Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Mark E Brigham (Former Employee)

Science and Products

link
Dragonfly

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National Park indicates that decreases in mercury emissions resulted in mercury reduction in water from these remote lakes, but mercury declines in biota were significant in only one of three lakes, likely because resident biota integrate exposure over much...
By
Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National Park indicates that decreases in mercury emissions resulted in mercury reduction in water from these remote lakes, but mercury declines in biota were significant in only one of three lakes, likely because resident biota integrate exposure over much...
Learn More
link
Thermoelectric power plant with cooling towers, smokestacks, and transmission towers

Mercury

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the human nervous system. Eating fish contaminated with mercury can cause serious harm to people and wildlife.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Mercury

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the human nervous system. Eating fish contaminated with mercury can cause serious harm to people and wildlife.
Learn More
link
Burning coal for energy production contributes large amounts of mercury to the atmosphere

Comprehensive Assessment of Mercury in Streams Explains Major Sources, Cycling, and Effects

A new USGS report, Mercury in the Nation's Streams—Levels, Trends, and Implications, presents a comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination in streams across the United States. It highlights the importance of environmental processes, monitoring, and control strategies for understanding and reducing stream mercury levels. This report summarizes selected stream studies conducted by the U.S...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Comprehensive Assessment of Mercury in Streams Explains Major Sources, Cycling, and Effects

A new USGS report, Mercury in the Nation's Streams—Levels, Trends, and Implications, presents a comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination in streams across the United States. It highlights the importance of environmental processes, monitoring, and control strategies for understanding and reducing stream mercury levels. This report summarizes selected stream studies conducted by the U.S...
Learn More
link
Voyageurs National Park

Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that mercury concentrations in shallow waters and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, were not consistent with decreases in the wet atmospheric deposition of mercury recorded at nearby monitoring stations for over a decade. Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury (Hg) that accumulates and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that mercury concentrations in shallow waters and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, were not consistent with decreases in the wet atmospheric deposition of mercury recorded at nearby monitoring stations for over a decade. Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury (Hg) that accumulates and...
Learn More

Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Water and Bottom Sediment in Great Lakes Tributaries, 2014 - Collection Methods, Analytical Methods, Quality Assurance Analyses, and Data

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and St. Cloud State University (SCSU), identified the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and bottom sediment collected in 2014 at 65 sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The 2014 effort is part of a long-term study that began in 2010. Included in this directory are colle
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Water and Bottom Sediment in Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2013 - Analytical Methods, Collection Methods, Environmental Data, and Quality Assurance

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), identified the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and bottom sediment collected in 2013 at 57 sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The 2013 effort is part of a long-term study that began in 2010. Included in this direct
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team
Bemidji oil spill research team group photo
Bemidji oil spill research team group photo
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Group photo of USGS Bemidi oil spill research team meeting in June of 2019 at Ruttgers Birchmont Lodge in Bemidji, MN.

By
Ecosystems, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Group photo of USGS Bemidi oil spill research team meeting in June of 2019 at Ruttgers Birchmont Lodge in Bemidji, MN.

By
Ecosystems, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park
Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe
Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park. A burned tree is in the foreground from a previous wildland fire.

By
Water Resources, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park. A burned tree is in the foreground from a previous wildland fire.

By
Water Resources, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Filter Total Items: 45

Analysis of groundwater and surface water in areas of isoxaflutole application, Tuscola and Kalamazoo Counties, Michigan

The herbicide 5-cyclopropyl-4-(2-methylsulfonyl-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl) isoxazole, also known as isoxaflutole (IXF), was conditionally approved for use on corn in Michigan in 2015. The fate of IXF and its degradates in different environmental settings and the processes by which these compounds move to groundwater or to surface-water bodies have been previously studied, but little information abo
Authors
Carol L. Luukkonen, Mark E. Brigham
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Long-term trends in regional wet mercury deposition and lacustrine mercury concentrations in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park

