Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury.
Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study published in Nature Water, led by Eric Capo at Umea University, which suggests that similar processes could occur in today’s warming oceans.
Methylmercury is a highly toxic compound that accumulates in fish and seafood, posing severe health risks to humans. It is formed when certain microbes convert inorganic mercury under low-oxygen conditions.
Today, climate change is causing such oxygen-depleted areas to expand in coastal marine environments, including parts of the Baltic Sea. Warmer and more stagnant waters mix less efficiently, and increased algal blooms contribute to oxygen loss in deeper layers, creating ideal conditions for these microbes.
Read More: Umea University
Image: Eric Capo, Assistant Professor at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience, Umea University (Credit: Mattias Pettersson)
