Sediment Traps for Studying the Fate of Organic Matter and Associated Contaminants in the Arctic Ocean

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Funds are requested to purchase six Baker-style sequential sediment traps for the study of cycling of organic matter and associated contaminants in the Canadian Arctic Ocean. As the Arctic is undergoing dramatic change, so are the quantity and composition of land-derived organic matter entering the Arctic Ocean. Alterations in organic matter in the sea not only directly affect marine productivity and exchange of greenhouse gases, but also the behavior of contaminants such as mercury, which cycle in association with organic matter. The latter is of particular importance as mercury, especially its organic form methylmercury, is one of the primary contaminants of concern in the Arctic marine ecosystem. Evidence is emerging that the production of methylmercury in seawater is associated with organic matter, yet the mechanism remains poorly known.