Background:  Over the past eight years, the Great Lakes Commission, under funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and in cooperation with the eight Great Lakes states, has awarded over 40 research grants addressing a diverse array of scientific studies focused on atmospheric pollutant loadings and movement within the basin and the associated impacts of numerous persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals on wildlife and human health. A substantial amount of new scientific knowledge has been attained through these research activities. The GLAD webinar series is intended to provide a forum for GLAD Principal Investigators (PIs) to disseminate information including specific findings, recommended follow-up actions, and potential policy implications.

Format:  The webinar series will include multiple sessions, scheduled throughout the summer. Each webinar will last up to two hours and will include a 30-minute presentation from each PI. Time will be reserved for participants to ask questions and to engage in group discussion.

Topics:

• Mercury sources, deposition, and trends
• Impacts of forest biomass harvesting on the mobility and bioaccumulation of mercury
• Effects of climate change on mercury cycling and bioaccumulation
• Monitoring legacy and emerging organic PBTs
• Evaluation of exposure to multiple toxic chemicals

Webinar Schedule:

1. Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 2pm-4pm (ET) Mercury Speciation Monitoring to Aid the Investigation of Sources and Transport of Mercury Impacting Lake Michigan and Lake Superior (Mark Allen, M.S.) – Presentation [pdf | 1.6 mb] Resolving the Cause of the Recent Rise of Fish-Mercury Levels in the Western Great Lakes (Daniel Engstrom, Ph.D.) – Presentation [pdf | 3.9 mb]

2. Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 2pm-3pm (ET) Using Passive Samplers to Detect Legacy and Emerging Organic PBTs in Lake Superior and their Air-Water Exchange (Rainer Lohmann, Ph.D.) – Presentation [pdf | 4.2 mb]

3. Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 2pm-4pm (ET) Integrating Multimedia Measurements of Mercury in the Great Lakes Region (David Evers, Ph.D.) – Presentation [pdf | 1.9 mb] Multiple Toxic Chemical Exposures at the Aamjiwnaang First Nations Reserve (Nil Basu, Ph.D.) – Presentation [pdf | 2 mb]

4. Wednesday, August 8, 2012, 2pm-4pm (ET) Impacts of Forest Biomass Harvesting on the Mobility and Bioaccumulation of Mercury in the Western Great Lakes Region (Carl Mitchell, Ph.D.)– Presentation [pdf | 2.6 mb] An Evaluation of Atmospheric Mercury Deposition Monitoring in the Great Lakes Region (Martin Risch, MPA) - Presentation [slides will be made available here after the results of this study are officially published]

5. Tuesday, August 21, 2012, 2pm-4pm (ET) Ambient Mercury Speciation Measurements for Tracking the Progress of Emission Reduction Strategies in the Lake Ontario Basin (Dirk Felton, P.E.) – Presentation [pdf | 3.1 mb] Effects of Climate Change on Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes Region (Reed Harris, P.E. and Cynthia Gilmour, Ph.D.) – Presentation [pdf | 2.1 mb]

If you would like to receive informational updates regarding this webinar series and/or other GLAD program initiatives, please subscribe to the GLAD-INFO email distribution list.