Amina T. Schartup

TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the MITgcm ocean plastic model to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastic discharge and found that 8.4 ± 1.4 million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste have been generated from 193 countries as of August 23, 2021, with 25.9 ± 3.8 thousand tons released into the global ocean representing 1.5 ± 0.2% of the global total riverine plastic discharge.

TL;DR: Overfishing and warming ocean temperature have caused an increase in methylmercury concentrations in some Atlantic predatory fish, and this trend is predicted to continue unless stronger mercury and carbon emissions standards are imposed.

TL;DR: It is found that methylation rates are the highest at locations with high Hg content (relative to carbon), and that organic matter does not hinder mercury methylation in estuaries.

TL;DR: Evaluating the competing impacts of climate-driven changes in northern ecosystems and reservoir flooding on methylmercury production and bioaccumulation through a case study of a stratified sub-Arctic estuarine fjord in Labrador, Canada indicates regional increases in methylMERcury concentrations resulting from flooding associated with hydroelectric development will be greater than those expected from climate change.

TL;DR: Dom composition is a critical driver of Hg reactivity and bioavailability in offshore marine waters and is corroborated by experimental data showing higher MeHg uptake by cells in the presence of predominantly marine DOM compared to terrestrial DOM.