\n<\/strong><\/span>by Staff Writers
\nLowell MA (SPX) Jul 13, 2017<\/p>\nVast amounts of toxic mercury are accumulating in the Arctic tundra, threatening the health and well-being of people, wildlife and waterways<\/strong>, according to a UMass Lowell scientist investigating the source of the pollution.<\/p>\nA research team led by Prof. Daniel Obrist, chairman of UMass Lowell’s Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, found that airborne mercury is gathering in the Arctic tundra, where it gets deposited in the soil and ultimately runs off into waters<\/strong>. Scientists have long reported high levels of mercury pollution in the Arctic<\/strong>. The new research identifies gaseous mercury as its major source and sheds light on how the element gets there<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\u00abNow we understand how such a remote site is so exposed to mercury<\/strong>,\u00bb Obrist said. Although the study did not examine the potential impact of global warming, if climate change continues unchecked, it could destabilize these mercury deposits in tundra soils and allow large amounts of the element to find its way into Arctic waters, he added<\/strong>.<\/p>\n(\u2026) el mercurio en el aire se est\u00e1 depositando en la tundra \u00e1rtica, desde donde corre hacia las aguas. Los cient\u00edficos han informado durante largo tiempo de altos niveles de contaminaci\u00f3n por mercurio en el \u00c1rtico. La nueva investigaci\u00f3n identifica el mercurio gaseoso como su fuente principal y arroja luz sobre c\u00f3mo el elemento llega all\u00ed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u00abAhora entendemos c\u00f3mo un sitio tan remoto est\u00e1 tan expuesto al mercurio\u00bb Aunque el estudio no examin\u00f3 el impacto potencial del calentamiento global, si el cambio clim\u00e1tico contin\u00faa sin control, podr\u00eda desestabilizar estos dep\u00f3sitos de mercurio en los suelos de la tundra y permitir que grandes cantidades de este elemento llegue a las aguas del \u00c1rtico (\u2026)\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nObrist recently completed two years of field research in the tundra, tracking the origin and path of mercury pollution. Working from an observation site in Alaska <\/strong>north of Brooks Range, he and an international group of scientists identified that gaseous mercury in the atmosphere is the source of 70 percent of the pollutant that finds its way into the tundra soil. In contrast, airborne mercury that is deposited on the ground through rain or snow – a more frequent focus of other studies – accounts for just 2 percent of the mercury deposits in the region<\/strong>, Obrist’s team found.<\/p>\n\u201c(…) en la tundra, el seguimiento del origen y el camino de la contaminaci\u00f3n por mercurio. (..)identificaron que el mercurio gaseoso en la atm\u00f3sfera es la fuente del 70 por ciento del contaminante que encuentra su camino en el suelo de la tundra. Por el contrario, el mercurio en el aire que se deposita en el suelo a trav\u00e9s de la lluvia o la nieve – un enfoque m\u00e1s frecuente de otros estudios – representa s\u00f3lo el 2 por ciento de los dep\u00f3sitos de mercurio en la regi\u00f3n (\u2026)\u201d.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nThe new research is the most comprehensive investigation on how mercury is deposited in the Arctic. The full results of the study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, appear in the July 13 edition of the prestigious academic journal Nature.<\/p>\n
Mercury is a harmful pollutant, threatening fish, birds and mammals across the globe. The dominant source of mercury pollution in the atmosphere is hundreds of tons of the element that are emitted each year through the burning of coal, mining and other industrial processes across the globe.<\/p>\n
This gaseous mercury is lofted to the Arctic, where it is absorbed by plants in a process similar to how they take up carbon dioxide. Then, the mercury is deposited in the soil when the plants shed leaves or die. As a result, the tundra is a significant repository for atmospheric mercury being emitted by industrialized regions of the world.<\/p>\n
\u00abThis mercury from the tundra soil explains half to two-thirds of the total mercury input into the Arctic Ocean,\u00bb Obrist said, adding that scientists had previously estimated mercury runoff from tundra soil supplies 50 to 85 tons of the heavy metal to Arctic waters each year.<\/p>\n
