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Mercury burden hangs heavy round the neck of the albatross (Earth Times) (1 Viewer)

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BF Newsroom

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That omen of goodwill or ill, the albatross, is itself suffering from misfortune, as a result of man's continued emitting of toxic mercury compounds. These have been shown, in new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, to be accumulating in higher amounts in top predators such as albatrosses. This could threaten their survival, by reducing their reproductive success rates, says the analysis of bird feathers collected over the last century.

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BF NewsCaster said:
That omen of goodwill or ill, the albatross, is itself suffering from misfortune, as a result of man's continued emitting of toxic mercury compounds. These have been shown, in new research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, to be accumulating in higher amounts in top predators such as albatrosses. This could threaten their survival, by reducing their reproductive success rates, says the analysis of bird feathers collected over the last century.

More from Earth Times
Click to expand...

We're a top predator, too...
MJB
 
A related article which tells of scientists being able construct a record of mercury pollution dating back more than 100 years can be found here.

Feathers, taken from the black-footed albatross from museum specimens, have allowed scientists to construct a record of mercury pollution dating back more than 100 years. The feathers contain traces of mercury that the birds picked up when they fed.
 
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