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Deadly Frost in the Arctic
ScienceNOW Daily News ^ | 25 February 2008 | Phil Berardelli

Posted on 02/26/2008 1:38:13 AM PST by neverdem

Enlarge ImagePicture of ice fields

Poisoned.
The ice fields of the north (top) carry surprisingly high concentrations of mercury in their surface crystals (bottom).

Credit: University of Michigan

Deadly Frost in the Arctic

By Phil Berardelli
ScienceNOW Daily News
25 February 2008

The shimmering ice crystals spread across the Arctic landscape may look beautiful, but new research reveals that they carry an ugly secret: They contain surprisingly high concentrations of mercury, even when mercury is almost totally absent in the atmosphere. The researchers who made the discovery hope their findings will encourage stricter standards on mercury emissions that drift north.

The form of mercury that emanates from smokestacks of incinerators and power plants is relatively benign in the air. But after falling to the ground, it is converted by bacteria into methylmercury, a highly toxic compound that tends to work its way up the food chain. Few people were worried that this might be a problem in the Arctic, because sunlight was expected to break down mercury particles trapped in surface ice. Recent research had shown, however, that the deadly metal was lingering in Arctic ice, leaving scientists puzzled about where it was coming from or how it was accumulating.

To answer this, a group of U. S. scientists took surface samples from nearly 300 sites around Point Barrow, Alaska, and from kites they flew above gaps in the Arctic sea ice off the Alaskan coast. What they found alarmed them: In some places, mercury concentrations exceeded levels recorded near coal-burning plants. And the amounts evaporating from the seawater exceeded what had been recorded as falling from precipitation by as much as a factor of 10.

In the 1 March issue of Environmental Science & Technology, the team concludes that most of the methylmercury in Arctic ice comes from water vapor that’s evaporating from the ocean through openings in the sea ice, not from precipitation. They know this, geologist and co-author Joel Blum of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said in an e-mail, because they also condensed out mercury from vapors collected from open ocean waters. As far as the ultimate sources of the mercury, Blum says they remain unknown. Despite that mystery, says Blum, "The only significant solution would be to reduce global mercury emissions."

It's surprising that the researchers have found such high concentrations from seawater evaporation, says retired environmental chemist Steve Lindberg, formerly with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The problem, he says, is that "we still don't know the exact chemistry that generates the mercury” that gets deposited by the seawater. It will be important, says Lindberg, to collect additional data and generate models that try to answer these questions.

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TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: globalwarming; health; medicine; mercury; methylmercury
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To: Smokin' Joe

Oh yeah. I still remember all the “dont eat the fishes” campaigns because of mercury fears from the ‘70s or was it early ‘80s? Anyhoo, sometime around in that general time frame.


21 posted on 02/26/2008 3:34:56 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: Mark was here

Mercury has a moderate vapor pressure but the amounts they are talking about have to be miniscule. By their logic there would be millions of tons of mercury trapped in the ice sheets, which never evaporated inot the atmosphere because it haxn’t warmed up enough in millions of years.

Lurking’


22 posted on 02/26/2008 3:36:21 AM PST by LurkingSince'98 (Catholics=John 6:53-58 Everyone else=John 6:60-66)
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To: Grimmy; poobear
, so we must shut down factories to save the environment from mercury that’s not coming from factories.

There is no need to shut down these factories.

All they need to do is buy my mercury credits.

23 posted on 02/26/2008 3:40:44 AM PST by TYVets
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To: TYVets

Ohhh... yeah. Mercury Credits! Have those been standardized yet? Did you trade mark the name?

I think I’ll get mine registered as Murkury Credits. Same purpose but then you can’t get me for infringement.


24 posted on 02/26/2008 3:54:37 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: TYVets
“Almost. The factories that are not responsible for these emissions will still need to cap and trade their CO2 emissions to offset this new finding.

Even environmentalists need to make a living.”

This was my reply to Grimmy. You and I are in total agreement.

25 posted on 02/26/2008 3:55:10 AM PST by poobear (Pure democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for dinner. God save the Republic!)
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To: poobear

Europe’s already going with selective euthanasia aren’t they?

