Title: Presentaci
1Requirements for the Establishment of Mercury
Monitors in Mexico as a Pilot Project Identifica
tion of the Technical Design of the Monitoring
Pilot Project for Wet Deposition of Mercury in
Mexico ANNE M. HANSEN, MANFRED VAN
AFFERDEN
2General Project Objective Identify the
requirements for the establishment of mercury
monitors in Mexico as a pilot project in
collaboration with key agencies in Mexico and
liaising with appropriate Canadian and US
authorities as well as private sector
contractors.
3What is the big idea?
4Extension of Mercury Deposition Network
Integration of Mexican sampling stations into the
existing network Intensification of future
collaboration in prevention of exposure
5Installation of two wet-deposition monitors MDN
requires two different instruments for the
collection and measurement of precipitation
An electrically powered collector that
automatically collects precipitation
samples for mercury analysis A raingage
that mechanically measures and records
the amount of precipitation
Raingage
Collector
6Sample and data handling Weekly precipitation
samples should be collected every Tuesday and
mailed to the Mercury Analytical Laboratory at
Frontier Geosciences (USA) for analysis by cold
vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The MDN
provides data for total mercury, but will include
methylmercury if desired by a site sponsor.
Field bucket
Event recorder trace
7Why install mercury monitors in Mexico?
8Deposition of Mercury
9General NADP Monitoring Objectives To
characterize geographic patterns and temporal
trends in biologically important chemical
deposition. To support research activities
related to The productivity of managed and
natural systems The chemistry of surface and
ground waters, including estuaries The
health of domestic animals, wildlife, and
fish Human health. (Dossett and Bowersox,
1999)
10 General Mexican Objectives Assess mercury
exposure rates to ecosystems and human
populations through mercury wet deposition in
Mexico Evaluate the effects of emissions
reduction and control on a long term
basis Identify main mercury transport
routes Fulfill international commitments Increas
e Mexican capacity in the assessment of mercury
deposition and effects.
11Who will be responsible?
12Responsibilities in Mexico
13Responsibilities in Mexico The responsibilities
of monitoring mercury in wet deposition is not
clearly defined Potential future responsible
institutions Semarnat Has the principal
responsibility CNA National Water Commission
National Meteorological Service (SMN) INE
National Institute of Ecology CENICA
14Where to install the monitors?
15- Strategy of site selection
- Far from Mercury point sources in order to
measure - background levels
- On or close to the site of already existing
meteorological stations or observatories
Automatic Hydro- meteorological Stations
(AHSs)(60) Meteorological Observatories (82)
16- NADP/NTN site selection criteria
- Regional
- Local
- On-site
(modified according to Bigelow et al. 2001)
17- Specific Mexican Site selection criteria
- Accessibility and infrastructure (courier
mail service, electricity, telephone,
laboratory) - An operator lives on or very close to the
site -
18Site selection procedure
- 1st step Application of regional requirements
(20 and 50 km) - From the 142 sites (AHS, MO) 108 stations
were excluded - 2nd step Application of Mexican requirements
(operator) - From the AHSs only 16 fulfill the
condition of potential operators living
close to the site - 3rd step Application of local and on-site
requirements (telephone) - From these 16 sites only 6 do not fulfill
these requirements - 4th step Presence of chemical lab for major ions
- Among the final 10 stations, only 4 have a
chemical laboratory close by - 5th step
- On-site verification and evaluation of 2
sites
19Location of the preselected sites
Cd. Constitución
Huejutla
Tecamachalco
Puerto Ángel
20On-site evaluation of Huejutla-site
21On-site evaluation of Puerto Ángel-site
22Who will participate?
23Project Coordination Steering
Committee NADP, INE, NACEC (Mercury, MA Task
Forces) Technical Project
Management IMTA Equipment and
Analysis NADP, Frontier Geosciences among others
24On-site Institutions Huejutla SMN-CNA,
Instituto Tecnológico Agropecuario (operator
Biol. Alejandra López Mancilla) Cd. Puerto
Angel SMN-CNA (operator Ing. Ulises López
Rodríguez) Constitución SMN-CNA
(operator Javier Martínez Arreola)
Tecamachalco SMN-CNA, Universidad Tecnológica
(operator M.C. Ofelia Araceli López Mejía)
25Capacity building US / Canadian
Institutions Training courses On-site
Installation, initial sampling phase,
maintenance US/Canada Wet deposition, sampling
and maintenance, interpretation of
results US/Canada Clean - Lab analysis On-site
supervision Routine operation and quality
control
26How much will it cost?
27Costs for an extended, subsidized pilot project
(US) Equipment
9,100 Balance, conductance meter and electrode,
pH meter and electrodes, lab-material
Installation 12,000 Site preparation and
modification, platform, shipping, custom
liberation Operation 38,220
Shipping, personnel, communication, office
supply, maintenance and materials
Capacity building 16,100 Training
courses, on-site supervision
Analysis 43,680 Mercury (free),
methylmercury, major ions Technical project
management 67,300 Personnel, per diem,
transportation, telephone
Total 186,400
28When may it start?
29Right now?
Heavy rain