Although anthropogenic mercury (Hg) releases to the environment have been substantially lowered in the United States and Canada since 1990, concerns remain for contamination in fish from remote lakes and rivers where atmospheric deposition is the predominant source of mercury. How have aquatic ecosystems responded? We report on one of the longest known multimedia data sets for mercury in atmospher
Authors
Mark E. Brigham, David D. VanderMeulen, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft, Ryan P. Maki, John F. DeWild
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Methylmercury-Total mercury ratios in predator and primary consumer insects from Adirondack streams (New York, USA)

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects biota in remote settings due to atmospheric deposition of inorganic Hg, and its conversion to methylmercury (MeHg), the bioaccumulating and toxic form. Characterizing biotic MeHg is important for evaluating aquatic ecosystem responses to changes in Hg inputs. Aquatic insects possess many qualities desired for MeHg biomonitoring, but are not widely us
Authors
Karen Riva-Murray, Paul M. Bradley, Mark E. Brigham
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center

Environmentally relevant chemical mixtures of concern in waters of United States tributaries to the Great Lakes

The North American Great Lakes are a vital natural resource that provide fish and wildlife habitat, as well as drinking water and waste assimilation services for millions of people. Tributaries to the Great Lakes receive chemical inputs from various point and nonpoint sources, and thus are expected to have complex mixtures of chemicals. However, our understanding of the co‐occurrence of specific c
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Richard L. Kiesling, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Zachary G. Jorgenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Drain tiles and groundwater resources: Understanding the relations

Executive SummaryDrainage for agricultural production over the past 150 years has been an integral component of human-driven change to Minnesota’s rural landscapes.Benefits of drainageHistorically, poorly drained soils across much of the State would often remain saturated or flooded after spring snowmelt, preventing timely farm operations such as tilling and planting crops (Arneman, 1963). Install
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Timothy Gillette, Kristen Blann, Mary Coburn, Bryce Hoppie, Suzanne Rhees
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: I. Patterns of occurrence

Human activities introduce a variety of chemicals to the Laurentian Great Lakes including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, plasticizers, and solvents (collectively referred to as contaminants of emerging concern or CECs) potentially threatening the vitality of these valuable ecosystems. We conducted a basin-wide study to identify the presence of CECs and other chemicals of interest i
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Kathy Lee, Jo A. Banda, Steven J. Choy, Daniel J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Jeremy N. Moore, Zachary G. Jorgenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: II. Biological consequences of exposure

The Laurentian Great Lakes contain one fifth of the world’s surface freshwater and have been impacted by human activity since the Industrial Revolution. In addition to legacy contaminants, nitrification and invasive species, this aquatic ecosystem is also the recipient of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) with poorly understood biological consequences. In the current study, we documented the
Authors
Linnea M. Thomas, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Mark E. Brigham, Steven J. Choy, Jeremy N. Moore, Jo A. Banda, D.J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Basin: A report on sediment, water, and fish tissue chemistry collected in 2010-2012

Despite being detected at low levels in surface waters and sediments across the United States, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the Great Lakes Basin are not well characterized in terms of spatial and temporal occurrence. Additionally, although the detrimental effects of exposure to CECs on fish and wildlife have been documented for many CECs in laboratory studies, we do not adequately u
Authors
Steven J. Choy, Mandy L. Annis, JoAnn Banda, Sarah R. Bowman, Mark E. Brigham, Sarah M. Elliott, Daniel J. Gefell, Mark D. Jankowski, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Kathy Lee, Jeremy N. Moore, William A. Tucker
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Lake levels and water quality in comparison to fish mercury body burdens, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2013–15

Within Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, lake levels are controlled by a series of dams to support a variety of uses. Previous research indicates a link between these artificially maintained water levels, referred to as rule curves, and mercury concentrations in fish owing to the drying and rewetting of wetlands and other nearshore areas, which may release methylmercury into the water when inu
Authors
Victoria G. Christensen, James H. Larson, Ryan P. Maki, Mark B. Sandheinrich, Mark E. Brigham, Claire Kissane, Jamie F. LeDuc
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Trends in mercury wet deposition and mercury air concentrations across the U.S. and Canada

