Mercury Rising: Natural wildfires release pollutant

Fires in high-latitude forests and peaty soils of the Northern Hemisphere may loft hundreds of tons of mercury into the atmosphere each year, much more than scientists had expected, a new analysis suggests.

TAINTED SMOKE. Plumes lofted from wildfires in Northern Hemisphere peat lands and forests, such as this Alaskan blaze in June 2003, annually release about 340 tons of mercury.