Climate change and overfishing increase neurotoxicant in marine predators

Schartup, Amina T.; Thackray, Colin P.; Qureshi, Asif H.; Dassuncao, Clifton; Gillespie, Kyle; Hanke, Alex; Sunderland, Elsie M.

doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1468-9

Cited by 177 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

129

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Eventually, atmospheric mercury is oxidized to water‐soluble Hg II species and deposited on land and waters . After deposition into aquatic environments, inorganic mercury can be transformed into methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin harmful to the human population . Accordingly, Hg receives a great deal of attention …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photodissociation Mechanisms of Major Mercury(II) Species in the Atmospheric Chemical Cycle of Mercury

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mercury is ac ontaminant of global concern that is transported throughout the atmosphere as elemental mercury Hg 0 and its oxidized forms Hg I and Hg II .T he efficient gasphase photolysis of Hg II and Hg I has recently been reported. However,w hether the photolysis of Hg II leads to other stable Hg II species,toHg I ,ortoHg 0 and its competition with thermal reactivity remain unknown. Herein, we showt hat all oxidized forms of mercury rapidly revert directly and indirectly to Hg 0 by photolysis.R esults are based on non-adiabatic dynamics simulations,inwhich the photoproduct ratios were determined with maximum errors of 3%. We construct for the first time ac omplete quantitative mechanism of the photochemical and thermal conversion between atmospheric Hg II ,H g I ,a nd Hg 0 compounds.T hese results reveal new fundamental chemistry that has broad implications for the global atmospheric Hg cycle.T hus,p hotoreduction clearly competes with thermal oxidation, with Hg 0 being the main photoproduct of Hg II photolysis in the atmosphere,w hich significantly increases the lifetime of this metal in the environment.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photodissociation Mechanisms of Major Mercury(II) Species in the Atmospheric Chemical Cycle of Mercury

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This means that newly deposited mercury from satellite propellant may have a proportionally larger impact on biotic accumulation than suggested by the increase in the magnitude of deposition alone. A recent study suggests that climate change will further enhance mercury bioaccumulation in fish in the future (Schartup et al 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are mercury emissions from satellite electric propulsion an environmental concern?*

Fourie

Hedgecock

Simone

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A new generation of satellites for Earth observation and telecommunications are being designed and built with off the shelf components. This is driving down costs and permitting the launch of large satellite swarms with unprecedented spatial and temporal coverage. On-orbit maneuvers are commonly performed using ion thrusters. Mercury is one of the cheapest and easiest to store propellants for electric propulsion. While some mercury released in Low Earth Orbit may escape Earth's gravitational field, mercury emissions originating from many common orbital maneuvers will return to Earth. The environmental and human health implications of such releases have not been evaluated. Using an atmospheric chemical transport model, we simulate global deposition of mercury released from satellite propulsion systems. We estimate that 75% of the mercury falling back to Earth will be deposited in the world's oceans, with potentially negative implications for commercial fish and other marine life. Understanding the scale of this novel mercury source in a post-Minamata Convention world is necessary to limit ecosystem exposure to mercury contamination.

show abstract

“…Male seafood intake has been shown to influence reproduction in some studies (e.g., DHA deficiency is associated with poor semen quality) [68][69][70]. Finally, there could be other factors that explain the inconsistent results across cohorts, particularly for fried shellfish and seafood high in omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., changes in contaminant levels over calendar time [71]; differences in pollution of the fish supply in North America [72] vs. Denmark [73]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between Seafood Intake and Fecundability: Analysis from Two Prospective Studies

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Seafood is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been associated with improved oocyte quality and embryo morphology in some studies. However, seafood is also a source of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, which may adversely affect fecundity. Previous studies of seafood intake and fecundity have generated inconsistent results. Methods: In two prospective cohort studies of 7836 female pregnancy planners from Denmark (Snart Foraeldre, n = 2709) and North America (PRESTO, n = 5127), we evaluated the association of dietary intake of total seafood and marine-sourced long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and docosapentaenoic acid) with fecundability. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire on sociodemographics, behavioral factors, anthropometrics, and medical history, and a food frequency questionnaire. Pregnancy status was updated bimonthly for up to 12 months or until reported conception. We estimated fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using proportional probabilities regression models, adjusted for energy intake and other potential confounders. We restricted analyses to women with ≤6 menstrual cycles of attempt time at enrollment. Results: Intake of total seafood or marine-sourced long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was not appreciably associated with fecundability in either cohort (≥200 vs. <50 g/week total seafood: FR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.79–1.10 in Snart Foraeldre; FR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.90–1.13 in PRESTO; marine fatty acids: ≥90th vs. <25th percentile: FR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.85–1.18 in Snart Foraeldre; FR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.86–1.09 in PRESTO). In PRESTO, where we collected additional data on seafood preparation, we observed an inverse association between fecundability and fried shellfish (≥10 g/week vs. none: FR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.61–0.98), but not unfried shellfish (≥20 g/week vs. none: FR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.89–1.07); in Snart Foraeldre, there was no association with total shellfish intake. Conclusions: We found little association between seafood intake and fecundability overall, but greater intake of fried shellfish was associated with reduced fecundability among North American participants.

show abstract

Climate change and overfishing increase neurotoxicant in marine predators

Cited by 177 publications

References 29 publications

Photodissociation Mechanisms of Major Mercury(II) Species in the Atmospheric Chemical Cycle of Mercury

Photodissociation Mechanisms of Major Mercury(II) Species in the Atmospheric Chemical Cycle of Mercury

Are mercury emissions from satellite electric propulsion an environmental concern?*

The Association between Seafood Intake and Fecundability: Analysis from Two Prospective Studies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About