This study examined the spatial and temporal trends of mercury (Hg) in wet deposition and air concentrations in the United States (U.S.) and Canada between 1997 and 2013. Data were obtained from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and Environment Canada monitoring networks, and other sources. Of the 19 sites with data records from 1997–2013, 53% had significant negative trends in Hg
Authors
Peter S. Weiss-Penzias, David A. Gay, Mark E. Brigham, Matthew T. Parsons, Mae S. Gustin, Arnout ter Shure
By
Water Resources Mission Area, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Hydraulic and biochemical gradients limit wetland mercury supply to an Adirondack stream

Net fluxes (change between upstream and downstream margins) for water, methylmercury (MeHg), total mercury (THg), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chloride (Cl) were assessed twice in an Adirondack stream reach (Sixmile Brook, USA), to test the hypothesized importance of wetland-stream hydraulic and chemical gradients as fundamental controls on fluvial mercury (Hg) supply. The 500 m study reach
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Douglas A. Burns, Judson Harvey, Celeste A. Journey, Mark E. Brigham, Karen Riva-Murray
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Optimizing fish sampling for fish - mercury bioaccumulation factors

Fish Bioaccumulation Factors (BAFs; ratios of mercury (Hg) in fish (Hgfish) and water (Hgwater)) are used to develop Total Maximum Daily Load and water quality criteria for Hg-impaired waters. Both applications require representative Hgfish estimates and, thus, are sensitive to sampling and data-treatment methods. Data collected by fixed protocol from 11 streams in 5 states distributed across the
Authors
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Karen Riva-Murray, Christopher D. Knightes, Celeste A. Journey, Lia C. Chasar, Mark E. Brigham, Paul M. Bradley
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National...

Read Article
Decreased Pollution Has Mixed Effects on Minnesota Lakes

Decreased Pollution Has Mixed Effects on Minnesota Lakes

Methylmercury contamination is decreasing in some lakes in northern Minnesota as a result of reduced mercury pollution, according to a U.S. Geological...
Read Article

Science and Products

link
Dragonfly

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National Park indicates that decreases in mercury emissions resulted in mercury reduction in water from these remote lakes, but mercury declines in biota were significant in only one of three lakes, likely because resident biota integrate exposure over much...
By
Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National Park indicates that decreases in mercury emissions resulted in mercury reduction in water from these remote lakes, but mercury declines in biota were significant in only one of three lakes, likely because resident biota integrate exposure over much...
Learn More
link
Thermoelectric power plant with cooling towers, smokestacks, and transmission towers

Mercury

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the human nervous system. Eating fish contaminated with mercury can cause serious harm to people and wildlife.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
link

Mercury

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the human nervous system. Eating fish contaminated with mercury can cause serious harm to people and wildlife.
Learn More
link
Burning coal for energy production contributes large amounts of mercury to the atmosphere

Comprehensive Assessment of Mercury in Streams Explains Major Sources, Cycling, and Effects

A new USGS report, Mercury in the Nation's Streams—Levels, Trends, and Implications, presents a comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination in streams across the United States. It highlights the importance of environmental processes, monitoring, and control strategies for understanding and reducing stream mercury levels. This report summarizes selected stream studies conducted by the U.S...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Comprehensive Assessment of Mercury in Streams Explains Major Sources, Cycling, and Effects

A new USGS report, Mercury in the Nation's Streams—Levels, Trends, and Implications, presents a comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination in streams across the United States. It highlights the importance of environmental processes, monitoring, and control strategies for understanding and reducing stream mercury levels. This report summarizes selected stream studies conducted by the U.S...
Learn More
link
Voyageurs National Park

Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that mercury concentrations in shallow waters and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, were not consistent with decreases in the wet atmospheric deposition of mercury recorded at nearby monitoring stations for over a decade. Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury (Hg) that accumulates and...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Complex Response to Decline in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that mercury concentrations in shallow waters and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in fish in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, were not consistent with decreases in the wet atmospheric deposition of mercury recorded at nearby monitoring stations for over a decade. Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury (Hg) that accumulates and...
Learn More

Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Water and Bottom Sediment in Great Lakes Tributaries, 2014 - Collection Methods, Analytical Methods, Quality Assurance Analyses, and Data

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and St. Cloud State University (SCSU), identified the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and bottom sediment collected in 2014 at 65 sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The 2014 effort is part of a long-term study that began in 2010. Included in this directory are colle
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Water and Bottom Sediment in Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2013 - Analytical Methods, Collection Methods, Environmental Data, and Quality Assurance

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), identified the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and bottom sediment collected in 2013 at 57 sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The 2013 effort is part of a long-term study that began in 2010. Included in this direct
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team
Bemidji oil spill research team group photo
Bemidji oil spill research team group photo
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Group photo of USGS Bemidi oil spill research team meeting in June of 2019 at Ruttgers Birchmont Lodge in Bemidji, MN.

