demethylation in summer. Environmental drivers of these dynamics were integrated into a conceptual model (1). This study provides new insights on the microbial processes influencing the Hg cycle in thawing Arctic permafrost lakes. Check it out here:

the Hg methylation, and hgcA gene coverage from winter to summer, mirroring patterns in mercury methylation rates. These results indicate a seasonal shift in the microbial community, transitioning from a dominance of mercury methylation in winter to a predominance of mercury.

The researchers employed gene-centric metagenomic analysis to identify genes associated with Hg methylation (hgcA and hgcB) and demethylation (merA and merB) in sediment samples from thermokarst lakes. Their findings revealed a seasonal decline in microbial diversity, involved in.

a toxic compound harmful to human health. Microorganisms play a pivotal role in both the methylation (conversion of inorganic Hg to MMHg) and demethylation (breakdown of MMHg) processes.

researchers investigated how microbial communities influence mercury (Hg) cycling in permafrost thaw lakes. As permafrost thaws, it releases Hg into the environment, posing significant environmental risks, particularly due to the formation of monomethylmercury (MMHg),.

The latest paper from the PERMAMERC team has been recently published in Scientific Reports! In this peer-reviewed scientific publication, titled “The role of prokaryotic mercury methylators and demethylators in Canadian Arctic thermokarst lakes”,.

Check the publications at:.

This review paper focused primarily on recent research employing analytical techniques (i.e. UV-Visible and Fluorescence spectroscopy; FTIR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy; FT-ICR-MS) to characterize natural organic matter to study biogeochemical processes in permafrost regions.

Given the irreversible environmental shifts promoted by permafrost degradation in northern ecosystems, understanding the biogeochemistry associated with evolving trends in permafrost peatlands is of vital importance.

The second paper is a review on natural organic matter characterization techniques applied to environmental chemistry research in permafrost peatlands.

It highlights the formation of methylmercury (MMHg), a potent neurotoxin mainly produced by bacteria that may thrive in areas of permafrost degradation. This is of particular concern due to its potential impacts on wildlife and lives of Indigenous Communities.

Specifically, the paper discusses Hg remobilization and transport following permafrost thaw, shifts in Hg chemical transformations, and the resulting effects on bacterial communities.

The first paper focuses on mercury (Hg) in Arctic permafrost ecosystems, providing an overview of Hg dynamics in these rapidly changing environments. It addresses permafrost as a Hg reservoir and the impacts of global warming on permafrost degradation and the Hg cycle.

✨️RECENT NEWS: the PERMAMERC Project has published two review papers exploring mercury dynamics in Arctic permafrost ecosystems and natural organic matter characterization techniques applied to research in permafrost peatlands ✨️.

The PERMAMERC Team wishes you Happy Holidays!

@CiimarUp @IGOT_ULisboa @istecnico @universitelaval PERMAMERC thanks the brilliant idea of ​​our Canadian colleague Raoul Couture (@universitelaval ) who brought two of his students, and the IST team for organizing these three days.

Three days to discuss results and write papers in areas as diverse as microbiology (@CiimarUp ), remote sensing (@IGOT_ULisboa ) or environmental chemistry (@istecnico and @universitelaval ) of thermokarst lakes.

The retreat for PhD students from the PERMAMERC project took place from November 20th to 22nd at @istecnico /ULisboa.

📸: Bivariate classification of limnodiversity (LDi)) and limnodensity (LDe) for western Nunavik

📸: Thermokarst landscapes with palsa-formed (organic soil) and lithalsa-formed (mineral soil) ponds in the wetlands of BGR, in the Sheldrake River basin