Measurement of mercury deposition to lakes and rivers
Dr. Thomas Holsen
Dr. Holsen has been investigating the sources and fate of pollutants emitted to the atmosphere for more than 10 years. Many of his projects – funded by Federal and State Agencies – investigate where pollutants in the atmosphere originate and once emitted into the atmosphere how they enter large water bodies, like the Chesapeake Bay or Great Lakes, or terrestrial ecosystems. The pollutants he has investigated include heavy metals including mercury, semivolatile organic compounds (like PAHs and PCBs) and nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds. Results of this work have shown that many pollutants originate in urban areas and can travel great distances.
Human activities have resulted in substantial emissions of Hg to the atmosphere causing widespread contamination of aquatic environments, and dangerously high mercury concentrations in biota. In this project novel techniques to measure mercury in lakes and rivers will be investigated. These techniques will be used to investigate how mercury concentrations vary with time and location. It is expected that the results will: 1) provide valuable information about the new technique, 2) produce accurate measurements of mercury in water bodies, and 3) help in the understanding of the processes responsible for mercury cycling in the environment.
