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

需要资金购买六个贝克式连续沉积物收集器，用于研究加拿大北冰洋的有机物循环和相关污染物。由于北极正在发生巨大变化，因此进入北冰洋的陆源有机物的数量和组成也在发生变化。 海洋中有机物的变化不仅直接影响海洋生产力和温室气体的交换，而且还影响与有机物一起循环的汞等污染物的行为。后者特别重要，因为汞，特别是其有机形式的甲基汞，是北极海洋生态系统中令人关切的主要污染物之一。有证据表明，海水中甲基汞的产生与有机物有关，但其机制仍知之甚少。

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.