Accelerated increase in mercury contamination in north Atlantic mesopelagic food chains as indicated by time series of seabird feathers

Concentrations of mercury in the environment have increased manyfold since preindustrial times as a result of anthropogenic emissions of gaseous mercury to the atmosphere. However, most records of historical change are affected by regional inputs and evidence of global impact of human activities at pristine oceanic sites is scanty. Seabird feathers contain a valuable record showing historical trends in methylmercury contamination. Some seabirds are top predators in epipelagic and others in mesopelagic food chains and thus reflect methylmercury contamination of these ecosystems. Here, we report the first measurements of mercury concentrations in a time series of animals from the subtropical northeast Atlantic over the last 100 years. These data show increases in mercury levels by 1.1 to 1.9%/year in epipelagic foodchains and by 3.5 to 4.8%/year in mesopelagic food chains. While the rate of increase in the epipelagic ecosystem is in close agreement with model predictions, the higher rate in the mesopelagic ecosystem has not previously been detected. However, the latter concurs with methylmercury production below the thermocline and conveys new insights into the understanding of the anthropogenic impact in the marine cycle of mercury.