Mercury Matters: Linking Mercury Science with Public Policy in the Northeastern United States.
Driscoll CT, Evers D, Lambert KF, Kamman N, Holsen T, Han Y, Chen C, Goodale W, Butler T, Clair T, Munson R. 2007. Mercury Matters: Linking Mercury Science with Public Policy in the Northeastern United States.. Science Links Publication. Vol. 1., no. 3
The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation team completed a new assessment of mercury in fish, birds, and mammals and identified five confirmed and nine suspected biological mercury hotspots in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Mercury emissions to the atmosphere are the largest source of mercury pollution globally and in most areas of the Northeast. Watersheds throughout the nation receive mercury that is emitted from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants and other sources and then deposited to the Earth. Some of the mercury eventually runs off into nearby rivers and lakes where, under the right conditions, it can bioaccumulate up to 1 million times as it passes from water to fish, wildlife, and people. The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF) team completed a new assessment of mercury in fish, birds, and mammals and identified five confirmed and nine suspected biological mercury hotspots in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. The primary causes of these biological mercury hotspots are airborne mercury emissions and deposition, which can be amplified by heightened watershed sensitivity, water-level fluctuations in reservoirs, or large local emission sources.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Driscoll, C.; Evers, D.; Lambert, K.; Kamman, N.; Holsen, T.; Han, Y-J.; Chen, C.; Goodale, W.; Butler, T.; Clair, T.; Munson, R.
- Date of Issue
- 2007
- Units
- ARD , ERMN , NCBN , NETN
- Keywords
- ARD_Park-Air-Info_Collection, Contaminants, Deposition, Mercury, Northeastern US, Policy, Toxics