A scientific team led by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) has identified. A new and “until now neglected” route for mercury to enter the Mar MenorIn the Murcia region, the center said in a statement. The discovery was published in Environmental science and technologyThis underground water discharge, he explains, “not only transports mercury, but also, upon reaching the coastal area, creates the right conditions” for the formation of methylmercury, the most toxic form of this metal.
The results show that this route provides… About 1 kilo of mercury per yearThis is an amount equivalent to that arriving from the atmosphere and about 70 times greater than that supplied by the Bugun River.
They also discovered that a fair portion of this mercury had been released in the past: what scientists call legacy mercury, that is, residue accumulated for decades in sediments due to mining and agricultural activity in the area, and now being released back into the water via subterranean flow.
in spite of Current levels of mercury in Mar Menor water ‘Don’t worry’ The team warns that the process could intensify with rising temperatures and a lack of oxygen in the waters, effects linked to climate change that exacerbate the vulnerability of the Mediterranean’s coastal lakes.
An increase in methylmercury in Mar Menor waters could increase this pollutant in food webs, and he highlights that this phenomenon is occurring in many coastal ecosystems around the world, “which could have global implications for environmental management and food security.”