If you thought melting ice sheets only raised environmental red flags in terms of #GlobalWarming and rising sea levels, you are in for an unfortunate surprise.
In a recent discovery, scientists have found a melting ice sheet in the southwestern region of #Greenland that is releasing huge amounts of mercury into the nearby rivers and fjords (narrow, deep inlets created by glaciers).
These reports highlighting the concentration of toxic mercury in rivers are grave in nature, as they are comparable to the pollution level of rivers in industrial China, which contribute about one-third to the world’s mercury pollution.
This has raised alarm all across the world, as questions are being raised about the effects of glacier melting in an area that is a major exporter of seafood, including cold-water shrimp, halibut, and cod.
"There are surprisingly high levels of mercury in the glacial meltwaters we sampled in southwest Greenland," said Jon Hawkings, a postdoctoral researcher at Florida State University and the German Research Centre for Geosciences.
Initially in the study, researchers sampled water from three different rivers and two fjords next to the ice sheet to gain a better understanding of meltwater water quality from the glacier, & how nutrients in these meltwaters may sustain coastal ecosystems.
The results they uncovered from these samples were quite surprising, as mercury levels were found to be in excess of 150 ng L-1—far higher than an average river that typically has about 1-10 ng L-1.
Further, these findings highlight the complex impact of climate change and rising temperatures, under which 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface that is covered by glaciers is undergoing rapid change.
Interestingly, the authors of this study noted that the source of mercury in these glaciers is likely the Earth itself, as opposed to fossil fuel combustion or other industrial sources.
@deekshith_np On May 20, 2020, the Super Cyclone Amphan ripped through West Bengal killing 128 people and became the costliest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean after destroying properties worth ₹1 lakh crores.
@deekshith_np On May 3, 2019, Extremely Severe Cyclone Fani wreaked havoc across #Odisha and #WestBengal, killing 89 and causing nearly ₹60,000 crores in damages.
#CycloneYaas lies 45 km away from the coast and is moving towards it at 15 kmph. The #landfall process is likely to commence in the next two hours, confirms IMD.
#CycloneYaas: The storm possesses wind speeds of around 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph and is likely to maintain similar intensity during landfall between Dhamra and Balasore.
A landfall, in simple words, is the storm moving over the land after its intensification in the ocean (heat source). Therefore, a cyclone is said to make landfall when the centre of the storm (eye) moves across the coast.
The landfall usually brings with it high-speed winds, severe storm surge and torrential downpour, all of which can have a severe impact on the region. The storm usually weakens rapidly after landfall as the ocean heat and moisture that fuels the storm are no longer available.
Nearly two full years after the last total lunar eclipse, the sky gazers are all set to witness a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, May 26. The last total lunar eclipse occurred on January 21, 2019.
(📸: Moses Sawasawa, Justin Katumwa/AFP via Getty Images)
Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of #Congo erupted on Saturday for the first time in nearly 20 years, causing 15 deaths and destroying hundreds of homes.
The eruption created a river of lava, which engulfed hundreds of homes and sparked fires on the edge of Goma, a #Congo city of 2 million. Reuters reported that 17 villages were affected by the lava, according to government spokesman Patrick Muyaya.