Logan’s Run or THX1138?


26 posted on 02/26/2008 3:55:48 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: poobear

Hey, there’s a franchise open in your area! You too! can be a certified distributor of Murkury Credits!

The profits are limitless!


27 posted on 02/26/2008 3:57:15 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: DB

Are you talking about the China which would be exempt from the Kyoto protocols even if all parties signed? That China?


28 posted on 02/26/2008 3:57:54 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: Grimmy

Now that the ice is back they need another gravy train


29 posted on 02/26/2008 3:58:14 AM PST by colonialhk (Harry and Nancy are our best moron allies)
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To: colonialhk

So, what you’re saying is... the real market is in Conspiracy Quality De-Icefiers?


30 posted on 02/26/2008 4:00:06 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: neverdem
What they found alarmed them:

Researcher code for bend over!

31 posted on 02/26/2008 4:02:55 AM PST by ScratInTheHat (Don't like my immigration stance? I'm dyslexic. PC keeps sounding like BS to me!)
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To: Grimmy
May as well jump on the bandwagon. Are any of these carbon/mercury schemes trading publicly? (ignorance showing)
32 posted on 02/26/2008 4:03:11 AM PST by poobear (Pure democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for dinner. God save the Republic!)
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To: Grimmy
I believe there is still a limit on how much fish pregnant women are supposed to ingest because of mercury

Yep, it started back in the '70s not long before the left hijacked sensible resource Conservation and turned it into a dirt-worshipper cult. A few bad examples were used to propel the budding environmental movement into a political force which was used to advance the cause of Marxism/Socialism everywhere, and especially to weaken the Western industrial base.

Even though the Cold War is allegedly over, that process continues to our detriment, and to the glee of Globalist Socialists everywhere.

The real emissions problems have been handled (here) for the most part, and new ones can be remedied as they become apparent.

Unfortunately, those standards are moving targets.

33 posted on 02/26/2008 4:04:27 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
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To: Grimmy

from UC Berkeley and Michigan


34 posted on 02/26/2008 4:04:59 AM PST by colonialhk (Harry and Nancy are our best moron allies)
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To: neverdem

Dang!!!
With all the world being forced to convert to compact fluorescents and an ever increasing demand for mercury, this concentrated source of mercury compounds begs for some entrepreneur with an ice shaver to take advantage of the situation.


35 posted on 02/26/2008 4:07:37 AM PST by BuffaloJack (Before the government can give you a dollar it must first take it from another American)
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To: BRL
Why are the polar bears more important than the bacteria ?

The polar bears aren't going to stop the martians in the war of the worlds!

36 posted on 02/26/2008 4:09:31 AM PST by FatherofFive (Islam is an EVIL like no other, and must be ERADICTED)
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To: poobear

publicly traded?

No no no. These are very high quality items. Direct sales only.

Here’s how it works. You hire 10 people. They sell the product and you get a cut of their proceeds. They also hire 10 people each and get a cut of the proceeds of the folk they hire and a cut of all those hired folks’ proceeds come to you too.

Then they hire ten, and so on and so forth.

This is the exact same process of social network engineering that the Egyptians used to build them big ol’ pointy topped mini mountain things.

I’ll fax you a standardized registered copy. Print out as many as you need for your business. Remember though, I get a cut of all your proceeds.


37 posted on 02/26/2008 4:10:33 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: Grimmy
Penn and Teller getting people to sign petition banning dihydrogen monoxide
38 posted on 02/26/2008 4:11:08 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
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To: colonialhk

from UC Berkeley and Michigan

Oh, so the De-Icefiers would need to be certified as true Conspiracy Quality AND Mystically Magical as well as stamped “Thought Boss Approved” then?


39 posted on 02/26/2008 4:13:05 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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To: FatherofFive

“The polar bears aren’t going to stop the martians in the war of the worlds!”

Who do you think has been keeping the Hollow Earthers from swarming out of that big ol’ hole and gobbling us up in our sleep?


40 posted on 02/26/2008 4:14:47 AM PST by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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