFG 91 FRE 51.7 8.75 1942.6 UFG 91 FRE 54.8 8.69 1938.3 UFG 91 FRE 60.4 8.75 1930.4 UFG 91 FRE 63.4 5.26 1926.0 UFG 91 FRE 65.0 5.05 1930.0 UFG 91 FRE 70.7 6.45 1914.7 UFG 91 FRE 75.6 5.69 1906.8 UFG 91 FRE 76.1 5.20 1905.8 UFG 91 FRE 82.5 6.05 1894.8 UFG 91 FRE 83.0 6.73 1894.0 UFG 91 FRE 84.0 19.90 1892.2 UFG 91 FRE 85.0 25.44 1890.4 UFG 91 FRE 85.7 9.36 1889.1 UFG 91 FRE 88.0 2.54 1883.0 UFG 91 FRE 88.3 3.04 1884.4 UFG 91 FRE 89.0 3.22 1883.1 UFG 91 FRE 90.0 3.26 1881.2 UFG 91 FRE 91.0 3.11 1879.3 UFG 91 FRE 91.5 7.00 1878.3 UFG 91 FRE 93.0 11.20 1875.5 UFG 91 FRE 94.0 13.95 1873.5 UFG 91 FRE 95.0 16.49 1871.6 UFG 91 FRE 96.0 16.15 1869.6 UFG 91 FRE 97.0 12.19 1867.6 UFG 91 FRE 98.0 12.44 1865.6 UFG 91 FRE 99.0 8.02 1863.6 UFG 91 FRE 100.0 7.73 1861.6 UFG 91 FRE 101.0 8.95 1859.6 UFG 91 FRE 102.0 8.66 1857.5 UFG 91 FRE 102.9 9.02 1855.5 UFG 91 FRE 104.0 9.85 1853.3 UFG 91 FRE 104.8 16.93 1851.5 UFG 91 FRE 106.0 13.02 1849.1 UFG 91 FRE 107.0 8.92 1847.0 UFG 91 FRE 108.0 2.08 1844.9 UFG 91 FRE 109.0 2.50 1842.7 UFG 91 FRE 110.0 5.20 1840.5 UFG 91 FRE 110.9 1.57 1838.4 UFG 91 FRE 112.0 1.94 1836.0 UFG 91 FRE 113.0 1.69 1833.9 UFG 91 FRE 114.0 1.21 1831.7 UFG 91 FRE 123.0 2.51 1815.0 UFG 91 FRE 124.9 14.11 1806.2 UFG 91 FRE 125.9 5.05 1804.0 UFG 91 FRE 131.7 2.80 1789.7 UFG 91 FRE 132.0 1.58 1770.0 UFG 91 FRE 132.5 2.60 1787.5 UFG 91 FRE 133.9 2.53 1784.1 UFG 91 FRE 151.1 3.29 1738.4 UFG 91 FRE 152.0 2.75 1735.8 UFG 91 FRE 152.8 3.13 1733.5 UFG 91 FRE 155.0 1.96 1727.4 UFG 91 FRE 155.6 2.70 1725.5 UFG 91 FRE 156.7 3.26 1722.6 UFG 91 FRE 158.1 1.41 1718.5