Fig. 2: Spatial pattern of Hg⁰ in the Arctic atmosphere and ocean during summer.

a Simulated and observed spatial pattern of atmospheric Hg⁰ concentrations. The blue dashed line represents the simulated edge of the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), while the blue solid line denotes the simulated Perennial Ice Zone (PIZ) edge. Observational data are show in circles. b Atmospheric Hg⁰ concentrations and sea-ice concentrations (SIC) across Arctic Ocean latitudes during summer. The correlation coefficient (R) quantifies the relationship between atmospheric Hg⁰ and SIC. Shaded areas indicate the MIZ (gray) and PIZ (pink) during the observational period. Observed atmospheric and seawater Hg⁰ concentrations are depicted by black solid line, with details provided in Supplementary Table S1. The red solid line indicates the simulated atmospheric Hg⁰ concentrations, and the blue solid line refers to the simulated SIC. c Seawater Hg⁰ spatial patterns similar to panel a but for seawater Hg⁰. d Seawater Hg⁰ concentrations and SIC across Arctic Ocean latitudes during summer similar to panel b but for seawater Hg⁰ concentrations. e Total Hg input fluxes to surface ocean via sea-ice melting during summer. The period of simulated sea-ice edges for panel a, panel c is corresponding to observation, while simulated edges for panel e is a seasonal average in summer.