The concentration of mercury in the ocean has increased three times

The authors of a new study of human activity believe that since the industrial revolution, the amount of mercury in the surface layers of the ocean has increased three times, which poses a threat to human health worldwide.

International team for 8 years, was conducted by sampling water at different depths in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. The cruises were carried out in the framework of the international program GEOTRACES, which sends ships around the world to map the distribution of key trace elements in the oceans. Oceanographer Carl Lamborg and his colleagues, having collected the data, through empirical analysis and calculations showed that the ocean contains about 60,000 to 80,000 tons of pollution mercury, of which two-thirds are contained in the water at a depth of less than a thousand meters.

The concentration of mercury in water no deeper than 100 meters, has tripled, compared to pre-industrial era, and the content of mercury in intermediate waters have increased by 1.5 times. Higher concentrations of mercury in shallow waters can lead to an increase in the amount of toxins in fish, exposing people to a significant risk of poisoning. Country areas of the North Atlantic ocean, where the concentration of mercury is one of the most high, are particularly vulnerable.

Lamborg notes that even such knowledge does not help scientists to better understand the influence of rising levels of mercury on marine fish, and people. Because scientists still don't know exactly how inorganic mercury is converted into toxic methylmercury.

Source: nauka24news.ru/