El mercurio es un contaminante nocivo que amenaza a peces, aves y mam\u00edferos en todo el mundo. La fuente dominante de la contaminaci\u00f3n del mercurio en la atm\u00f3sfera reside en los cientos de toneladas del elemento que se emiten cada a\u00f1o con la quema del carb\u00f3n, explotaciones \u00a0mineras y \u00a0otros procesos industriales a trav\u00e9s del globo<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\nEste mercurio gaseoso \u00a0(\u2026) es aborbido por las plantas en un proceso similar a c\u00f3mo toman el di\u00f3xido de carbono. Luego, el mercurio se deposita en el suelo cuando las plantas desprenden las hojas o mueren. Como resultado, la tundra es un importante dep\u00f3sito de mercurio atmosf\u00e9rico emitido por las regiones industrializadas del mundo.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u00abEste mercurio de la tierra de la tundra explica la mitad a dos tercios de la entrada total de mercurio al Oc\u00e9ano \u00c1rtico\u00bb (..) , los cient\u00edficos hab\u00edan estimado previamente el escurrimiento de mercurio de la tierra de la tundra suministra 50 a 85 toneladas del metal pesado a las aguas \u00e1rticas cada a\u00f1o\u00bb<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\nExposure to high levels of mercury over long periods can lead to neurological and cardiovascular problems. The results are being felt by Arctic people and wildlife.<\/p>\n
\u00abMercury has high exposure levels in northern wildlife, such as beluga whales, polar bears, seals, fish, eagles and other birds,\u00bb Obrist said. \u00abIt also affects human populations, particularly the Inuit, who rely on traditional hunting and fishing.\u00bb<\/p>\n
La exposici\u00f3n a altos niveles de mercurio durante per\u00edodos prolongados puede conducir a problemas neurol\u00f3gicos y cardiovasculares. Los resultados son sentidos por las personas del \u00c1rtico y la vida silvestre.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u00abMercurio tiene altos niveles de exposici\u00f3n en la fauna del norte, como ballenas beluga, osos polares, focas, peces, \u00e1guilas y otras aves\u00bb, dijo Obrist. \u00abTambi\u00e9n afecta a las poblaciones humanas, particularmente a los Inuit, que dependen de la caza y la<\/span> pesca tradicionales\u00bb.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nObrist will present the team’s research at the International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, which will be held Sunday, July 16 through Friday, July 21 in Providence, R.I. The event is the largest scientific conference on mercury pollution, involving nearly 1,000 participants from research institutions, governments and other agencies.<\/p>\n
Obrist hopes to continue to investigate whether gaseous mercury is also a dominant source of pollution in other remote lands. Scientists, regulators and policymakers need a better understanding of how the uptake of gaseous mercury in plants and soils is affecting the environment, including the world’s forests, he said.<\/p>\n
(\u2026) continuar investigando si el mercurio gaseoso es tambi\u00e9n una fuente dominante de contaminaci\u00f3n en otras tierras remotas. Los cient\u00edficos, los reguladores y los encargados de formular pol\u00edticas necesitan entender mejor c\u00f3mo la absorci\u00f3n de mercurio gaseoso en plantas y suelos est\u00e1 afectando el medio ambiente, incluyendo los bosques del mundo\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nThe research findings underscore the importance of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the first global treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from the element’s adverse effects<\/strong>, Obrist said. Signed by the United States and more than 120 other countries, the pact will take effect next month, with the goal of reducing mercury emissions caused by industrialization and other human activities.<\/p>\nConvenio de Minamana sobre el Mercurio (Naciones Unidas<\/span><\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00bfSaben ustedes en que consiste el Convenio de Minamana sobre la contanminaci\u00f3n por Mercurio (Naciones Unidas)?. El mercurio resulta ser un elemento qu\u00edmico muy toxico para la vida en general, por lo que se lucha por reducir sus emisiones. Estas proceden de diversas actividades industriales relacionadas con la quema de combustibles f\u00f3siles, la miner\u00eda, etc. El art\u00edculo que os mostramos hoy y del que hemos traducido los p\u00e1rrafos m\u00e1s significativos, nos advierte que este mercurio se est\u00e1 acumulando en los suelos de la tundra y tal vez en los de otros ecosistemas naturales del Planeta. \u00bfC\u00f3mo ha llegado hasta all\u00ed?.\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[594,618,600,592,595],"tags":[47819,47087,9880,48015],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149096"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149096"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149771,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149096\/revisions\/149771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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