Meeting Theme:

Integrating Mercury Research and Policy in a Changing World

Plenary and Synthesis Themes:


  1. How is global mercury cycling changing in response to perturbations (e.g., climate change, emissions control)?
    Special Session Topics:
    1. Atmospheric mercury cycling and transformations: Insights from measurements and models
    2. Biogeochemical cycling of mercury in the ocean
    3. Stable isotope studies of global mercury cycling and bioaccumulation
    4. Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation and health impacts in polar regions
    5. Advances in analytical methods for environmental mercury speciation
    6. Quantifying mercury emissions from energy generation
    7. Mercury through time – Reconstructing Hg-deposition using natural archive
    8. The role of global monitoring in evaluating regulatory effectiveness
    9. Comparable measurement results for mercury analysis and speciation
  2. How is mercury cycling (and bioaccumulation) changing in specific places in response to perturbations (e.g., climate change, remediation, nutrient control, urbanization)?
    Special Session Topics:
    1. Sources and cycling of mercury in coastal ecosystems
    2. Sources and cycling of mercury in freshwater ecosystems
    3. Sources and cycling of mercury in terrestrial ecosystems
    4. Mercury fate in aquatic and terrestrial food webs
    5. Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM): Current and historical emissions, current practices and future projections
    6. Mercury methylation: microbial and geochemical constraints
    7. Legacy site assessment and management
    8. Mercury cycling in response to ecosystem perturbations
    9. Regional and local scale stable isotope studies of mercury biogeochemical cycling and bioaccumulation
    10. Mitigating Mercury Bioaccumulation in Contaminated Aquatic Ecosystems
    11. Mercury in the oil and gas industry, from initial exploration through production to end-of-life decommissioning
    12. Safe and reliable handling of mercury in science & technology
    13. Monitoring regulatory effectiveness
  3. What is the relative risk of mercury exposure to human health and wildlife in the context of other risks/stressors?
    Special Session Topics:
    1. Risk/benefit communication related to fish and seafood consumption
    2. Rice and other foods as sources of methylmercury exposure to humans
    3. Risk assessment of mercury exposure to fish, birds, and wildlife
    4. Engagement of communities impacted adversely by environmental mercury pollution
    5. Human exposure and health effects of mercury: epidemiology and population studies
    6. Methylmercury toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics: human and animal models
    7. Occupational mercury exposure from ASGM and other activities
  4. How can scientific knowledge contribute to the implementation and effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention?
    Special Session Topics:
    1. Informing the implementation of the Minamata Convention: the role of scientific assessments
    2. Contaminated site assessment and management: Lessons for technical assistance under the Minamata Convention
    3. Anthropogenic emissions: Monitoring and analysis to support mitigation
    4. Technologies and approaches for mitigating mercury emissions
    5. Understanding implications of the Minamata Convention: Now and in the future
    6. Science, policy, and regulation: Global to local
    7. Socio-economic challenges of mercury policy implementation
    8. Regional Cooperation to Track Atmospheric Mercury Transport and Deposition: The Asia Pacific Mercury Monitoring Network