Atmospheric supply of nitrogen, lead, cadmium, mercury and dioxins/furans to the Baltic Sea in 2009

 

	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 35th Session of the Steering Body of EMEP in Geneva in September 2011. 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 2009.

The measured monthly and annual 2009 concentrations in air and precipitation for nitrogen species and heavy metals are  presented in the report. For all the components a significant 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 the nitrogen 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 show elevated 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 and reduced 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 for airborne components. This is due to the presence of the precipitation effect.

Annual emissions from the HELCOM Contractig Parties in 2009 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	40	63	0.2	10	0.5	28
Estonia	9	8	0.5	28	0.4	5
Finland	46	30	1.2	18	0.8	11
Germany	417	492	3.9	171	5.6	62
Latvia	9	14	0.2	7	0.1	31
Lithuania	20	23	0.5	7	1.6	11
Poland	249	225	38.4	468	14.5	393
Russia	1339	742	59.4	355	14.0	869
Sweden	45	40	0.5	9	0.6	37
total HELCOM	2174	1637	105	1074	38	1447
ships	100

 

Annual depositions of all considered pollutants in 2009 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	17.8	11.4	0.95	29	0.74	11
GUF	6.9	4.1	0.59	14	0.27	7
GUR	4.9	3.6	0.32	10	0.17	6
BAP	59.9	51.9	4.03	114	1.86	29
BES	7.7	12.9	0.45	17	0.20	10
KAT	8.6	9.9	0.50	120	0.24	5
BAS	105.9	93.9	6.8	204	3.5	68

Oxidised nitrogen deposition in 2009 was slightly lower than in 2008 in four (GUF, GUR, BAP, BES) sub-basins and in the entire Baltic Sea Basin. Reduced nitrogen deposition in 2009 was slightly higher in three sub-basins ( GUB, BAP, KAT) and in the entire Baltic Sea basin.

The results of the EMEP/MSC-W model are routinely 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 mercury deposition to the entire Baltic Sea slightly increased in 2009 comparing to 2008 by 3% and 4%, respectively. Deposition of lead to the Baltic Sea for 2009 was almost at the same level as for 2008. In case of PCDD/Fs there is a decrease of deposition from 2008 to 2009 by 4%.

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 50% and 30% for cadmium and PCDD/Fs, respectively. 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 45% to 75%).

The following sectors contributed most significantly to the annual anthropogenic emissions of HELCOM countries in 2009: Combustion in Power Plants and Industry (60-79%), Commercial, Residential and other Stationary Combustion (12-20%), and industrial processes for Pb, Cd, and Hg (3-12 %), as well as Transport for Pb (12%) and waste for PCDD/Fs (10%).

Most significant contribution to deposition of HMs and PCDD/Fs to the Baltic Sea in 2009 was made by Poland and Germany for Pb, Poland and Russia for Cd and PCDD/Fs, and Poland and Lithuania for Hg.

Model results in comparison with available measurements for 2009 made around the Baltic Sea are within an accuracy of 20% for Pb, 65% for Cd, and 10% for Hg. Computed concentrations of PCDD/Fs are lower than measurements by approximately a factor 3.

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 fifth 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, 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 2009. 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 Fifteenth MONAS Meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, together with corresponding drafts of the Indicator Fact Sheets. Participants of this meeting were asked for the comments and corrections which will be 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 and Álvaro M. Valdebenito B. for their 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 10 November 2011