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Related: About this forumPoison in Arctic and human cost of ‘clean’ energy
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/09/poison-in-arctic-and-human-cost-of-clean-energy/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Poison in Arctic and human cost of clean energy[/font]
[font size=4]Hydroelectric energy may be more damaging to northern ecosystems than climate change[/font]
September 7, 2015
By Leah Burrows, Harvard Paulson School Communications
[font size=3]
The amount of methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, is especially high in Arctic marine life but until recently, scientists havent been able to explain why. Now, research from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that high levels of methylmercury in Arctic life are a byproduct of global warming and the melting of sea-ice in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
To mitigate global warming, many governments are turning to hydroelectric power. But, the research also suggests that methylmercury concentrations from flooding for hydroelectric development will be far greater than those expected from climate change.
The research, published in PNAS, began as a review of the environmental impact assessment for the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam in Labrador, Canada. In 2017, the dam will flood a large region upstream from an estuarine fjord called Lake Melville.
When fresh and salt water meet in estuaries or when sea ice melts in the ocean salinity increases as water deepens. This stratification allows fluffy organic matter that typically sinks to the bottom to reach a neutral buoyancy meaning it cant float up or down in the water column. This layer, called marine snow, collects other small settling debris and concentrates it into a feeding zone for marine plankton. The bacteria stuck in this zone are performing a complex chemical process that turns naturally occurring mercury into deadly and readily accumulated methylmercury.
[/font][/font]
[font size=4]Hydroelectric energy may be more damaging to northern ecosystems than climate change[/font]
September 7, 2015
By Leah Burrows, Harvard Paulson School Communications
[font size=3]
The amount of methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, is especially high in Arctic marine life but until recently, scientists havent been able to explain why. Now, research from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that high levels of methylmercury in Arctic life are a byproduct of global warming and the melting of sea-ice in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
To mitigate global warming, many governments are turning to hydroelectric power. But, the research also suggests that methylmercury concentrations from flooding for hydroelectric development will be far greater than those expected from climate change.
The research, published in PNAS, began as a review of the environmental impact assessment for the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam in Labrador, Canada. In 2017, the dam will flood a large region upstream from an estuarine fjord called Lake Melville.
When fresh and salt water meet in estuaries or when sea ice melts in the ocean salinity increases as water deepens. This stratification allows fluffy organic matter that typically sinks to the bottom to reach a neutral buoyancy meaning it cant float up or down in the water column. This layer, called marine snow, collects other small settling debris and concentrates it into a feeding zone for marine plankton. The bacteria stuck in this zone are performing a complex chemical process that turns naturally occurring mercury into deadly and readily accumulated methylmercury.
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Poison in Arctic and human cost of ‘clean’ energy (Original Post)
OKIsItJustMe
Sep 2015
OP
enough
(13,254 posts)1. A fascinating article. The complexity of the systems of the world is amazing.
And these are what we humans tamper with at will, with no understanding of the implications.
Thanks for posting this.
OKIsItJustMe
(19,937 posts)2. You’re welcome!
Id like to think we at least have a superficial understanding