Mercury pollution from the Amazon River threatens the Atlantic Ocean
Increasing mercury pollution in the Amazon is a threat to Marine life in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Amazon River is the largest river in the world in terms of drainage area and displacement, with a total length of more than 6,400 kilometers. The Amazon River is located in South America. It starts in the Andes Mountains and empties into the North Atlantic Ocean. Every second, about 219 million litres of fresh water flow from the Amazon into the Atlantic Ocean, a fifth of the total water flowing from the world’s rivers into the ocean. Freshwater from the Amazon and seawater from the Atlantic Ocean have different densities and chemical compositions, and they don’t mix with each other when they meet. So the stark distinction between the brown-yellow Amazon water and the dark blue Atlantic Ocean water looks like there was an invisible barrier in the water to separate them. It’s an interesting natural phenomenon.
Source of mercury pollution in the Amazon region
Mercury occurs naturally in nature and does not cause pollution at normal levels. What’s really causing mercury pollution is that too much anthropogenic mercury is being released into the Amazon water. Mercury pollution mainly comes from the illegal gold panning industry. The Amazon River flows through many developing countries where mining is an important source of economic growth. Miners use mercury to extract precious metals such as gold from minerals. In addition, the environmental damage caused by the rapid population growth in the Amazon region has been severe, with the development of industry and the expansion of human settlements leading to an increase in deforestation. The destruction of the rainforest leads to soil erosion, which in turn leads to the loss of naturally occurring mercury in the soil into the Amazon River in a vicious cycle. Increasingly high mercury pollution in the Amazon will eventually spill over into the North Atlantic, contaminating even more water.
A threat to the Atlantic Ocean
Mercury pollution is serious and difficult to eliminate because mercury can stay in the food chain for up to 100 years. Inorganic mercury in water can be converted into toxic methyl mercury, which can eventually affect humans through the accumulation and amplification of the food chain. Amazonian river dolphins have detected alarming accumulation of mercury in their bodies. It’s not hard to imagine mercury pollution already having an impact on the food chain throughout the basin. The Amazon’s water flows all the time into the northern waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which may be more polluted with mercury than thought. Mercury pollution in the ocean is a greater threat to the world than mercury pollution on land. The global ocean circulation includes the Atlantic Ocean, where mercury pollution continues to be transmitted around the world. Seafood consumption allows the mercury that builds up in the food chain to end up in the human body. People may be underestimating the impact of mercury pollution in the Atlantic Ocean and around the world.
A threat to humanity
Intake of elemental mercury and methyl mercury can have serious effects on the human nervous, digestive and immune systems. A buildup of mercury can cause kidney failure, which can be fatal. Advances in science and technology have led to the rapid development of fisheries, and the Atlantic fishing activities are frequent. Life in the Atlantic is diverse, including bluefin tuna, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, squid and more, which are frequently fished. Increased human demand for seafood has led to overfishing in the Atlantic, and all kinds of seafood are shipped around the world. Not surprisingly, mercury that builds up in seafood eventually transfers to humans.
Cracking down on illegal gold mining in the Amazon is necessary. Illegal mercury emissions and excessive deforestation need to be regulated. Education on the harm of mercury pollution should also be carried out to raise people’s awareness of environmental protection. Mercury pollution is an environmental problem worthy of human attention.
Sources: Bonotto, D. M., Wijesiri, B., Vergotti, M., da Silveira, E. G., & Goonetilleke, A. (2018). Assessing mercury pollution in Amazon River tributaries using a Bayesian Network approach.166, 354–358. Budnik, L. T., & Casteleyn, L. (2019). Mercury pollution in modern times and its socio-medical consequences. 654, 720–734. Bełdowska, M., & Falkowska, L. (2016). Mercury in marine fish, mammals, seabirds, and human hair in the coastal zone of the southern Baltic. 227(2), 52.