As the Arctic warms at four times the global rate, Alaska is experiencing rapid permafrost thaw that is reshaping landscapes, ecosystems, and community health. For millennia, mercury has accumulated and remained locked within frozen soils—absorbed by Arctic vegetation from global atmospheric circulation and deposited as plants died and decomposed. As climate change accelerates thaw, this mercury is being released into rivers, wetlands, and surrounding environments, creating new and uncertain pathways for exposure.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that poses serious risks to the brain, heart, and immune system. Once released, it can enter rivers, accumulate in fish and marine mammals, and move through Arctic food webs. This presents a growing concern for the approximately five million people living in the circumpolar North—especially Indigenous communities whose diets, culture, and food security rely on traditional harvesting. How much mercury will ultimately be released, and the full extent of its impacts, remain critical open questions.
In this CHE Alaska webinar, Lee Bell and Dr. Isabel Smith will explore the emerging science of mercury release from thawing permafrost, the influence of climate-driven landscape change, and the consequences for human health, ecosystems, and environmental justice in Alaska and across the Arctic. Speakers will discuss monitoring efforts, community-led responses, and strategies to reduce exposure and risk. The session will also highlight the urgent need for strong policies that safeguard public health and protect Arctic communities in a rapidly changing climate.
Featured Speakers
Isabel Smith, PhD, graduated from the University of Southern California’s Department of Earth Sciences in May 2025. She is interested in geochemistry and hydrology and studies permafrost in Alaska, looking specifically at the transport of mercury to understand permafrost degradation and identify risks associated with climate change. She worked under the tutelage of Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental studies, Josh West, who teaches and leads a research group that includes diverse graduate and undergraduate students. His research is at the intersection of Earth’s landscapes, water & soil resources, and the carbon cycle & climate.
Lee Bell is the Technical and Policy Advisor for the International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN) and Senior Researcher for Toxics Free Australia with over twenty-five years of experience in research and analysis of industrial pollution, hazardous waste, incineration, contaminated sites and associated issues. He has authored a range of reports and articles on the impact of mercury, POPs and other pollutants on the environment and human health. He is a member of the Stockholm Convention BAT BEP and Dioxin Toolkit Expert Group where he recently co-authored the new global guidance on the remediation of POP contaminate sites. Mr Bell, who is based in Australia, has expertise in combustion and non-combustion technologies for POPs destruction and chemical recycling of plastic.
This webinar will be hosted by the CHE-Alaska Partnership, which is coordinated by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT). Driven by a core belief in environmental justice, ACAT empowers communities to eliminate exposure to toxics through collaborative research, shared science, education, organizing, and advocacy.