Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Volume 48, Issue 11, Pages 6115-6123Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/es500301a
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Funding
- MPCA
- USGS
- NPS Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network under Task Agreement of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit [J2105080012]
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Environmental Protection Agency Project under Task Agreement of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit [222, J2105100001, H6000082000]
- USGS/NPS Water Quality Partnership
- University of Wisconsin System Distinguished Professors Program
- UW-L Foundation
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We present a case study comparing metrics of methylmercury (MeHg) contamination for four undeveloped lakes in Voyageurs National Park to wet atmospheric deposition of mercury (Hg), sulfate (SO4-2), and hydrogen ion (W) in northern Minnesota. Annual wet Hg, SO4-2, and H+ deposition rates at two nearby precipitation monitoring sites indicate considerable decreases from 1998 to 2012 (mean decreases of 32, 48, and 66%, respectively). Consistent with decreases in the atmospheric pollutants, epilimnetic aqueous methylmercury (MeHgaq) and mercury in small yellow perch (Hg-fish) decreased in two of four lakes (mean decreases of 46.5% and 34.5%, respectively, between 2001 and 2012). Counter to decreases in the atmospheric pollutants, MeHgaq increased by 85% in a third lake, whereas Hg-fish increased by 80%. The fourth lake had two disturbances in its watershed during the study period (forest fire; changes in shoreline inundation due to beaver activity); this lake lacked overall trends in MeHgaq and Hg-fish. The diverging responses among the study lakes exemplify the complexity of ecosystem responses to decreased loads of atmospheric pollutants.
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