Scale and distribution of global pollutants in Southeast Alaska Network park watersheds
Nagorski S, Engstrom D, Hudson J, Krabbenhoft D, Dewild J, Hood E, Aiken G. 2011. Scale and distribution of global pollutants in Southeast Alaska Network park watersheds. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/SEAN/NRTR—2011/496. National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science. Fort Collins, Colorado
In June–July 2007, we sampled streamwater, suspended particulates, streambed sediments, benthic macroinvertebrates, and juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in 19 streams in and immediately adjacent to national park units in the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network. Up to 21% of the filtered mercury in the old GLBA streams was in the methylated form. The microbial conversion of inorganic Hg to MeHg is known to depend greatly on the prevalence of organic-rich peatlands, which are more common in older watersheds in southeast Alaska. Stratification of the GLBA study streams by age group (young, 1000 years) reveals that mercury concentrations systematically increase as watersheds age. Concentrations of HgT in streamwater were 3–4 orders of magnitude below EPA levels of concern for human health or for aquatic organisms. Of the 77 POPs analyzed in the juvenile coho samples, most were below quantification limits, notably both current-use pesticides (endosulfin I and lindane) and all HCHs, PBDEs, aldrin, and mirex.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Nagorski, Sonia; Engstrom, Daniel; Hudson, John; Krabbenhoft, David; Dewild, John; Hood, Eran; Aiken, George
- Date of Issue
- 2011-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science
- Units
- GLBA , KLGO , NRSS , SEAN , SITK
- Keywords
- Coho, Contaminants, Glacier Bay, Mercury, methylmercury, persistent organic pollutants, Pollutants, pop, Sitka, Skagway, Southeast Alaska