THOUSANDS of tonnes of mercury have polluted the world’s atmosphere, reaching remote regions such as the Arctic and altitudes of over 7 kilometres.
Research flights organised by Cathy Banic of the Meteorological Service of Canada have tracked the airborne mercury across the Canadian north. She estimates the atmosphere contains more than 2500 tonnes of the toxic element (Journal of Geophysical Research, DOI: 10.1029/2002JD002116).
Lower concentrations in the lower atmosphere suggest that mercury gets caught up in clouds, and then falls to earth in rain, where it turns up in Arctic whale and seal meat. The findings come days after…
