Evasion of Gaseous Elemental Mercury from Forest and Urban Soils Contaminated by Historical and Modern Ore Roasting Processes (Idrija, Slovenia)

A study on the Idrija mercury mining site in Slovenia reveals that despite extremely high mercury (Hg) concentrations in soils, forest cover can significantly reduce atmospheric Hg emissions. Researchers measured gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) fluxes from both historical roasting sites and urban areas with varying Hg enrichment levels. Surprisingly, urban soils showed higher Hg0 emissions on average compared to forested historical sites, even though the latter had much higher total Hg content (up to 10,400 mg/kg). The findings suggest that shading by trees or litter can act as a natural mitigation mechanism, limiting Hg0 release into the atmosphere. The study used non-steady state flux chambers and real-time Hg0 analyzers to measure emissions, while topsoil samples were analyzed for Hg concentration and speciation.

Floreani, F., Pavoni, E., Gosar, M., & Covelli, S. (2023). Evasion of Gaseous Elemental Mercury from Forest and Urban Soils Contaminated by Historical and Modern Ore Roasting Processes (Idrija, Slovenia). Atmosphere, 14(6), 1036. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14061036