Antarctica Leaks 160% More Mercury Since 1800s as Ice Melt Turns It Into Pollution Source
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 7
Antarctica Leaks 160% More Mercury Since 1800s as Ice Melt Turns It Into Pollution Source
1 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 7
Summary
Sediment cores from the Antarctic Peninsula show mercury accumulation there has risen 160% since the mid-1800s and now runs at twice the global shelf average, a PNAS study led by Chengzhen Zhou found.
Climate warming is remobilizing mercury long trapped in Antarctic ice and land, with coupled atmospheric and glacier-driven cycles lifting terrestrial mercury release 550% and air-sea exchange 350%.
Ocean currents from the peninsula are already exporting 400% more mercury into the open ocean, raising the risk that contamination spreads beyond Antarctic coastal waters.
Mercury is a WHO top-10 public health chemical concern, and the study warns Antarctic food webs are vulnerable because sea-ice microbes can convert it into methylmercury that builds up in fish and predators.