Mercury From Air Pollution Released To Surface Waters As Tibet's Glaciers Melt
Often referred to as “the Roof of the World,” the Tibetan Plateau is known for its unspoiled environment and plentiful water resources. The Tibetan Plateau is an expansive region with an average elevation of 2.8 miles and an area of 965,300 square miles. The plateau is estimated to provide water to more than 1.35 billion people throughout Asia.
Due to increasing anthropogenic aerosols in the atmosphere, the scientific community has become increasingly concerned about the plateau and its critical water supply. Anthropogenic aerosols are small, atmospheric particles of carbon, sulfur dioxide, and mercury that are released through the burning of fossil fuels—more specifically coal. Aerosols can be transported by wind from one location to another all across the world.
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Paudyal and his colleagues traveled to the remote location of Mt. Yulong, which is located in the southeastern region of the plateau. There, they collected various snow and water samples from Baishui Glacier, Lashihai Lake, and Luguhu Lake at different altitudes. Once back in the lab, the researchers completed chemical analyses on the samples using ion chromatography and fluorescence spectrophotometry. These research methods are used to measure the chemical components and concentrations of the collected sample.
The results of the chemical analyses indicated that mercury is sourced from the earth’s crust as well as anthropogenic aerosol sources. Additional findings revealed that mercury concentrations were consistent with concentrations at other sampled regions on the Tibetan Plateau, but concentrations were noticeably higher than in previous years.
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http://glacierhub.org/2019/05/15/mercury-contamination-tibetan-plateau/