Mercury methylation in Alaskan wetlands

Two researchers in a field in Alaska. — Collecting samples for microbiological and geochemical samples in a wetland near Fairbanks, Alaska, in the summer of 2015.

Keywords: Global climate change, Arctic regions, methylmercury accumulation

We are studying how global climate change may affect methylmercury production in wetlands within the Arctic region where warming is enhanced. The biogeochemistry, methylation rates, the composition of the microbial communities and identity and activity of methylating microorganisms are the topics of this research.

A chart. — A cartoon illustrating the expected relationship between mercury methylation and organic mater decomposition at a range of Alaskan wetlands' trophic status.