Project Website (developed by grantee)

Synopsis: Mercury (Hg) pollution poses a significant threat to the health of humans and wildlife within the Great Lakes region. The large numbers of Hg sources, as well as ecosystems that promote the formation of bioavailable, toxic methylmercury (MeHg), increase the region's vulnerability to the effects of mercury contamination. The Project for Integrating Multimedia Measurements of Mercury in the Great Lakes, sponsored by the Great Lakes Atmospheric Deposition (GLAD) Program in 2008, is compiling widely dispersed Hg data and initiating the analysis, interpretation and reporting of the combined data. The project goal is to address key questions concerning environmental Hg contamination, the bioaccumulation of MeHg in food webs, and the resulting exposure and effects on fish and wildlife. This project is bringing widely dispersed Hg data, researchers, and managers together to develop new models and recommendations for limiting biotic exposure in the Great Lakes region. The manuscripts that will emanate from the project address several critical information needs for the region, as identified by federal, state, and provincial resource managers working in cooperation with Hg researchers. The collective response of project partners has greatly exceeded our initial expectations when the (funded) project proposal was submitted to the GLAD Program. We seek additional funding to facilitate and enhance the management, statistical and geospatial analyses, synthesis, interpretation and reporting of compiled data on Hg in the Great Lakes region.

Chemicals Studied: Mercury

Geographic Areas: Great Lakes basin

Project Duration: 2 years

Potential Results and Implications: Tangible outcomes of the project will include the database and two journal issues with about 40 peer-reviewed papers applying the compiled data to key Hg-related questions for the Great Lakes region. These papers will emphasize (1) bioaccumulation and effects of MeHg in aquatic food webs, fish and wildlife, (2) spatial gradients of Hg in the region, including the identification of biological Hg hotspots, and (3) temporal trends of Hg and MeHg in biotic and physical ecosystem components. In addition, the proposed project will lay the groundwork for further efforts, including development and testing of models, tracking of trends, and linkages to the environmental policy community and decisionmakers.

Project Contact:
David C. Evers
BioDiversity Research Institute
19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, Maine 04038
Phone: (207) 839-7600
Email: david.evers@briloon.org