Cycles and Transformations of Mercury in the Atmosphere and Ecosystems

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosphere/Hydrosphere/Land–Atmosphere Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 May 2025 | Viewed by 272

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Research Council, Water Research Institute, Largo Tonolli 50, I-28922 Verbania Pallanza, VB, Italy
Interests: biogeochemical cycle of mercury; biomarkers; marine biology; metals; biogeochemistry
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Guest Editor
National Research Council, Water Research Institute, Via del Mulino 19, I-20861 Brugherio, Italy
Interests: freshwater ecology; trace elements; environmental risk assessment; ecotoxicology; bioaccumulation
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Environment, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Interests: atmospheric deposition; atmospheric mercury; atmospheric aerosols; environmental pollution; heavy metals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Anthropogenic activities have significantly increased the emission of mercury (Hg) into the environment, disrupting its natural cycles. Understanding the cycles and transformations of mercury, particularly its interactions with the atmosphere, is crucial for developing effective mitigation and risk management strategies. Mercury transformation processes influence its toxicity and mobility across different compartments, including air, water, and soil.

In the atmosphere, mercury can travel long distances before being deposited into water bodies and soils, where it undergoes further transformations. In water, mercury converts to toxic methylmercury, which bioaccumulates in food chains. In soil and sediments, it binds to organic matter or undergoes transformations via microbial activity, affecting its transport and re-emission into the atmosphere. Ongoing research is essential to monitor these transformation processes and exposure pathways to protect ecosystems and public health.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury emphasizes the importance of controlling and reducing mercury emissions and releases through international cooperation and better policy implementation to mitigate its adverse effects on human health and ecosystems.

We invite all interested researchers to submit original research articles and review articles that will advance our understanding of mercury cycles.

Contributions are particularly welcome in the following areas:

  • Research on atmospheric mercury, including its sources, transport, and deposition patterns.
  • Studies on the chemical transformations of mercury in the atmosphere and their impact on global mercury cycling.
  • Development and application of atmospheric models to predict mercury dispersion and deposition.
  • Field measurements and monitoring of atmospheric mercury concentrations and fluxes.
  • Future projections of mercury transformations and their potential impacts on global and regional scales.
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of current mitigation strategies and development of innovative approaches to reduce mercury pollution.
  • Studies on the influence of socioeconomic factors on mercury pollution and exposure risks.
  • Risk assessment of mercury exposure on human health.

We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Dr. Laura Fantozzi
Dr. Laura Marziali
Dr. Ly Sy Phu Nguyen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • atmospheric mercury
  • mercury emissions
  • mercury transformations
  • methylmercury bioaccumulation
  • mercury effects on ecosystems and human health
  • risk assessment
  • mercury management strategies

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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