By
Ecosystems, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
USGS group photo of Bemidji oil spill research project team

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Bemidji oil spill research team group photo

Group photo of USGS Bemidi oil spill research team meeting in June of 2019 at Ruttgers Birchmont Lodge in Bemidji, MN.

By
Ecosystems, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageaurs National Park

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park
Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe
Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park. A burned tree is in the foreground from a previous wildland fire.

By
Water Resources, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Scientists sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Scientists sampling for fish on Shoepack Lake via canoe

Mark Sandheinrich and Sean Bailey of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse sampling fish from a canoe on Shoepack Lake in Voyageurs National Park. A burned tree is in the foreground from a previous wildland fire.

By
Water Resources, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Filter Total Items: 45

Analysis of groundwater and surface water in areas of isoxaflutole application, Tuscola and Kalamazoo Counties, Michigan

The herbicide 5-cyclopropyl-4-(2-methylsulfonyl-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl) isoxazole, also known as isoxaflutole (IXF), was conditionally approved for use on corn in Michigan in 2015. The fate of IXF and its degradates in different environmental settings and the processes by which these compounds move to groundwater or to surface-water bodies have been previously studied, but little information abo
Authors
Carol L. Luukkonen, Mark E. Brigham
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Long-term trends in regional wet mercury deposition and lacustrine mercury concentrations in four lakes in Voyageurs National Park

Although anthropogenic mercury (Hg) releases to the environment have been substantially lowered in the United States and Canada since 1990, concerns remain for contamination in fish from remote lakes and rivers where atmospheric deposition is the predominant source of mercury. How have aquatic ecosystems responded? We report on one of the longest known multimedia data sets for mercury in atmospher
Authors
Mark E. Brigham, David D. VanderMeulen, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft, Ryan P. Maki, John F. DeWild
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Methylmercury-Total mercury ratios in predator and primary consumer insects from Adirondack streams (New York, USA)

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects biota in remote settings due to atmospheric deposition of inorganic Hg, and its conversion to methylmercury (MeHg), the bioaccumulating and toxic form. Characterizing biotic MeHg is important for evaluating aquatic ecosystem responses to changes in Hg inputs. Aquatic insects possess many qualities desired for MeHg biomonitoring, but are not widely us
Authors
Karen Riva-Murray, Paul M. Bradley, Mark E. Brigham
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center

Environmentally relevant chemical mixtures of concern in waters of United States tributaries to the Great Lakes

The North American Great Lakes are a vital natural resource that provide fish and wildlife habitat, as well as drinking water and waste assimilation services for millions of people. Tributaries to the Great Lakes receive chemical inputs from various point and nonpoint sources, and thus are expected to have complex mixtures of chemicals. However, our understanding of the co‐occurrence of specific c
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Richard L. Kiesling, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Zachary G. Jorgenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Drain tiles and groundwater resources: Understanding the relations

Executive SummaryDrainage for agricultural production over the past 150 years has been an integral component of human-driven change to Minnesota’s rural landscapes.Benefits of drainageHistorically, poorly drained soils across much of the State would often remain saturated or flooded after spring snowmelt, preventing timely farm operations such as tilling and planting crops (Arneman, 1963). Install
Authors
Erik A. Smith, Timothy Gillette, Kristen Blann, Mary Coburn, Bryce Hoppie, Suzanne Rhees
By
Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: I. Patterns of occurrence

Human activities introduce a variety of chemicals to the Laurentian Great Lakes including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, plasticizers, and solvents (collectively referred to as contaminants of emerging concern or CECs) potentially threatening the vitality of these valuable ecosystems. We conducted a basin-wide study to identify the presence of CECs and other chemicals of interest i
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Kathy Lee, Jo A. Banda, Steven J. Choy, Daniel J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Jeremy N. Moore, Zachary G. Jorgenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: II. Biological consequences of exposure

