Quicksilver from the skies : mercury in snow at Acadia National Park

Nelson, Sarah

From report summary: 'Sarah Nelson, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maine, an associate scientist with the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental & Watershed Research, and an L.L. Bean Research Fellow funded by Acadia Partners for Science and Learning, has spent the last eight years studying the problem of mercury pollution in Acadia National Park. She has worked as a member of a team of scientists who have been constructing a 'mercury budget,' so that we can understand where the mercury comes from, where it is stored, and how it moves into the watershed and into plants and animals in the Park.' 'In this bried article, written for non-scientists, Sarah describes her work in tracking the fingerprints of mercury in snowfall - a source of mercury that had been previously overlooked because it was assumed to be negligible. Sarah was troubled by the fact that there is a substantial 'flushing' of mercury as the snow melts. How could be be sure that snowfall was not a factor? If snowfall was not part of the picture, where was the spring mercury coming from?' 'In describing her engagement with this work Sarah provides an excellent introduction to the issues associated with mercury 'deposition' - which is to say mercury arriving from the air - at Acadia National Park. This short article will be useful reading for anyone seeking an overview of this problem.' ... /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND/