Overview of the Florida Atmospheric Mercury Study (FAMS)

Abstract

This manuscript presents a general overview of the Florida Atmospheric Mercury Study (FAMS): its objectives, its spatial design, and its overall methodologies. FAMS was initiated in May 1992 with the goal of developing field collection and laboratory analytical protocols for characterizing Hg in rainfall (wet-only and bulk), atmospheric aerosols, and total gaseous Hg (TGM). FAMS now comprises a network of 7 operational stations, with 2 additional stations scheduled to become operational by the end of 1994. Preliminary results for FAMS, which will continue collecting deposition samples through December 1996, are the subjects of other manuscripts in this volume (Gill et al., Landing et al., and Guentzel et al.). Results to date suggest that regional deposition in south Florida is driven by large-scale regional or hemispheric processes as opposed to local emission/deposition processes. Deposition is seasonally variable, with fluxes 4- to 6-fold higher during April-September compared with October–March. The seasonal difference is fluxes is driven both by concentration differences (2- to 3-fold) and differences in rainfall depth.