Arctic contains 'giant mercury bomb'? How it may impact food?

Arctic permafrost has been melting and it is releasing detrimental mercury into the water. This may have the potential impact on the food chain, ABC reported citing University of Southern California study report.

Researchers have studied transport of sediment in Alaska's Yukon river. Yukon river flows from Alaska to Bering Sea.

There could be "giant mercury bomb" in the Arctic, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences professor Josh West claimed.


Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic saw its highest August temperature ever recorded at the weekend, topping 20 degrees Celsius, Norway's Meteorological Institute said Monday.

The measurement of 20.3 degrees (68.5 Fahrenheit) was registered on Sunday at the weather station at Svalbard's airport, the institute said in a statement posted on X, adding that a cold front was approaching.

The previous August record was 18.1 Celsius, registered on August 31, 1997. The highest temperature ever recorded on Svalbard was 21.7 Celsius on July 25, 2020, which beat the previous record set in 1979.

The Svalbard archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Average August temperatures recorded at the Svalbard airport are between six and nine degrees Celsius.

According to a study published in 2022 by Finnish and Norwegian researchers, the Arctic has warmed almost four times faster than the rest of the world since 1979.

FAQs

Q1. Where is Yukon river located?
A1. Yukon river flows from Alaska to Bering Sea.

Q2. What is the temperature of Svalbard archipelago?
A2. Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic saw its highest August temperature ever recorded at the weekend, topping 20 degrees Celsius, Norway's Meteorological Institute said Monday.