The possible melting of the Arctic, a product of climate change, could be more dangerous than previously believed, as scientists discovered that there are gigantic reserves of mercury between the "eternal ice".
This was revealed by a study published Monday in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, which was conducted by American academics.
According to the investigation, there would be around 15 million gallons of mercury in the ice. This amount corresponds to at least double what is currently in the atmosphere, the oceans and the rest of the earth ... combined.
Mercury is the only metal that can be found in the liquid state at room temperature and, in some of its forms, it can be a neurotoxin that damages the health of humans and also affects other animals and fish, says the American magazine National Geographic .
When children come into contact with this element, the development of their brain may be impaired, deteriorating functions such as memory, language, motor skills and vision.
On the other hand, when adults have contact with large quantities, they can also have problems in those areas, in addition to affecting their reproductive and immune systems, and causing difficulties to the heart.
This element is already in the environment, since it is released when it is fired, during mining activities and volcanic eruptions.
In that sense, a large part of the mercury released into the atmosphere is by human activity. Once it gets there, it can fall back to the ground and mix with the water. Eventually it can reach animals and fish, contaminating the food chain.
This is why the fact that much more mercury can be released to the rest of the planet is so dangerous.
Conclusions of the study
According to Kevin Schaefer, co-author of the research and academic at the University of Colorado, "before the start of the study, it was assumed that the eternal ice contained very little mercury, or nothing at all. But it turns out not only that there is mercury there, but that it is also the largest reserve on the planet. "
Scientists are confident that, in the future, at least a part of that mercury will be released to the rest of the planet, in some way that is toxic to humans.
For example, one way it can be filtered is: when the ice melts, plants will grow that will have methylmercury in their systems, a very toxic form of the element. From them, it can spread through air and water.
What remains to be determined is exactly how much could be released, and how much would be in a way that could harm our health. The problem is that it is extremely difficult to calculate a figure, because it depends on many factors.
"How much can you end up in the food chain and how? That's the million dollar question. When we get to that point in the research, the perspective turns gray, "says Paul Schuster, lead author of the study and hydrologist at the US Geology Service.
Some of the factors that must be considered to determine how much could leak, are how fast temperatures will rise on the planet as a result of the greenhouse effect and how fast the eternal ice will melt.
"What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. Eventually it will disperse on Earth. It will move everywhere, "emphasizes Schaefer.
Now, scientists will continue their research to try to answer these questions, and time is short.
Source: http://misteriodesconocido.org