Interannual Variability of Air-Sea Exchange of Mercury in the Global Ocean: The "Seesaw Effect" in the Equatorial Pacific and Contributions to the Atmosphere

Air-sea exchange of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) is influenced by different meteorological factors and the availability of Hg in seawater. Here, we use the MITgcm ocean model to explore the interannual variability of this flux and the influence of oceanographic and atmospheric dynamics. We apply the GEOS-Chem model to further simulate the potential impact of the evasion variability on the atmospheric Hg levels. We find a latitudinal pattern in Hg(0) evasion with a relatively small variability in mid-latitudes (3.1-6.7%) and a large one in the high latitudes and Equator (>10%). Different factors dominate the patterns in the equatorial (wind speed), mid- (oceanic flow and temperature), and high-latitudinal (sea-ice, temperature, and dynamic processes) oceans. A seesaw pattern of Hg(0) evasion anomaly (+/- 5-20%) in the equatorial Pacific is found from November to next January between El Nino and La Ni (n) over tildea years, owing to the anomalies in wind speed, temperature, and vertical mixing. Higher atmospheric Hg level (2%-5%) are simulated for Hg(0) evasion fluxes with three-month lag, associated with the suppression of upwelling in the beginning of the El Ni (n) over tildeo event. Despite of the uncertainties, this study elucidates the spatial patterns of the interannual variability of the ocean Hg(0) evasion flux and its potential impact on atmospheric Hg levels.