Food chain dynamics and potential ecological risks of mercury at the Carson River site

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:203598

Peterson, S C ^[1]

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1. Ecology and Environment, Inc., Lancaster, NY (United States)

The USEPA is conducting a remedial investigation of mercury contamination in the Carson River watershed, located near Carson City in central west Nevada. As a component of this investigation, water, sediment, and tissue samples were collected for mercury speciation and other analyses. Tissues analyses from the seven site-investigation areas and four background areas include: whole-body and fillet analyses of five species of fish, composite and individual analyses of three species of benthic macroinvertebrates, blood, feather and liver analyses of two bird species, composite analyses of zooplankton, and whole-body analyses of lizards. The data are used to develop site-specific estimates of mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains of riverine/riparian, open-water, and mudflat habitats at the Carson River site. Because the behavior and food chain dynamics of mercury in semi-arid ecosystems of the southwestern US is poorly understood, these data can be compared and contrasted with bioaccumulation estimates derived from well-studied ecosystems such as northern temperate lakes. Potential ecological risks of mercury exposure through the food chain and through ingestion of and contact with contaminated media are evaluated for important wildlife receptors occurring at the Carson River site.

• OSTI ID: 203598
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FOOD CHAINS
MERCURY
NEVADA
POLLUTION
REMEDIAL ACTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
RIVERS
WATERSHEDS