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Data

Data releases from the USGS Mercury Research Team have gone through rigorous internal review and are provided here as a service to the wider mercury research community.

Filter Total Items: 17

Mercury Concentrations and Loads in United States and Canadian Tributaries of Lake Superior

In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mercury Research Laboratory (MRL) conducted a large-scale assessment of mercury (Hg) concentrations and Hg stable isotope values in tributaries of Lake Superior in order to define the sources and amounts of Hg entering the lake. Water samples were collected monthly from 18 tributaries in the United States from April through October in 2021 and during 2022

Source Identification of Mercury and Methylmercury using Stable Isotope Analysis in the Fox River, WI

The lower Fox River in Wisconsin is a heavily industrialized system and the major tributary to Green Bay within Lake Michigan. The region has been a listed as Area of Concern by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), indicating severe impairment of the ecological health of the system. Remedial action has taken place along the river to remove extensive polychlorinated biphenyl (

Assessment of mercury sources in Alaskan lake food webs (version 1.1, September 2023)

This data release includes results of raw water, soil, seston, and fish tissue samples collected from lakes in southwestern Alaska between 2011 and 2016. Specifically, these data include total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in water, size-sieved seston, and particulate matter of 13 remote lakes. Additionally, these data include soil and volcanic ash measurements from the surrounding wate

Total and Methyl Mercury Water and Fish Concentrations within Everglades National Park

The data in this data release includes results from the analysis of water and fish from 76 sites in the Everglades National Park (ENP). Water and particulate matter samples were collected from 2008 to 2018 and analyzed for total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg). Filtered water samples were also analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), and major ani

Isotopic Examination of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation Rates in Yellowstone National Park Thermal Features

Data in this data release were obtained for water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. Isotope-spiked incubations were carried out to determine methylation and demethylation potential for Frying Pan spring, Crystal Sister East, Crystal Sister West, and Turbule

Yellowstone Thermal Feature Mercury and Methylmercury Characterization

Data in this data release were obtained from water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park (YNP) Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017, 2019, and 2020 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. These samples were used to assess mercury cycling within YNP. Water samples were analyzed for total mercury and methylmercury, the bioaccumulated form

Mercury source identification in the Mobile and Tombigbee Rivers

This dataset details mercury concentrations and mercury stable isotope values collected as part of an environmental mercury assessment encompassing the Mobile and Tombigbee Rivers as well as two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites. The Tensaw River was also sampled as part of this study as a reference site, absent of mercury contamination. As a part of this survey, sediments, wate

Mercury and Methylmercury Stable Isotope Measurements in Giant Petrels

Methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (HgT) stable isotope measurements were made by the USGS Mercury Research Lab (MRL) in different organs on the Giant Petrels (Macronectes spp.) to examine internal mercury cycling in these seabirds. These data were collected as a compliment to x-ray spectroscopy measurements made by the University of Grenoble, France. The tissues and feathers of the southern g

Chemical characterization of water and suspended sediment of the Snake River and Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) (ver. 3.0, November 2023)

This dataset includes laboratory analyses of surface water samples and sediment trap material collected from (1) locations upstream, downstream, and within the Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) of the Snake River, (2) tributaries of the Snake River, and (3) two reservoirs near Boise, Idaho, from 2014 to 2021. The study area spans approximately 232 river miles of the Snake River and includes: tw

Mercury concentrations and isotopic compositions in biota and sediments from the Hannibal Pool of the Ohio River

The Hannibal Pool of the Ohio River is heavily industrialized and receives direct effluent discharges from coal power plants, chlor-alkali plants, and sewage treatment facilities. Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of concern due to the risk of bioaccumulation at wildlife refuges also located within this region. Mercury concentrations and isotopes compositions were measured to assess the levels and sou

Mercury Concentrations and Isotopic Compositions in Sediment Cores from North American Lakes (Alaska, Minnesota, and Newfoundland)

Mercury isotope measurements were made across nine sediments cores from remote North American lakes to examine changes in the Hg isotope profiles. The lakes spanned regions of Alaska, Minnesota, and Newfoundland as well as a range of temperate to arctic climates. This data describes the natural record of mass dependent (MDF) and mass independent (MIF) Hg isotope fractionation related to deposition