Ritchie County native's Arctic expedition published in journal

Artisanal gold mining practices in developing countries also add to the mercury pollution problem, Moore said. These practices traditionally mix mercury into their sluice boxes in order to capture the gold among the dirt easily since gold sticks to mercury.
The mercury is then burned off in a pan over a fire, turning the mercury to vapor that mixes with the air while leaving only the gold in the pan, Moore said.
The increase in airborne mercury worldwide means that there is more mercury in the various layers of the atmosphere to be caught in the turbulence and pulled down to the surface over an open lead in the sea ice, Moore said.
When combined with the increased heat of global warming, which causes the temperature of the Arctic Ocean to rise and form more leads every year, these two factors can potentially add up to increased levels of mercury in the environment, he said.
The mercury that is deposited on the sea ice in solid form is the same toxic pollutant that people fear being exposed to, Moore said.
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