The Laurentian Great Lakes contain one fifth of the world’s surface freshwater and have been impacted by human activity since the Industrial Revolution. In addition to legacy contaminants, nitrification and invasive species, this aquatic ecosystem is also the recipient of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) with poorly understood biological consequences. In the current study, we documented the
Authors
Linnea M. Thomas, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Mark E. Brigham, Steven J. Choy, Jeremy N. Moore, Jo A. Banda, D.J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Contaminants of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Basin: A report on sediment, water, and fish tissue chemistry collected in 2010-2012

Despite being detected at low levels in surface waters and sediments across the United States, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the Great Lakes Basin are not well characterized in terms of spatial and temporal occurrence. Additionally, although the detrimental effects of exposure to CECs on fish and wildlife have been documented for many CECs in laboratory studies, we do not adequately u
Authors
Steven J. Choy, Mandy L. Annis, JoAnn Banda, Sarah R. Bowman, Mark E. Brigham, Sarah M. Elliott, Daniel J. Gefell, Mark D. Jankowski, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Kathy Lee, Jeremy N. Moore, William A. Tucker
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Lake levels and water quality in comparison to fish mercury body burdens, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2013–15

Within Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, lake levels are controlled by a series of dams to support a variety of uses. Previous research indicates a link between these artificially maintained water levels, referred to as rule curves, and mercury concentrations in fish owing to the drying and rewetting of wetlands and other nearshore areas, which may release methylmercury into the water when inu
Authors
Victoria G. Christensen, James H. Larson, Ryan P. Maki, Mark B. Sandheinrich, Mark E. Brigham, Claire Kissane, Jamie F. LeDuc
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Trends in mercury wet deposition and mercury air concentrations across the U.S. and Canada

This study examined the spatial and temporal trends of mercury (Hg) in wet deposition and air concentrations in the United States (U.S.) and Canada between 1997 and 2013. Data were obtained from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and Environment Canada monitoring networks, and other sources. Of the 19 sites with data records from 1997–2013, 53% had significant negative trends in Hg
Authors
Peter S. Weiss-Penzias, David A. Gay, Mark E. Brigham, Matthew T. Parsons, Mae S. Gustin, Arnout ter Shure
By
Water Resources Mission Area, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Hydraulic and biochemical gradients limit wetland mercury supply to an Adirondack stream

Net fluxes (change between upstream and downstream margins) for water, methylmercury (MeHg), total mercury (THg), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chloride (Cl) were assessed twice in an Adirondack stream reach (Sixmile Brook, USA), to test the hypothesized importance of wetland-stream hydraulic and chemical gradients as fundamental controls on fluvial mercury (Hg) supply. The 500 m study reach
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Douglas A. Burns, Judson Harvey, Celeste A. Journey, Mark E. Brigham, Karen Riva-Murray
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Optimizing fish sampling for fish - mercury bioaccumulation factors

Fish Bioaccumulation Factors (BAFs; ratios of mercury (Hg) in fish (Hgfish) and water (Hgwater)) are used to develop Total Maximum Daily Load and water quality criteria for Hg-impaired waters. Both applications require representative Hgfish estimates and, thus, are sensitive to sampling and data-treatment methods. Data collected by fixed protocol from 11 streams in 5 states distributed across the
Authors
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Karen Riva-Murray, Christopher D. Knightes, Celeste A. Journey, Lia C. Chasar, Mark E. Brigham, Paul M. Bradley
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

Long-Term Monitoring Reveals How Water and Biota in Remote Lakes Respond Differently to Changes in Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury

A comparison of regional mercury atmospheric deposition data with water, yellow perch, and dragonfly larvae samples from lakes in Voyageurs National...

Read Article
Decreased Pollution Has Mixed Effects on Minnesota Lakes

Decreased Pollution Has Mixed Effects on Minnesota Lakes

Methylmercury contamination is decreasing in some lakes in northern Minnesota as a result of reduced mercury pollution, according to a U.S. Geological...
Read Article
Was this page helpful?