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Mercury in the Environment

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USGS provides information on mercury sources; mercury cycling in the atmosphere, land surface, lakes, streams and oceans; and bioaccumulation and toxicity of mercury. This information helps land and resource managers understand and reduce mercury hazards to people and wildlife.

USGS scientists -- get your mercury-related content on www.usgs.gov/mercury ->

Background

USGS Fact Sheets on Mercury in the Environment

Worldwide supply & demand and flow of mercury

Mercury in U.S. Coal

Featured Publications

Mercury Speciation and Transport via Submarine Groundwater Discharge at a Southern California Coastal Lagoon System (27 January 2012)

Characterizing mercury concentrations and fluxes in a Coastal Plain watershed: Insights from dynamic modeling and data (26 January 2012)

Increased atmospheric deposition of mercury in reference lakes near major urban areas (13 December 2011) Press release

Recent paleorecords document rising mercury contamination in Lake Tanganyika(13 November 2011)

Mercury in the Great Lakes Region. USGS scientists contributed to this multi-institutional assessment, on the following six papers:

The Great Lakes regional assessment was led by researchers at Biodiversity Research Institute and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Further information. (updated 11 October 2011)

Mercury Export from the Yukon River Basin and Potential Response to a Changing Climate (12 September 2011)

Methyl mercury dynamics in a tidal wetland using in situ optical measurements (July 2011)

Spatial and seasonal variability of dissolved methylmercury in two stream basins in the eastern United States (15 March 2011)

USGS Science Activities

National Mercury Studies

Mercury Studies in Your State

Research on Mercury Cycling in Aquatic Ecosystems

Mercury Bioaccumulation and Toxicity

Mercury Atmospheric Deposition

Measuring Mercury in the Environment

USGS scientists who study mercury

Meetings and Conferences

National Monitoring Conference, National Water Quality Monitoring Council, April 30-May 4, 2012. Abstracts due September 23, 2011. Several mercury sessions are planned.

9th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference, Orlando, June 3-8, 2012. Mercury sessions are planned for this conference. Abstracts due December 16, 2011.

< Archive of meetings and conferences >