methylmercury is having a large impact on natural environments Mercury is most commonly found in sediment build up under water Mercury is converted to methylmercury through a process called ID: 706967
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Introduction The study of mercury in nat..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
IntroductionThe study of mercury in national parks is important. It is important because methylmercury is having a large impact on natural environments. Mercury is most commonly found in sediment build up under water. Mercury is converted to methylmercury through a process called methylation. Methylmercury is the bioavalible form of mercury that is toxic to all organisms. Methylmercury can be collected in the muscle tissue of an organism and will stay there until the organism dies. Only a small amount of the mercury that is ingested by an organism leaves the organism. Methylmercury is found in most bodies of water. Streams, rivers, lakes and oceans all have methylmercury. Our group analyzed pieces of data from different national parks in the country. Mercury is found in many places but we wanted to see if moving or still water caused more build up in dragonfly larvae.
Materials and methodsOur data was collected from Acadia National Park and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We looked at different dragonfly larvae samples taken by students across the country and sent to the University of Maine to be processed. We looked at two samples of dragonfly larvae in moving water and two still water samples. There was one dragonfly larvae from still water and one from moving water in each park.
AcknowledgmentsWe thank Schoodic Education and Research Center Institute, University of Maine Mitchell Center, and Dartmouth College (Celia Chen and the TEA Lab). We thank the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Finally, we thank Ms. Cramer and Mrs. Stainton.
ResultsIn the Acadia National Park, dragonfly larvae in moving water had more mercury.In the Rocky Mountain National Park, dragonfly larvae in still water had more mercury.Dragonfly Larvae Mercury Concentrations in Still Vs. Moving Water
Conclusions The purpose of the experiment was to compare the amount of methylmercury in dragonfly larvae from both still and moving water in different areas. Our hypothesis stated that if we tested the amount of methylmercury in dragonfly larvae from both still and moving water, then still water will have more methylmercury because there is more time for the mercury to settle at the bottom of the water. According to the data, the average amount of mercury in the still water in the Acadia National Park was 27.3 ppb while the moving water was 50.28 ppb, and did not support the hypothesis. The average for the still water in the Rocky Mountain National Park was 33.37 ppb and the moving water was 18.97 ppb, therefore supporting our hypothesis, but also proving it to be inconclusive. However, there are many limitations we could have had. We didn’t have very much information from very many places across the country. It would have been better to have more data from parks that had both moving and still water. Different places could have different amounts of mercury concentration caused by different amounts of precipitation, and different amounts of fossil fuels released from power plants, though that would all be around the same for bodies of water from the same park. There are some things, however that might not be the similar in the same parks. Such as the speed of water, and disruption of the water by animals or humans. Contamination of the samples when being collected and contamination of the body of water by people or animals being in them could also affect the amount of mercury. To improve our study we would need more data from both moving and still water from the same park for more parks across the country. More mercury was found in the dragonfly larvae in still water from the Rocky Mountain National Park than in the Acadia National Park while the Acadia National Park had more mercury concentration in dragfonfly larvae from the moving water. Therefore, by being only half supported, our hypothesis proved to be inconclusive.
E. Olsen, C. Smith, L. Duncan
Literature cited"South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control." SCDHEC: EQC Administration. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.Wright, David R., and R. D. Hamilton. "Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences."Release of Methyl Mercury from Sediments: Effects of Mercury Concentration, Low Temperature, and Nutrient Addition -. Canadian Science Publishing, 10 Apr. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2013."Health Effects." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013."The Dragonfly." The Dragonfly. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013."Mercury in the Environment." U.S. Geological Survey, 19 Feb. 2009. Web."Mercury and the Environment." Government of Canada, Environment Canada.Environment Canada, 7 July 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Mercury in the Water Near You
Dragonfly Larvae
Mercury Concentration Averages in Still Vs. Moving
Water
HypothesisIf we test the amount of methylmercury in dragronfly larvae from both still and moving water, then dragonfly larvae in still water will have more methylmercury because there is more time for the methylmercury to settle at the bottom of the water.
http://www.coloma.com
http://
www.acadianationalpark.com/lakes_rivers_falls
/
http://
www.earthrandom.com/vermillion-river-kootenay-national-park-canada/
Concentration
Location