Collaborative Research: Methylmercury Interactions with Marine Plankton

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Methylmercury (MeHg) causes a variety of adverse health effects in exposed humans and wildlife but its formation and cycling in oceanic waters have not been fully characterized or quantified. This research program seeks to better understand factors controlling the production, fate, phytoplankton uptake, and transfer of MeHg in the marine environment A combination of laboratory, field studies and modeling efforts will investigate the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer in aquatic food webs, and implications that this may have on the global transport of this potent neurotoxin. Laboratory and coastal field studies of MeHg interactions with different types of phytoplankton, interaction with specific organic compounds, effects of light and temperature are all expected to influence MeHg binding and or uptake into phytoplankton. Broader impacts of the work include: 1) provision of policy relevant information in support of monitoring and evaluation efforts for control of anthropogenic mercury releases; 2) informing education on marine conservation and sustainability by developing a case study on mercury in the marine environment; and 3) training the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists