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Adams EM, Gulka JE, Yang Y, Burton MEH, Burns DA, Buxton V, Cleckner L, DeSorbo CR, Driscoll CT, Evers DC, Fisher N, Lane O, Mao H, Riva-Murray K, Millard G, Razavi NR, Richter W, Sauer AK, Schoch N. Distribution and trends of mercury in aquatic and terrestrial biota of New York, USA: a synthesis of 50 years of research and monitoring. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:959-976. [PMID: 37861861 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02704-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) inputs have particularly impacted the northeastern United States due to its proximity to anthropogenic emissions sources and abundant habitats that efficiently convert inorganic Hg into methylmercury. Intensive research and monitoring efforts over the past 50 years in New York State, USA, have informed the assessment of the extent and impacts of Hg exposure on fishes and wildlife. By synthesizing Hg data statewide, this study quantified temporal trends of Hg exposure, spatiotemporal patterns of risk, the role that habitat and Hg deposition play in producing spatial patterns of Hg exposure in fish and other wildlife, and the effectiveness of current monitoring approaches in describing Hg trends. Most temporal trends were stable, but we found significant declines in Hg exposure over time in some long-sampled fish. The Adirondack Mountains and Long Island showed the greatest number of aquatic and terrestrial species with elevated Hg concentrations, reflecting an unequal distribution of exposure risk to fauna across the state. Persistent hotspots were detected for aquatic species in central New York and the Adirondack Mountains. Elevated Hg concentrations were associated with open water, forests, and rural, developed habitats for aquatic species, and open water and forested habitats for terrestrial species. Areas of consistently elevated Hg were found in areas driven by atmospheric and local Hg inputs, and habitat played a significant role in translating those inputs into biotic exposure. Continued long-term monitoring will be important in evaluating how these patterns continue to change in the face of changing land cover, climate, and Hg emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Adams
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - Julia E Gulka
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Yang Yang
- Western Carolina University, 1 University Way, Cullowhee, NC, 28723, USA
| | - Mark E H Burton
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Douglas A Burns
- USGS New York Water Science Center, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Valerie Buxton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2125 Derring Hall, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
- Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, PO Box 195, Ray Brook, NY, 12977, USA
| | - Lisa Cleckner
- Finger Lakes Institute, 601 South Maine Street, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney St., Geneva, NY, 14456, USA
| | | | - Charles T Driscoll
- Syracuse University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Nicholas Fisher
- Stony Brook University, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Oksana Lane
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Huiting Mao
- SUNY-ESF Chemistry Department, 1 Forestry Derive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Karen Riva-Murray
- USGS New York Water Science Center, 425 Jordan Road, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Geoffrey Millard
- Syracuse University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- U.S.A. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA
| | - N Roxanna Razavi
- SUNY-ESF Department of Environmental Biology, 1 Forestry Derive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Wayne Richter
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233-4756, USA
| | - Amy K Sauer
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Nina Schoch
- Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, PO Box 195, Ray Brook, NY, 12977, USA
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2
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Sullivan CJ, Vokoun JC, Perkins CR. Spatiotemporal changes in largemouth bass mercury concentrations from Connecticut waterbodies, 1995-2021. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:780. [PMID: 37256366 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11405-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated spatiotemporal changes in the mean and variation in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) mercury concentrations over three discrete time periods (1995, 2005-2006, and 2019-2021) across 56 Connecticut waterbodies. We detected largemouth bass raw mercury concentrations that exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Fish Tissue Residue Criterion (≥ 0.30 µg g-1 ww) in 75.1%, 63.3%, and 47.7% of all fish sampled during 1995, 2005-2006, and 2019-2021, respectively. Total length (TL)-adjusted largemouth bass mercury concentrations declined across all ecoregions in Connecticut between subsequent sampling periods but increased between 2005-2006 and 2019-2021 in the Northwest Hills/Uplands ecoregion. The coefficient of variation (CV) of largemouth bass TL-adjusted mercury concentrations increased through time, increasing from 25.78% during 1995 to 36.47% during 2019-2021. The probability of a largemouth bass having a raw mercury concentration > 0.30 µg g-1 ww increased with total length (TL), but the TL with a 50% probability varied across ecoregions and periods. The variation in largemouth bass mercury concentrations highlights the roles that changes to individual behaviors, food web structure, lake properties, and legacy mercury may play in shaping broad patterns and trends in mercury consumption risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Sullivan
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Center, University of Connecticut, 1376 Storrs Road, Storrs, CT, 06269-4087, USA.
| | - Jason C Vokoun
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Center, University of Connecticut, 1376 Storrs Road, Storrs, CT, 06269-4087, USA
| | - Christopher R Perkins
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, 1376 Storrs Road, Storrs, CT, 06269-4087, USA
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3
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Miraly H, Razavi NR, Vogl AA, Kraus RT, Gorman AM, Limburg KE. Tracking Fish Lifetime Exposure to Mercury Using Eye Lenses. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2023; 10:222-227. [PMID: 36938151 PMCID: PMC10019466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) uptake in fish is affected by diet, growth, and environmental factors such as primary productivity or oxygen regimes. Traditionally, fish Hg exposure is assessed using muscle tissue or whole fish, reflecting both loss and uptake processes that result in Hg bioaccumulation over entire lifetimes. Tracking changes in Hg exposure of an individual fish chronologically throughout its lifetime can provide novel insights into the processes that affect Hg bioaccumulation. Here we use eye lenses to determine Hg uptake at an annual scale for individual fish. We assess the widely distributed benthic round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) from the Baltic Sea, Lake Erie, and the St. Lawrence River. We aged layers of the eye lens using proportional relationships between otolith length at age and eye lens radius for each individual fish. Mercury concentrations were quantified using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The eye lens Hg content revealed that Hg exposure increased with age in Lake Erie and the Baltic Sea but decreased with age in the St. Lawrence River, a trend not detected using muscle tissues. This novel methodology for measuring Hg concentration over time with eye lens chronology holds promise for quantifying how global change processes like increasing hypoxia affect the exposure of fish to Hg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadis Miraly
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - N. Roxanna Razavi
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - Annabelle A. Vogl
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
| | - Richard T. Kraus
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Erie Biological
Station, 380 Huron Street, Huron, Ohio44839, United
States
| | - Ann Marie Gorman
- Fairport
Fish Research Station, Ohio Department of
Natural Resources, 1190
High Street, Fairport Harbor, Ohio44077, United
States
| | - Karin E. Limburg
- State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York13210, United States
- Department
of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University
of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
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4
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Stahl LL, Snyder BD, McCarty HB, Kincaid TM, Olsen AR, Cohen TR, Healey JC. Contaminants in fish from U.S. rivers: Probability-based national assessments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160557. [PMID: 36574550 PMCID: PMC9948096 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Most fish consumption advisories in the United States (U.S.) are issued for mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and recently per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become a contaminant group that warrants fish consumption advice. An unequal probability survey design was developed to allow a comprehensive characterization of mercury, PCB, and PFAS contamination in fish from U.S. rivers on a national scale. During 2013-14 and 2018-19, fish fillet samples were collected from 353 and 290 river sites, respectively, selected randomly from the target population of rivers (≥5th order in size) in the conterminous U.S. These comprised nationally representative samples, with results extrapolated to chemical-specific sampled populations of 48,826-79,448 river kilometers (km) in 2013-14 and 66,142 river km in 2018-19. National distribution estimates were developed for total mercury, all 209 PCB congeners, and up to 33 PFAS (including perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS) in river fish. All fillet tissue samples contained detectable levels of mercury and PCBs. One or more PFAS were detected in 99.7 % and 95.2 % of the fillet samples from fish collected in 2013-14 and 2018-19, respectively. Fish tissue screening levels applied to national contaminant probability distributions allowed an estimation of the percentage of the sampled population of river lengths that contained fish with fillet concentrations above a level protective of human health. Fish tissue screening level exceedances for an average level of fish consumption ranged from 23.5 % to 26.0 % for mercury, 17.3 % to 51.6 % for PCBs, and 0.7 % to 9.1 % for PFOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leanne L Stahl
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC 4305T), Washington, DC 20460, USA.
| | - Blaine D Snyder
- Tetra Tech, Inc., Center for Ecological Sciences, 10711 Red Brook Boulevard, Suite 105, Owings Mills, MD 21117, USA.
| | - Harry B McCarty
- General Dynamics Information Technology, 3170 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042, USA.
| | - Thomas M Kincaid
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 S.W. 35(th) Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Anthony R Olsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, 200 S.W. 35(th) Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA.
| | - Tara R Cohen
- Tetra Tech, Inc., Center for Ecological Sciences, 10711 Red Brook Boulevard, Suite 105, Owings Mills, MD 21117, USA.
| | - John C Healey
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (MC 4305T), Washington, DC 20460, USA.
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5
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Webster AM, Cleckner LB, Razavi NR. Mercury Concentrations in Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) of the Finger Lakes Region, New York. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2021; 81:1-14. [PMID: 33796893 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-021-00839-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The northeastern United States receives elevated mercury (Hg) deposition from United States and global emissions, making it critical to understand the fate of Hg in watersheds with a variety of aquatic habitats and land use types, such as the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Bats are valuable and important organisms to study chronic Hg exposure, because they are at risk of sublethal effects from elevated Hg exposure. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) of the Finger Lakes region; (2) assess whether morphometric, temporal, or spatial factors predict bat Hg concentrations; and (3) investigate the role of trophic position and diet represented by stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in explaining variations in bat Hg concentrations. We found comparable THg and MeHg concentrations to previous studies (THg range 1-45 ppm, MeHg range 0.5-38 ppm) in big brown bat fur collected throughout the Finger Lakes region. On average, MeHg made up 81% of THg in bat fur. Fifteen percent of our samples showed higher THg than a proposed toxicity threshold of 10 ppm. Together, dominant land cover and % wetland cover explained bat THg in the Finger Lakes. Trophic position (i.e., δ15N) was strongest in predicting bat THg in forests but was a weaker predictor of Hg bioaccumulation in bats from agricultural and urban areas. The range of Hg concentrations found in this study warrants further examination into the potential toxicological impacts of Hg to wildlife and the role of land use in Hg exposure to terrestrial organisms of the Finger Lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby M Webster
- Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
| | - Lisa B Cleckner
- Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, 14556, USA
| | - N Roxanna Razavi
- Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
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6
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Twining CW, Razavi NR, Brenna JT, Dzielski SA, Gonzalez ST, Lawrence P, Cleckner LB, Flecker AS. Emergent Freshwater Insects Serve as Subsidies of Methylmercury and Beneficial Fatty Acids for Riparian Predators Across an Agricultural Gradient. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:5868-5877. [PMID: 33878866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic-to-terrestrial subsidies have the potential to provide riparian consumers with benefits in terms of physiologically important organic compounds like omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs). However, they also have a "dark side" in the form of exposure to toxicants such as mercury. Human land use intensity may also determine whether subsidies provide benefits or come at a cost for riparian predators. We sampled insects as well as Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) chicks in 2015-2016 within the southern Finger Lakes region to understand how food quality, in terms of n-3 LCPUFAs and methylmercury (MeHg), of emergent freshwater insects compared with that of terrestrial insects and how land use affected the quality of prey, predator diet composition, and MeHg exposure. Across the landscape, freshwater insects had a significantly higher percentage of the n-3 LCPUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) compared to terrestrial insects and contained significantly more MeHg than terrestrial insects did. In spite of differences in MeHg concentrations between aquatic and terrestrial insects, chick MeHg concentrations were not related to diet composition. Instead, chick MeHg concentrations increased with several metrics of human land use intensity, including percent agriculture. Our findings suggest that freshwater subsidies provide predators with both risks and benefits, but that predator MeHg exposure can vary with human land use intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia W Twining
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - N Roxanna Razavi
- Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York 13210, United States
| | - J Thomas Brenna
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14850, United States
- University of Texas, Austin, Dell Pediatric Research Center Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Sarah A Dzielski
- Department of Environmental Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York 13210, United States
| | - Sara T Gonzalez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
| | - Peter Lawrence
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14850, United States
| | - Lisa B Cleckner
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Finger Lakes Institute Geneva, New York 14456, United States
| | - Alexander S Flecker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14850, United States
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7
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Buckman KL, Mason RP, Seelen E, Taylor VF, Balcom PH, Chipman J, Chen CY. Patterns in forage fish mercury concentrations across Northeast US estuaries. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 194:110629. [PMID: 33358725 PMCID: PMC7946743 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Biogeochemical conditions and landscape can have strong influences on mercury bioaccumulation in fish, but these effects across regional scales and between sites with and without point sources of contamination are not well understood. Normal means clustering, a type of unsupervised machine learning, was used to analyze relationships between forage fish (Fundulus heteroclitus and Menidia menidia) mercury (Hg) concentrations and sediment and water column Hg and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations, ancillary variables, and land classifications within the sub-watershed. The analysis utilized data from 38 sites in 8 estuarine systems in the Northeast US, collected over five years. A large range of mercury concentrations and land use proportions were observed across sites. The cluster correlations indicated that for Fundulus, benthic and pelagic Hg and MeHg concentrations were most related to tissue concentrations, while Menidia Hg was most related to water column MeHg, reflecting differing feeding modes between the species. For both species, dissolved MeHg was most related to tissue concentrations, with sediment Hg concentrations influential at contaminated sites. The models considering only uncontaminated sites showed reduced influence of bulk sediment MeHg for both species, but Fundulus retained sediment drivers at some sites, with dissolved MeHg still highly correlated for both. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chlorophyll, land use, and other ancillary variables were of lesser importance in driving bioaccumulation, though DOC was strongly related within some clusters, likely in relation to dissolved Hg. Land use, though not of primary importance, showed relationships opposite to those observed in freshwater, with development positively correlated and forests and agriculture negatively correlated with tissue concentrations across clusters and species. Clusters were composed of sites from geographically distinct systems, indicating the greater importance of small scale drivers of MeHg formation and uptake into the food web over system or region-wide influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Buckman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Robert P Mason
