Publications by authors named "Pfaffhuber K"

Article Synopsis
  • During Arctic spring, halogen radicals oxidize elemental mercury, which is then deposited to the cryosphere, leading to increased mercury levels in the atmosphere during summer.
  • The study tracks mercury isotope variability and finds that the summer peak in mercury levels mainly consists of re-emission from spring deposits, rather than significant contributions from terrestrial sources.
  • The research suggests that while terrestrial mercury inputs are significant, they primarily remain within the marine ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean, potentially impacting local food webs rather than contributing greatly to global atmospheric mercury levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Arctic region forms a unique environment with specific physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting mercury (Hg) cycles and limited anthropogenic Hg sources. However, historic global emissions and long range atmospheric transport has led to elevated Hg in Arctic wildlife and waterways. Continuous atmospheric Hg measurements, spanning 20 years, and increased monitoring sites has allowed a more comprehensive understanding of how Arctic atmospheric mercury is changing over time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electronic waste (e-waste) is informally processed and recycled in Agbogbloshie in Accra (Ghana), which may be the largest such site in West Africa. This industry can lead to significant environmental contamination. In this study, surface dust samples were collected at a range of sites within Accra to establish the offsite consequences of such activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The probability density function (PDF) of the time intervals between subsequent extreme events in atmospheric Hg concentration data series from different latitudes has been investigated. The Hg dynamic possesses a long-term memory autocorrelation function. Above a fixed threshold in the data, the PDFs of the interoccurrence time of the Hg data are well described by a Tsallis q-Exponential function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF