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Updated: May 17, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Atmospheric Forcings on Evaporation: Experimental Integration of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Shallow Subsurface
Published on: June 8, 2015
The evaporation of mercury droplets in indoor spaces
Rehan Choudhary1, Fredric C Arnold, Nhan T Nguyen
1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Chemical Engineering Branch, Washington, D.C. 20460, USA. Choudhary.Rehan@epa.gov
Abstract:
Based on experiments conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the evaporation of mercury droplets in air was modeled as an exponential decay, and values for the decay constant, k(d), were estimated; values for k(d)(-1) ranged from 0.7 days to 2.2 days over a temperature range of 302 K to 310 K. Although values of k(d) did not appear to vary significantly as a function of temperature, they did exhibit significant variability for the temperature range studied. These insights can be incorporated into stochastic-based uncertainty analyses when modeling various exposure scenarios for mercury spills in indoor spaces.
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