Poisoned.
The ice fields of the north (top) carry surprisingly high concentrations of mercury in their surface crystals (bottom).
Credit: University of Michigan
Posted on 02/26/2008 1:38:13 AM PST by neverdem
Poisoned.
The ice fields of the north (top) carry surprisingly high concentrations of mercury in their surface crystals (bottom).
Credit: University of Michigan
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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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.
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’
There is no need to shut down these factories.
All they need to do is buy my mercury credits.
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.
Even environmentalists need to make a living.”
This was my reply to Grimmy. You and I are in total agreement.
Europe’s already going with selective euthanasia aren’t they?
Logan’s Run or THX1138?
Hey, there’s a franchise open in your area! You too! can be a certified distributor of Murkury Credits!
The profits are limitless!
Are you talking about the China which would be exempt from the Kyoto protocols even if all parties signed? That China?
Now that the ice is back they need another gravy train
So, what you’re saying is... the real market is in Conspiracy Quality De-Icefiers?
Researcher code for bend over!
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.
from UC Berkeley and Michigan
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.
The polar bears aren't going to stop the martians in the war of the worlds!
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.
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?
“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?
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