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT, 06340, USA
| | - Emily Seelen
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT, 06340, USA
| | - Vivien F Taylor
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Prentiss H Balcom
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT, 06340, USA
| | - Jonathan Chipman
- Department of Geography, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Celia Y Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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8
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Richter W, Skinner LC. Mercury in the fish of New York's Great Lakes: A quarter century of near stability. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1721-1738. [PMID: 31784923 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02130-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We collected 849 fish of 16 species from New York portions of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the intervening Niagara River and its tributary Cayuga Creek, and analyzed fillets from individual fish for total mercury. Concentrations ranged from 0.029 to 1.090 ppm wet weight, with 92% below the EPA tissue residue criterion of 0.3 ppm, and thus not posing an undue risk from human consumption. We compared these 2010-2017 results to historical data spanning 40 years to assess temporal changes. The temporal pattern was generally consistent among water bodies and species: Mercury concentrations differed little between the most recent collections and fish taken from 1999-2008 and 1988-1996, while concentrations in all three of these periods were generally lower than in 1970. Smallmouth Bass from Lake Ontario were an exception with a continued decline, likely due to diet change following the introduction of exotic prey. Overall, though, fish tissue mercury concentrations from these large water bodies, which integrate regional influences, appear to have changed little in the last quarter century. We also report a consistent spatial pattern for multiple species having lower mercury concentrations in Lake Erie than in Lake Ontario over the period of record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne Richter
- Division of Fish and Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233, USA.
- Department of Biology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866, USA.
| | - Lawrence C Skinner
- Division of Fish and Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233, USA
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9
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Evers DC, Sauer AK, Burns DA, Fisher NS, Bertok DC, Adams EM, Burton MEH, Driscoll CT. A synthesis of patterns of environmental mercury inputs, exposure and effects in New York State. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1565-1589. [PMID: 33170395 PMCID: PMC7661403 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-020-02291-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) pollution is an environmental problem that adversely affects human and ecosystem health at local, regional, and global scales-including within New York State. More than two-thirds of the Hg currently released to the environment originates, either directly or indirectly, from human activities. Since the early 1800s, global atmospheric Hg concentrations have increased by three- to eight-fold over natural levels. In the U.S., atmospheric emissions and point-source releases to waterways increased following industrialization into the mid-1980s. Since then, water discharges have largely been curtailed. As a result, Hg emissions, atmospheric concentrations, and deposition over the past few decades have declined across the eastern U.S. Despite these decreases, Hg pollution persists. To inform policy efforts and to advance public understanding, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) sponsored a scientific synthesis of information on Hg in New York State. This effort includes 23 papers focused on Hg in atmospheric deposition, water, fish, and wildlife published in Ecotoxicology. New York State experiences Hg contamination largely due to atmospheric deposition. Some landscapes are inherently sensitive to Hg inputs driven by the transport of inorganic Hg to zones of methylation, the conversion of inorganic Hg to methylmercury, and the bioaccumulation and biomagnification along food webs. Mercury concentrations exceed human and ecological risk thresholds in many areas of New York State, particularly the Adirondacks, Catskills, and parts of Long Island. Mercury concentrations in some biota have declined in the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands and the Northeastern Highlands over the last four decades, concurrent with decreases in water releases and air emissions from regional and U.S. sources. However, widespread changes have not occurred in other ecoregions of New York State. While the timing and magnitude of the response of Hg levels in biota varies, policies expected to further diminish Hg emissions should continue to decrease Hg concentrations in food webs, yielding benefits to the fish, wildlife, and people of New York State. Anticipated improvements in the Hg status of aquatic ecosystems are likely to be greatest for inland surface waters and should be roughly proportional to declines in atmospheric Hg deposition. Efforts that advance recovery from Hg pollution in recent years have yielded significant progress, but Hg remains a pollutant of concern. Indeed, due to this extensive compilation of Hg observations in biota, it appears that the extent and intensity of the contamination on the New York landscape and waterscape is greater than previously recognized. Understanding the extent of Hg contamination and recovery following decreases in atmospheric Hg deposition will require further study, underscoring the need to continue existing monitoring efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - A K Sauer
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
- Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - D A Burns
- U.S. Geological Survey, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - N S Fisher
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - D C Bertok
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY, 12203, USA
| | - E M Adams
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - M E H Burton
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
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