Essential themes in the biochemical cycling of mercury are the relative importance of anthropogenic versus natural sources, transformation and migration processes at the local, regional and global scale, global emission inventories of different mercury sources (both point and diffuse) of both natural and anthropogenic origin. In this regard, Siberia, with its vast territory and variety of natural zones, is of special interest in the global mercury cycle and in terms of the influence of geographical zones on source and sink terms in regional budgets. Siberia contains large areas of mercuriferous belts; natural deposits that emit mercury into the atmosphere and water. Siberian gold has been mined with the use of mercury since the early 1800s. But there, too, huge forest zones and vast areas of tundra and wetland (bogs) can act as efficient sinks for atmospheric mercury.
Audience: Environmental scientists, legislators, politicians and the interested citizen wishing to gain a clear picture of the biogeochemical cycling of mercury.

Zusammenfassung
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Regional and Global Mercury Cycles: Sources, Fluxes and Mass Balances, Novosibirsk, Russia, July 10-14, 1995

Inhalt

1. Analytical Aspects on the Determination of Mercury.- 1.1. Mercury Analysis and Speciation in Environmental Samples.- 2. Mercury Fluxes and Budgets.- 2.1. Global Regional and Local Mercury Budgets.- 2.1.1. Trends in Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations over the Atlantic Ocean and at the Wank Summit, and the Resulting Constraints on the Budget of Atmospheric Mercury.- 2.1.2. The Global Mercury Cycle: Oceanic and Anthropogenic Aspects.- 2.1.3. Estimation of Atmospheric Input and Evasion Fluxes of Mercury to and from the Great Lakes.- 2.1.4. A Regional Mercury Budget for Siberia and the Role of the Region in Global Cycling of the Metal.- 2.1.5. Emission and Local Deposition Estimates of Atmospheric Mercury in North-Western and Central Europe.- 2.2. Emission Inventories and Regional Transport Models for Mercury.- 2.2.1. Emission Inventories of Atmospheric Mercury from Anthropogenic Sources.- 2.2.2. Inventory of North American Hg Emissions to the Atmosphere.- 2.2.3. Numerical Modeling of Regional Transport, Chemical Transformations and Deposition Fluxes of Airborne Mercury Species.- 2.2.4. A Model of the Chemical Transformation of Mercury and its Long-Range Atmospheric Transport.- 2.3. Mercury Cycling in the Oceans.- 2.3.1. Mercury Fluxes at the Ocean Margins.- 2.3.2. Sources, Sinks and Biogeochemical Cycling of Mercury in the Ocean.- 2.4. Mercury in Lakes, Rivers and Estuaries.- 2.4.1. Mercury in the Katun River Basin: A Case Study of a Naturally Polluted System.- 2.4.2. Particulate, Dissolved and Methylmercury Budgets for the Scheldt Estuary (Belgium and the Netherlands).- 2.4.3. Mercury Distribution and Fluxes in Lake Baikal.- 2.4.4. The Elbe River: A Special Example for a European River Contaminated Heavily with Mercury.- 2.4.5. Mass Balance Studies of Mercury and MethylMercury in Small Temperate/Boreal Lakes of the Northern Hemisphere.- 2.5. Hg in Terrestrial Systems.- 2.5.1. Forests and the Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Mercury.- 2.5.2. Terrestrial Mercury and Methylmercury Budgets for Scandinavia.- 2.5.3. The Role of Organic Matter in Mercury Cycle.- 3. Natural and Industrial Sources of Mercury.- 3.1. Eastern Europe and Siberia.- 3.1.1. Mercury Contamination of the Environment due to Gold Mining in Zabaikalye.- 3.1.2. Industrial Mercury Sources in Siberia.- 3.1.3. Mercury Speciation in Mineral Matter as an Indicator of Sources of Contamination.- 3.1.4. Natural Mercury Sources in the Environment: Contribution of Siberia.- 3.1.5. Mercury in Geological Systems.- 3.1.6. Mercury in Soils of the Southern West Siberia.- 3.1.7. Case Studies on Mercury Related Environmental Problems in Hungary.- 3.1.8. Mercury in the Environment of the Central Part of the Balkan Peninsula.- 3.2. Tropical Regions.- 3.2.1. Scope Project: Evaluation of the Role and Distribution of Mercury on Ecosystems with Special Emphasis on Tropical Regions.- 3.2.2. Lessons and Questions from Studies on Mercury in the Amazon Region.- 4. Conclusions of the Working Group Discussions.- 4.1. Working Group Report on Atmospheric Mercury.- 4.2. Working Group Report on Oceanic Mercury Cycling.- 4.3. Working Group Report on Terrestrial Mercury Cycling.- 4.4. Working Group Report on Inland Waters.