Mercury accumulation in elephant seals

Graduate student Sarah Peterson is studying contaminants in
elephant seals.  She collected samples from 75 seals that foraged
all over the north Pacific and discovered surprisingly high levels of
Mercury (many times higher than bluefin tuna!).  This is likely due
to mercury accumulation at mesopelagic depths (200 - 1000m) and
has implications for many other species that forage in this zone.

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Tracking data from the seals Sarah sampled