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OOS-5:
Mercury cycles: Sources, mass balances, bioaccumulation, and options to
manage affected systems
Sponsored
by the Systemwide Water Resources Research Program of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
Monday,
August 8, 8 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Rooms 511c and 511f, Level 5, Palais
des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Elly Best, (Elly.P.Best@erdc.usace.army.mil)
J.G. Wiener,
Dolores Planas
Description:
Mercury
is ubiquitous in the environment and readily transported between environmental
compartments. The significance of Hg emissions from anthropogenically and
naturally enriched substrates is currently under discussion. If naturally and
anthropogenically enriched landscapes are more significant sources of
atmospheric mercury than previously recognized, we may need to reassess our
understanding of the biogeochemical cycle of mercury and the viability of
controls for mercury emissions from point sources. Methylmercury is highly toxic
and poses a serious threat to wildlife and human health due to the fact that it
readily bioaccumulates and biomagnifies along food chains. This oral session
will provide an overview of the biogeochemical cycling of mercury and
methylmercury in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the trophic transfer and
bioaugmentation in key organisms inhabiting the ecosystem and in visiting
organisms, and the potential consequences for indigenous human communities
through exposure. Options for management aimed at minimizing net production of
MeHg, bioaugmentation, and toxicity in food chains will be outlined.
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