![quicksilver mercury quicksilver mercury](https://boatsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/710-35-853333T__79566-300x300.png)
“It’s frustrating and exciting at the same time learning that what we know about methylmercury in coastal sediments probably doesn’t apply to the ocean,” Lamborg says.
![quicksilver mercury quicksilver mercury](https://www.ribsmarine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/02_140723_activ445_details_card_01_0140_f.jpg)
In fact, those bacteria have trouble living in the presence of oxygen, ruling them out as culprits. In lakes and sediments, sulfate-reducing bacteria produce MeHg–but not in the ocean. Visual of how the toxic form of mercury accumulates up the food chain into fish. Since then, he has grown confident that the MeHg comes from marine bacteria living in that mid-water layer, but they belong to a species he’s yet to track down.
![quicksilver mercury quicksilver mercury](https://www.snowest.com/Images/0912/oiljug_opt.jpeg)
He has established that a low-oxygen layer of water in different parts of the ocean between 100 and 400 meters thick and 100 to 1,000 meters below the sea surface contains high levels of MeHg. While this scenario grows alarming in the light of the fact that mercury emissions from Asia will increase in the near future, there is huge uncertainty about how much of that mercury will actually convert to its alter ego and get to the seafood counter.Ĭarl Lamborg, a biogeochemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, has shown that methylmercury production is not a general feature of the entire ocean but actually occurs in very specific regions. “Once it’s emitted into the atmosphere, it’s like letting a bad genie out of the bottle because you can’t get it back in,” says Michael Bothner, Geochemical Oceanographer Emeritus at USGS Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center.Īt constant mercury emissions levels, seawater mercury concentrations in the North Pacific Ocean, a major fishing region, is estimated to double by 2050 relative to 1995 levels, as shown by recent Harvard research. Mercury has extraordinary staying power, cycling in the atmosphere-ocean-land system for up to 3,000 years before returning to the deep ocean sediments. Global distribution of anthropogenic mercury emissions to air in 2010. Mysterious biological processes tack on a single CH 3 methyl group to the metal atom, yielding methylmercury (MeHg), a proven developmental neurotoxin that accumulates in the seafood we eat. But coal burning, gold mining, and industrial processes emit thousands of tons into the atmosphere per year, and it all eventually ends up in the ocean. The element mercury, dubbed “quicksilver” by Aristotle, has allowed us to measure temperature and atmospheric pressure, mine precious metals, repair dental cavities, and create energy efficient light bulbs. WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - Stories, WHOI | MaInside Quicksilver’s Toxic Transformation
![quicksilver mercury quicksilver mercury](https://www.go2marine.com/item-images/334522-Quicksilver-by-Mercury-An_0.jpg)
Click here to see our Standard Shipping Policy Alaska and Hawaii orders please add 1 additional warehouse processing day. If a product is needed by a specific date we strongly recommend you reach out to our Sales team (1-80) to verify shipping timeframes.Ĭanadian orders please add an additional 14 business days for processing and shipping. Delays in both material, production and shipping timeframes by manufacturers can vary without advanced notice and while we do our best to keep "Ships: In" timeframes up to date we may not always be able to do so due to a variety of factors. IMPORTANT: Please note that these timeframes are estimates only based on the latest information provided to us by the manufacturer/supplier. Please see the "Ships: In" information located within the main product description to the right of the product image and below the ADD TO CART button for that particular product's "Ships: In" timeframe. This is the number of business days (typically not including the day the product was ordered) that must pass before the item begins the shipping process. Please be aware that all products have a production or warehouse lead time.