Aryeh Feinberg , Martin Jiskra, Pasquale Borrelli, Jagannath Biswakarma, Noelle Eckley Selin 

Deforestation reduces the capacity of the terrestrial biosphere to take up the toxic pollutant mercury (Hg) and enhances the release of secondary Hg from soils. The consequences of deforestation for Hg cycling are not currently considered by anthropogenic emissions inventories or specifically addressed under the global Minamata Convention on Mercury. Using global Hg modeling constrained by field observations, we estimate that net Hg fluxes to the atmosphere due to deforestation are 217 Mg/yr (95% confidence interval, CI: 134–1650 Mg/yr) for 2015, approximately 10% of global primary anthropogenic emissions. If deforestation of the Amazon rainforest continues at business-as-usual rates, net Hg emissions from the region will increase by 153 Mg/yr by 2050 (CI: 97–418 Mg/yr), enhancing the transport and subsequent deposition of Hg to aquatic ecosystems. Substantial Hg emissions reductions are found for two potential cases of land use policies: conservation of the Amazon rainforest (92 Mg/yr, CI: 59 to 234 Mg/yr) and global reforestation (98 Mg/yr, CI: 64 to 449 Mg/yr). We conclude that deforestation-related emissions should be incorporated as an anthropogenic source in Hg inventories, and that land use policy could be leveraged to address global Hg pollution.