What is it about?
Mercury is toxic for both wildlife and humans. Unfortunately, we still lack information of where it is find the most. We used Arctic seabirds to have a better idea of where this pollutant is found the highest in the ocean, across the North-Atlantic Arctic.
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Photo by Pascal Mauerhofer on Unsplash
Why is it important?
We found hotspots of mercury concentrations in south of Greenland and East coast of Canada, while the lowest concentrations are in the east part of the North-Atlantic Arctic. This knowledge will be important to prioritize the international efforts in terms of reduction of mercury emissions.
Perspectives
With this project, we hope to increase the communication around the problematic issues regarding pollutants in the Arctic. In comparison to the southern part of the Atlantic, there are almost no emissions of pollutants in the Arctic, but we still find high concentrations in Arctic wildlife. This need to be better known by the public and global actions have to stay active to reduce pollutants in the marine environment and the Arctic. This work was also a great opportunity to show the importance of international collaborations.
Céline Albert
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Seabirds reveal mercury distribution across the North Atlantic, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315513121.
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