Conference on Measurement of Atmospheric Mercury: Assessment of New Measurement and Calibration Methods and Development of a Path Forward; Reno, Nevada; October 11-13, 2023

This workshop will bring together researchers that measure atmospheric mercury (Hg) in order to discuss existing benefits and limitations of current measurement and calibration methods and to suggest future needs for new measurement systems. There is recent community consensus that commercially available instruments that measure Hg have potential biases and this workshop will gather members of the Hg measurement community in order to discuss these biases and data gaps as well as work to create consensus on next steps and future needs. The workshop has three primary objectives: (1) establish the current state of the science; (2) develop a consensus about the path forward; and (3) publish a peer-reviewed paper based on the workshop’s findings. Additionally, a report to NSF and a workshop white paper will be produced. The workshop will include presentations, hands-on demonstrations of measurement and calibration methods, and discussions oriented around the three primary objectives noted above. Invites will be sent to established researchers as well as graduate students, early career researchers, and underrepresented groups. The intellectual merit of this workshop includes a targeted discussion among the Hg measurement community on known biases and data gaps, as well as a focused effort to create community consensus on next steps and future needs. As for broader impacts, this workshop will strengthen Hg measurement community cohesion, and enhance graduate, early-career, and underrepresented researcher integration within the Hg measurement community. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.