Abstract
Mercury has unique physico-chemical characteristics that include long-range atmospheric transport, transformation into highly toxic methylmercury species, and the bioaccumulation of these compounds, especially in the marine environment. This has motivated intense international research on mercury as a pollutant of global concern. With respect to Polar regions, scientific interest and research activities were even accelerated after the discovery of the so-called atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs), which are supposed to lead to enhanced mercury deposition flux into these pristine environments in the ecologically very sensitive period in polar spring.