Determination of mercury in ambient air using highly time resolved on-linemethods

In this work we present recently marketed automated analysers for the on-li ne determination of mercury in ambient air. Examples show the wide range of possible applications of these instruments in environmental research and m onitoring. Presented applications include long-term monitoring of atmospher ic mercury at a coastal station, rapid on-sire screening methods for Hg-con taminated soils and indoor air, the quantification of mercury emissions fro m soils and the operation onboard of research aircraft. First results obtai ned with a new method for the determination of reactive gaseous mercury spe cies at a monitoring station of the German Federal Environmental Protection Agency are presented. Measures taken for quality assurance as well as pros and cons of the automated analysers for different study purposes are prese nted and discussed.