Atmospheric supply of nitrogen, lead, cadmium, mercury and dioxins/furans to the Baltic Sea in 2008

 

	Authors: Jerzy Bartnicki - MSC-W of EMEP e-mail: jerzy.bartnicki@met.no Alexey Gusev - MSC-E of EMEP e-mail: alexey.gusev@msceast.org Wenche Aas - CCC of EMEP e-mail: wenche.aas@nilu.no Semeena Valiyaveetil - MSC - W of EMEP e-mail: semeena.valiyaveetil@met.no

 

Summary

The results presented in this EMEP Centres Joint Report for HELCOM are based on the modelling and monitoring data presented to the 33th Session of the Steering Body of EMEP in Geneva in September 2009. It includes measurements, as well as emissions and depositions calculated by the EMEP models of nitrogen compounds, heavy metals and PCDD/F for the year 2008.

The measured monthly and annual 2008 concentrations in air and precipitation fornitrogen species and heavy metals are presented in the report. For all the components asignificant south-east gradient can be noticed in the measured concentrations in 2008. Further the concentration levels seem to be higher in southwest than southeast for thenitrogen components.

The temporal patterns of monthly Cd and Pb concentrations in air show a winter maximum, similar tendency for elemental Hg. Also total nitrate concentration in air showelevated levels in the spring and generally higher concentrations in winter than summer. Concentrations of NO₂ also show a winter maxima/summer minima. These elevated concentrations in winter occur probably due to longer atmospheric residence time andreduced vertical mixing. Reduced nitrogen in air has maximum in spring when the fertilizing is most important. The seasonal patterns in precipitation are not as strong as forairborne components. This is due to the presence of the precipitation effect.

Annual emissions from the HELCOM Contractig Parties in 2008 are shown below for all pollutants considered in the report.

	POLLUTANT
Country/ship	NO2 (kt N)	NH3 (kt N)	Cd (tonnes)	Pb (tonnes)	Hg (tonnes)	PCDD/F (g TEQ)
Denmark	46	61	0.4	8.2	0.8	32
Estonia	11	8	0.6	34	0.6	5.1
Finland	51	31	1.2	20	0.8	15
Germany	424	483	2.7	116	3.8	76
Latvia	12	14	0.2	8.1	0.1	28
Lithuania	21	24	0.5	7.1	0.3	11
Poland	253	235	41.8	551	15.7	399
Russia	1327	766	59.4	355	22.5	839
Sweden	47	41	0.5	9.3	0.5	38
total HELCOM	2190	1663	107.3	1109	45.1	1443
ships	108

 

Annual depositions of all considered pollutants in 2008 are shown in the Table below for 6 sub-basins of the Baltic Sea and for the entire Baltic Sea.

	POLLUTANT
Basin	Ox-N (kt N)	Red-N (kt N)	Cd (tonnes)	Pb (tonnes)	Hg (tonnes)	PCDD/F (g TEQ)
GUB	16.6	10.4	0.93	28	0.73	9.5
BAP	7.2	4.4	3.99	117	1.74	22
GUF	5.5	3.8	0.67	16	0.31	6.8
GUR	61	50.1	0.35	10	0.17	4.8
BES	8.8	14.2	0.38	13	0.18	6.1
KAT	8.1	9.5	0.37	14	0.2	3.6
BAS	107.1	92.4	6.7	196	3.3	52.8

Oxidised nitrogen depositions in 2008 were slightly higher than in 2007 in all sub-basins and in the entire Baltic Sea Basin. Contrary, reduced nitrogen depositions in 2008 were slightly lower or remained on the same level as in 2007.

The results of the EMEP Unified model are rotinely compared with available measurements at EMEP and HELCOM stations. The comparison of calculated versus measured data indicates that the model predicts the observed air concentrations and depositions of nitrogen compounds within the accuracy of approximatelly 30%.

Levels of cadmium and lead deposition to the entire Baltic Sea slightly decreased in 2008 comparing to 2007 by 6% and 9%, respectively. At the same time mercury deposition to the entire Baltic Sea for 2008 were 6% higher than that for 2007. In case of PCDD/Fs there is a decrease of deposition from 2007 to 2008 by 9%.

Anthropogenic emission sources of HELCOM countries contributed to the annual deposition over the Baltic Sea in 2008 about 20% for lead and mercury and about 45% for cadmium and PCDD/Fs. Essential contribution to total annual deposition belongs to other sources, in particular, natural emissions, re-suspension with dust, distant emissions, and re-emission (from about 40% to 70%).

The following sectors contributed most significantly to the annual anthropogenic emissions of HELCOM countries in 2007: Combustion in Power Plants and Industry (65-87%), Commercial, Residential and other Stationary Combustion (5-26%), and Industrial processes for Pb, Cd, And Hg (3-8%), as well as Transport for Pb (11%) and Waste for PCDD/Fs (10%).

Most significant contribution to deposition of HMs and PCDD/Fs to the Baltic Sea was made by Poland followed by Germany for Pb, Russia for Cd, and Denmark for Hg and PCDD/Fs.

Model results in comparison with available measurements for 2008 made around the Baltic Sea are within an accuracy of 50% for Pb, 60% for Cd, and 10% for Hg. Computed concentrations of PCDD/Fs are lower than measurements by a factor 3-4.

Separate Chapters of the report, as well as, links to the Indicator Fact Sheets can be found below.

This report has been prepared for the Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, based on the model estimates and monitoring results which have been presented to the thirty third session of the Steering Body of EMEP (Co-operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of Long-Range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe). This present, eleventh joint summary report for HELCOM includes the measurements and results of modelling in the Baltic Sea region for oxidised nitrogen, reduced nitrogen, lead, cadmium, mercury and dioxins/furans for the year 2008. It has been developed in a frame of close collaboration between three modelling and monitoring EMEP centres: MSC-W, MSC-E and CCC, and is available now on the EMEP WEB pages and later on the HELCOM WEB pages. The report, as a draft, was presented and discussed at the Thirteenth MONAS Meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, together with corresponding drafts of the Indicator Fact Sheets. Participants of this meeting were asked for the comments and corrections which are taken into account in the final version of the report and in the Indicator Fact Sheets, as well. All comments/corrections received from the HELCOM Parties are listed on this site.

Acknowledgements. The authors are indebted to the scientific teams at MSC-E, MSC-W and CCC for providing the results included in this report and especially to Per Helmer Skaali for his help with the Internet related tasks. We are grateful to Ms. Marina Varygina, Dr. Ilia Iliyn and Prof. Victor Shatalov for their contribution to this work, valuable remarks and comments

 

Last updated 13 January 2011