On May 31st, it was the launch of a partnership to disseminate the science in Técnico with Padre António Vieira Secondary School, in Lisbon. This partnership under the project “Biogeochemistry and impact of mercury in areas of permafrost degradation (PERMAMERC)”, sponsored by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), coordinated by João Canário, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) and researcher at the Center for Structural Chemistry (CQE), which aims to disseminate Polar Sciences in secondary education. In particular, the role of climate change in the degradation of the permanently icy Arctic soil and the consequent release of mercury into boreal ecosystems will be addressed. The launch of this partnership in Lisbon was attended by The Minister of Education João Costa who sponsored the initiative.
The funded project includes research on these topics on the ground, as well as a link to both Portuguese and Inuit student communities, in Canada. Their local realities and their involvement with the environment will be taken into account, and students will be the ones who are most interested in deepening from a scientific point of view. Consideration will also be given to school curricula, especially geography, biology, chemistry and physics, for greater complementarity of formal and non-formal learning. The ultimate goal is to bring young people closer to scientific research, and to involve them in co-creation projects. In this way, the construction of a more informed society with greater environmental awareness will be promoted.
During the next two years will be carried out several activities of scientific pedagogical nature with students of the 9th and 12th year of the Padre António Vieira Secondary School, who will be invited to know the laboratories of Técnico and the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), partner school of the project together with the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), where scientists are working on these topics, as well as taking them on field exits so they can learn to use the same tools that researchers need for arctic study – only without the ice.
About the project
The recent rise in global temperature has had its greatest impact on the Arctic and, among other consequences, has led to the degradation of permafrost (permanently icy soil), a major environmental problem.
Permanently icy soils have been considered a barrier to the transport of pollutants, however, arctic warming may lead to an increase in the mobility of contaminants historically retained in these soils.
Many studies on pollutants in the Arctic have been focused on environmental compartments other than permanently icy soils. In fact, in addition to estimating the amount of pollutants accumulated, only recently has the scientific community begun to pay particular attention to the study of biogeochemical processes of heavy metals and persistent organic compounds in permanently frozen soils. These studies become pressing, mainly for mercury (Hg). In a recent work, it was estimated that the permanently icy soils of the northern hemisphere would contain about 1656 g of mercury, which is twice that of all metal co-existing in the ocean, atmosphere and soils. This worrying situation points to the urgent need for scientific studies to understand the consequences and impacts on the environment resulting from the accelerated degradation of permanently frozen soil and the consequent release of mercury for all Arctic ecosystems.
The PERMAMERC project aims to contribute to a better knowledge of the mercury cycle in permanently icy soil degradation environments It also aims to contribute to better understand the importance of permanent icy soil degradation in the global mercury cycle and also to assess its impact on arctic ecology, ecosystem services and human health of Inuit communities.
