Researchers warn: “Mercury bomb” threatens food chain due to thaw in the Arctic

Salina Alsworth, a resident of rural Alaska, says travel to her village of Port Alsworth is only possible by small aircraft. Alsworth points out that what is considered normal in southwest Alaska is considered extreme weather in other parts of the world. People in the community prepare for winter well in advance, moving around on foot, ATVs or snowmobiles depending on the severity of the conditions.

Some scientists warn that thawing of the Arctic and other northern latitudes will release large amounts of mercury into the environment, posing a threat to the ecosystem and ultimately the food chain.

In a study by researchers at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC), the details published by the authors said that mercury from natural and human activities has been accumulating below the surface for decades but is now slowly being released.

Despite the region’s remoteness, millions of people depend on watersheds connected to the Arctic that are essential for fishing, hunting and other land uses.

“There could be a giant mercury bomb lurking in the Arctic just waiting to explode,” study co-author Josh West, a professor of geosciences and environmental studies at USC Dornsife, said in a recent interview.

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According to NOAA data, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as other regions of the planet, causing permafrost to thaw.

Permafrost can extend from a few meters to several thousand meters below the surface if the ground temperature has remained below freezing for at least two years.

As the layer thaws, elements such as mercury and carbon that have been trapped within it for hundreds or even thousands of years are released.

“Decades of exposure, particularly with rising levels from mercury releases, could cause enormous damage to the environment and the health of people living in these areas,” Smith said.

Partially melted and collapsed lithalsas – raised hills in the permafrost – left behind circular structures in the tundra of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway.

(Photo by: Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The study highlighted rivers such as the Yukon and Koyukuk, whose samples showed high levels of mercury, consistent with previous research.

The Yukon River stretches nearly 3,200 kilometers from northwest Canada to the Bering Sea and is home to dozens of fish species, including several species of salmon.

The study did not examine mercury levels in animals, which are also suspected of increasing.

“Decades of exposure, particularly with rising levels from mercury releases, could cause enormous damage to the environment and the health of people living in these areas,” Smith said.

Alaska river map

(EPA/FOX Weather)