Gas exchange causes more mercury to enter the oceans than expected

Much mercury enters the oceans via atmospheric gas exchange. (Image: Keystone)

Basel

sda

Contrary to what was previously assumed, only about half of the mercury reaches the seas through rain. This is what a Basel research team reports.

The oceans swallow just as large a portion via atmospheric gas exchange as a team by a Basel researcher reported on Wednesday in the specialist magazine “Nature” .

Mercury is a neurotoxin that enters the body primarily through the consumption of seafood and fish. The organisms accumulate the heavy metal in their tissues in the form of highly toxic methylmercury.

The biogeochemist Martin Jiskra and his French colleagues have now used isotopes to investigate the routes through which mercury enters the oceans . Their conclusion: “The contribution of precipitation is currently probably overestimated,” said the researcher according to a communication from the University of Basel.

Instead, the gas exchange at the air-water boundary plays a much larger role than previous Earth system models would suggest. The entry from rain has so far been difficult to quantify because “there are no collecting stations for precipitation above the sea”, says Jiskra.

Both entries equally important

The team analyzed samples from the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic that contained water from a depth of 1400 meters. According to this, 42 percent of the mercury got into the oceans through rain, 58 percent through gas exchange. On the basis of this data, the researchers estimated that, on a global basis, the input from rain and gas exchange is balanced at 50 percent each.

According to Jiskra, human activities have estimated the amount of mercury in the surface ocean since the beginning tripled during industrialization – especially through coal-fired power stations and mining.

Plants absorb more mercury

The newly gained knowledge is encouraging, because: «A low entry of mercury through rain means that the mercury has to be dumped elsewhere, since globally speaking the emissions and Keeping entries in balance, ”Jiskra told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

New findings indicate that more mercury than previously thought is deposited on land and stored in the soil through plant uptake. This means that anthropogenic mercury emissions are stably bound in soils relatively quickly and withdrawn from the global cycle. A reduction in emissions could therefore lead to a faster decline in the mercury concentration in the atmosphere and also in the sea than previously assumed.

In 2013, 133 states signed up to the Minamata Convention obliged to reduce mercury emissions.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
NEGATIVE FORK PRESSURE: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL thumbnail

NEGATIVE FORK PRESSURE: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,I made an interesting mistake and require your insightful knowledge. As usual, the night before my ride, I load my bike into my truck. I use a fork brace and tie down the front end, then purge the air from the fork with my quick release. During last week’s moto ride, the fork…
Read More

Bart Aernouts and Magda Nieuwoudt are King & Queen Challenge Fréjus

© 2020 Triathlon Today: your news, our passion © 2020 Triathlon Today: your news, our passion Bart Aernouts takes inaugural title at Challenge Fréjus (Picture: Challenge Family) The French Riviera delivered world-class racing today at the inaugural Challenge Fréjus with Bart Aernouts (BEL) and Magda Nieuwoudt (RSA) taking out the inaugural titles in 4:06:24 and
Read More
A sign from Man United?  Solskjaer's "right hand" re-signed thumbnail

A sign from Man United? Solskjaer's “right hand” re-signed

Асистентът на Оле Гунар Солскяер в Манчестър Юнайтед - Майк Филън, удължи договора си с клуба до лятото на 2024 година. Филън дълги години бе помощник на легендарния сър Алекс Фъргюсън и се завърна на "Олд Трафорд" със Солскяр през декември 2018.  През лятото норвежкият специалист удължи своя контракт с "червените дяволи" до 2024, а…
Read More
OM: Ünder's update on Sampaoli! thumbnail

OM: Ünder's update on Sampaoli!

franceligue 1Charles Bourgoin 29/09/2021 23h11  |  MIS À JOUR LE 29/09/2021 À 18h59 Le jeune attaquant turc a réfuté la thèse d'une baisse physique de son équipe à cause des méthodes de travail de Jorge Sampaoli. L’Olympique de Marseille a concédé sa première défaite à domicile, dimanche dernier, en s’inclinant contre le Racing Club de Lens au…
Read More
Index Of News
Consider making some contribution to keep us going. We are donation based team who works to bring the best content to the readers. Every donation matters.
Donate Now

Subscription Form

Liking our Index Of News so far? Would you like to subscribe to receive news updates daily?

Total
0
Share