New research reveals a significant human impact on the cadmium cycle in the Atlantic Ocean. Using cadmium concentrations and isotopic signatures from seawater, scientists have modeled that at least 19%, and potentially over 45%, of the dissolved cadmium in the surface waters of the western tropical North Atlantic originates from anthropogenic emissions. This finding quantifies a previously uncertain human perturbation to the biogeochemical cycling of a trace metal in a major ocean basin.
Why it might matter to you:
This work provides a concrete metric for the human alteration of a fundamental Earth system, directly relevant to studies of environmental carrying capacity and the planetary boundaries framework. For spatial management and sustainability science, it underscores how industrial emissions can have far-reaching, quantifiable effects on marine chemistry, which in turn can influence broader ecosystem services and resource availability.
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