Core Insights - Mercury is a globally toxic pollutant that poses significant health risks to humans through the food chain, with marine sediments previously considered a permanent storage solution now facing unprecedented release challenges [1][2] - An international research team led by researchers from Peking University has revealed that bottom trawling and climate change are accelerating the release of mercury from marine sediments [1][2] Group 1: Mercury Release Dynamics - The global continental shelf buries nearly 1,300 tons of mercury annually, which is 2 to 7 times the annual burial rate of deep-sea sediments, accounting for about 80% of the total mercury storage in the oceans [1] - Since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of mercury in surface sediments on the continental shelf has increased threefold, indicating significant storage of anthropogenic mercury emissions [1] - Bottom trawling and dredging activities disturb over 5,000 tons of mercury from sediments each year, which is more than four times the annual burial amount [1] Group 2: Impact of Climate Change - Climate change exacerbates the dissolution and release of mercury from sediments, with model simulations indicating that a global temperature rise of 1.5 to 5°C could increase natural mercury release into water bodies by 6% to 21% by the end of the century [2] - Warmer ocean temperatures are expected to enhance the degradation of organic matter in sediments, further promoting mercury dissolution and release [2] Group 3: Human Health and Environmental Implications - The disturbance of sediments by trawling may reactivate historically buried mercury, potentially reintroducing it into the human food chain [2] - The research emphasizes the need for human intervention to address marine mercury emissions, including the implementation of the Minamata Convention, reducing mercury emissions from coal burning and mining, and limiting trawling activities [2][3] Group 4: Sustainable Development Goals - Protecting continental shelf mercury sinks is crucial for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), serving as a shield for human health and a guardian of marine ecosystems [3] - Integrating mercury management, fishery policies, and carbon neutrality goals is essential to safeguard this critical environmental defense [3]