Fwd: OSM 2026 Special Session - Mercury in Polar Waters

[Mersor cium]

Dear Mersorcium members,

Please find below information on a Special Session on Mercury in Polar Waters that some Mersorcium colleagues are organising in the next Ocean Science Meeting (OSM 2026) that will take place this year in Glasgow.

Don't miss the opportunity to read more about this conference and participate.

Warm regards,

Mersorcium board

Call for Abstracts - OSM 2026 Special Session on Mercury in Polar Waters

We invite you to submit an abstract to the special session “Mercury in Polar Waters: Sources, Transformations, and Bioaccumulation in Food Webs” at the 2026 Ocean Science Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. The deadline to submit an abstract is August 20, 2025.

HE004 - Mercury in Polar Waters: Sources, Transformations, and Bioaccumulation in Food Webs

Session Description:

High latitude environments are undergoing profound changes driven by climate warming. The impact of this change–sea ice loss, permafrost thaw, and shifting ocean circulation–is expected to alter the concentration and distribution of mercury (Hg) in polar marine waters. While models indicate that Hg concentrations will rise in the Arctic under current emission climate scenarios, the processes influencing Hg mobility and speciation remain poorly understood, especially in the Antarctic, where data is even more limited. To accurately model the fate of Hg in a warming climate and risk for human exposure, it is imperative that we understand the mechanisms governing Hg cycling, particularly methylation and demethylation pathways, which still remain elusive. This session invites contributions that explore the biogeochemical cycling of Hg in both the Arctic and Antarctic, with a focus on the release and delivery of Hg species to coastal zones, processes that influence Hg transformations, and bioaccumulation in marine food webs. Interdisciplinary perspectives that incorporate Indigenous knowledge and community-based monitoring are also encouraged, as are studies addressing the vulnerability of subsistence-dependent communities to changing Hg exposure.

Session Conveners:

Emily Seelen (University of Alaska, Fairbanks)

Stephen Kohler (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

Marissa Despins (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Please find more info here: https://agu.confex.com/agu/osm26/prelim.cgi/Session/254233