Mercury is a naturally occurring element that has been mined and released by humans for over 3,000 years. Inorganic mercury, released through human activities, makes up the majority of the mercury reservoir in the environment. However, only the organic/methylated forms of mercury (methylmercury) accumulate in food webs, leading to neurological and cardiovascular impairments in humans. Understanding the microbial transformations and geochemical conditions that promote the formation of organic mercury has been the focus of extensive research due to the global impacts on fish-consuming wildlife and human populations. Most human exposure to methylmercury comes from marine ecosystems, where bioaccumulation in predatory fish can result in concentrations millions of times higher than in seawater. This presentation will provide an overview of recent advances in understanding the formation of organic mercury, its uptake by phytoplankton, and its biomagnification through marine food webs. Her approach combines new field data collection, experimental measurements, isotopic tools, and numerical modeling. She will also discuss how climate-driven changes in the biogeochemistry of marine ecosystems are influencing the mercury cycle.

Featured Speaker:

SCHARTUP, AMINA | Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Dr. Amina Schartup

Associate Professor, University of California, San Diego

Amina Schartup is an Associate Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Before joining SIO in 2019, Amina was a Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Amina was also a 2017-2019 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the NSF Office of Polar Program–Arctic Section, where she developed a federal guidance document on pursuing ethical research in the Arctic.

Event Date
October 30, 2024 / 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Format

  • In-person
  • Virtual

Timing

  • Past

Event Type

  • Distinctive Voices

Location

  • Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center
  • 100 Academy Way
  • Irvine
  • CA

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Event Disclaimer

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