Edmund Maser

This project will study the distribution and fate of elemental mercury (Hg) and methylated Hg in the southwest Baltic Sea, and the biomagnification of these toxic substances in the aquatic food chain. These Hg compounds are anthropogenic pollutants and pose a threat to ecosystem and public health, and are thus of concern to regulatory authorities of Schleswig-Holstein. We will investigate strongly polluted and control sites, with a specific focus on a region off Kiel where >1.2 million mercurycontaining anti-aircraft grenades were shot from World War II artillery training grounds and now litter the seabed. The main aim of this study is to determine the distribution of Hg in the waters and sediments of the southwest Baltic Sea derived from munitions deployed >70 years, and how much has moved into the food chain. The project will provide direct policy relevant information to the Schleswig-Holstein government on compliance of this EU Water Framework Directive Priority Compound.