Science
The M3 performs numerous research projects at local, regional, national, and global scales. Our group is an international leader for mercury research and our work has been highlighted by various outlets.
Media
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Interested in learning how mercury stable isotopes can be used to assess legacy contaminated sites?
Check out our interview with Wisconsin Public Radio: Historic Pollution Is Driving Higher Mercury Concentrations In Fish Within St. Louis River – WPR
Did you know that dragonflies can tell us how mercury entered an ecosystem?
See our interview with National Geographic: Dragonflies can reveal mercury contamination. Here's how.
Media
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Want to know how we are working to reduce mercury exposure and fish consumption advisories in the Great Lakes?
Check out our summary poster here, covering our work across the Great Lakes region.
​How do we develop effective mercury monitoring across the United States?
See our perspective document and connect to our conference sessions hosted at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Conference: Mercury Monitoring and Effectiveness Evaluation: Future Research Directions for a Legacy Contaminant.
Media
Collecting phytoplankton for mercury and PFAS analyses in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron​.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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Training university researchers on soil collections for trace metals in the St. Louis River Peatlands, Minnesota.​
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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Sediment collection for metals and mercury analysis on the US EPA R/V Lake Guardian for Lake Erie​.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Related
Check out more of our mercury and microplastics science below!
Innovative Sensor Development for Detecting Low-Micrometer Plastics in Freshwater Systems
Plastic pollution is a significant global issue in aquatic ecosystems, with low-micrometer plastics (LMMPs) posing particular risks owing to their small size and prevalence in various environments. The U.S. Geological Survey and collaborators are developing an innovative sensor to detect and analyze LMMPs in freshwater systems, achieving rapid and accurate results without the need for additional...
Wildfires Increase Mercury Concentrations in Headwater Streams
The U.S. Geological Survey is researching the effect of wildfires on the release of stored mercury from forest watersheds and subsequent transport, methylmercury formation, and bioaccumulation post-fire. Wildfires not only alter the re-release of mercury into the environment but also affect its reactivity and availability to the food web, complicating predictions of mercury exposure risks to...
How Spiders Can Help Us Connect Aquatic Mercury Contamination to Terrestrial Food Webs
Just in time for Halloween, this "spooky science" study focuses on how spiders can help us connect aquatic mercury contamination to terrestrial food webs.
Mercury Isotope Ratios used to Determine Sources of Mercury to Fish in Northeast U.S. Streams
Mercury isotope analyses were used to distinguish different sources of mercury to fish in 23 streams along a forested-rural to urban-industrial land-use gradient in the Northeastern United States. The use of mercury isotope measurements in fish tissue allow for distinguishing different sources of mercury that are bioaccumulating into the food web. Mercury isotope signatures in fish in forested...
Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets
Mercury (Hg) is a serious environmental problem that is impacting ecological and human health on a global scale. However, local and regional processes are largely responsible for producing methylmercury, which drives ecological risk. This is particularly true in western North America where the combination of diverse landscapes, habitat types, climates, and Hg sources may...
Related
Check out more of our mercury and microplastics science below!
Innovative Sensor Development for Detecting Low-Micrometer Plastics in Freshwater Systems
Plastic pollution is a significant global issue in aquatic ecosystems, with low-micrometer plastics (LMMPs) posing particular risks owing to their small size and prevalence in various environments. The U.S. Geological Survey and collaborators are developing an innovative sensor to detect and analyze LMMPs in freshwater systems, achieving rapid and accurate results without the need for additional...
Wildfires Increase Mercury Concentrations in Headwater Streams
The U.S. Geological Survey is researching the effect of wildfires on the release of stored mercury from forest watersheds and subsequent transport, methylmercury formation, and bioaccumulation post-fire. Wildfires not only alter the re-release of mercury into the environment but also affect its reactivity and availability to the food web, complicating predictions of mercury exposure risks to...
How Spiders Can Help Us Connect Aquatic Mercury Contamination to Terrestrial Food Webs
Just in time for Halloween, this "spooky science" study focuses on how spiders can help us connect aquatic mercury contamination to terrestrial food webs.
Mercury Isotope Ratios used to Determine Sources of Mercury to Fish in Northeast U.S. Streams
Mercury isotope analyses were used to distinguish different sources of mercury to fish in 23 streams along a forested-rural to urban-industrial land-use gradient in the Northeastern United States. The use of mercury isotope measurements in fish tissue allow for distinguishing different sources of mercury that are bioaccumulating into the food web. Mercury isotope signatures in fish in forested...
Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets
Mercury (Hg) is a serious environmental problem that is impacting ecological and human health on a global scale. However, local and regional processes are largely responsible for producing methylmercury, which drives ecological risk. This is particularly true in western North America where the combination of diverse landscapes, habitat types, climates, and Hg sources may...