Kevin Schaefer
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado Boulder
Nov 12, 2021
GUGG 205, 3:30 PM
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Permafrost in the high northern latitudes contains a vast reservoir of听Mercury (Hg),听more than听the atmosphere, the ocean, and the rest of the land surface combined. The naturally-occurring听Hg bonds to organic matter and has accumulated in permafrost over thousands of years. As听temperatures rise in the future, the permafrost will thaw and the organic matter will decay,听releasing Hg into the environment.听
Here, we quantify the amount of Hg in permafrost and听explain how it got there. We听estimate future releases of Hg from thawing permafrost for听multiple scenarios of potential future climate and explore how听this may increase Hg听concentrations in fish, a key food source.
Thawing permafrost could release Hg in magnitudes听comparable to annual anthropogenic emissions from burning coal, indicating an irreversible tipping point of the Arctic system that will impact the global Hg cycle for centuries.