Combined Impacts of Climate and Tree Physiology on Mercury Accumulation in Tropical and Subtropical Foliage and Robust Model Parametrization

Atmospheric elemental mercury (Hg⁰) assimilation by foliage contributes prevalently to the global atmospheric Hg⁰ sink in forests. Today, little is known about the mechanisms of foliar Hg accumulation and how climate factors and tree physiology interact to impact it. Here, we examined meteorological factors, foliar physiological traits, and Hg accumulation rates from leaf emergence to senescence in a tropical rainforest, tropical savanna, and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest. Also, robust models for foliar Hg accumulation were parametrized. Generally, foliar Hg accumulation rate in subtropical evergreen forest was highest (16.4 ± 12.3 ng m^–2 day^–1), followed by the tropical rainforest (14.2 ± 9.8 ng m^–2 day^–1), and lowest in the tropical savanna (4.7 ± 4.9 ng m^–2 day^–1). Atmospheric relative humidity, stomatal conductance, and leaf photosynthesis are key drivers of spatial-temporal variations in foliar Hg accumulation. The canopy-structure-induced specific leaf physiological traits drive temporal variations in foliar Hg accumulation, and climate-controlled leaf physiological traits account for spatial variations among three forests. Finally, our robust models enable precise simulation of foliar Hg accumulation rates at both tree species and ecosystem scales facilitating particularly regional and global Hg transport and chemical models to quantify the vegetation’s role as a sink for atmospheric Hg⁰ uptake.