The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 How big is the mercury threat posed by Hudson Bay’s thawing permafrost? https://thenarwhal.ca/hudson-bay-permafrost-mercury/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=74340 The warming of North America's largest peatland is sending mercury into soil and water. But it's not clear how much there is, exactly how it becomes toxic and how much to worry Christian Elliott In-Depth climate change Ontario peatland permafrost Photo: Don Johnston_NC / Alamy As Hudson Bay permafrost thaws, mercury is finding its way into the soil and water, where microbes can convert inorganic mercury into the form to be concerned about: neurotoxic methylmercury.