Air-mixing above Arctic ice may lead to mercury contamination

Alexandra Steffen, a mercury specialist with Environment Canada, told the Vancouver Sun that the ever-changing sea-ice situation is altering and increasing the amount of mercury entering the Arctic. "It's all of a sudden a much more dynamic environment," she said.
Mercury pollution in the atmosphere apparently originates entirely in the far south, as a result of wildfires, coal burning, gold mining and more, as UPI mentions. This report comes at an opportune time, Nghiem pointed out. In October of last year, countries began to sign the Minamata Convention, a global treaty meant to curb mercury pollution. So far 94 countries have signed, and Nghiem believes the study will be useful in determining the Convention's effectiveness.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/air-mixing-above-arctic-ice-may-lead-to-mercury-contamination/article/366222