Potential impacts of mercury released from thawing permafrost
| Autor: | Yasin Elshorbany, Elsie M. Sunderland, Kevin Schaefer, Elchin Jafarov, Robert G. Striegl, Paul F. Schuster, Kimberly P. Wickland |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Science General Physics and Astronomy chemistry.chemical_element 010501 environmental sciences Permafrost 01 natural sciences Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology chemistry.chemical_compound Organic matter lcsh:Science Methylmercury 0105 earth and related environmental sciences chemistry.chemical_classification Multidisciplinary Ecology General Chemistry Biogeochemistry Mercury (element) Environmental sciences chemistry Greenhouse gas Environmental chemistry Environmental science lcsh:Q Climate sciences |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2020) Nature Communications |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element that bonds with organic matter and, when converted to methylmercury, is a potent neurotoxicant. Here we estimate potential future releases of Hg from thawing permafrost for low and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios using a mechanistic model. By 2200, the high emissions scenario shows annual permafrost Hg emissions to the atmosphere comparable to current global anthropogenic emissions. By 2100, simulated Hg concentrations in the Yukon River increase by 14% for the low emissions scenario, but double for the high emissions scenario. Fish Hg concentrations do not exceed United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for the low emissions scenario by 2300, but for the high emissions scenario, fish in the Yukon River exceed EPA guidelines by 2050. Our results indicate minimal impacts to Hg concentrations in water and fish for the low emissions scenario and high impacts for the high emissions scenario. Permafrost locks away the largest reservoir of mercury on the planet, but climate warming threatens to thaw these systems. Here the authors use models to show that unconstrained fossil fuel burning will dramatically increase the amount of mercury released into future ecosystems. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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