Mercury in the atmosphere and in lichens in a region affected by a geochemical anomaly

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Abstract
Studies were performed to search for the existence of a relationship between mercury concentration in the air and in lichens in a large mineralized area where the degassing processes of the soil are the main source of the volatile form of the metal. Daily and seasonal measurements of gaseous mercury show a wide fluctuation of the concentration (7.6 ‐ 85 ng/m3), mainly due to the influence of ambient temperature variations (‐10°C / +35°C). Consequently, the hypothesized relationship turned out to be demonstrable only if the measurements of atmospheric mercury are carried out over a long period of time.