Quick Dips

Mercury In Antarctica

New Zealand researchers in Antarctica have detected mercury in the snow there at very low levels. The smallest amount detected by the DSIR team was 0.3 picograms of mercury per gram of snow. This is akin to locating a particular pinch of dust among the six million tons of stone in the Great Pyramid. Detection measures were so sensitive the scientists had to wear snorkels to prevent mercury vapour from their dental fillings contaminating the snow samples.