First State Program to Measure Atmospheric Mercury Deposition Initiated
 

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) have begun the state’s first program to measure pollution deposited through rainwater in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

Samples taken from the monitoring stations will be used to determine how much mercury and nutrients are deposited in local watersheds through rainfall. The data gathered will be part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which consists of about 250 monitoring sites from Alaska and the continental United States to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Rainwater will be analyzed for total mercury, sulfate, nitrate, ammonia, sodium, .potassium, calcium and magnesium. Each sample will also be checked for pH (a measure of acidity/alkalinity) and specific conductance

“This is truly a collaborative effort to obtain critical data on the deposition of mercury and nutrients,” said John Carlton, Chief of ADEM’s Mobile Field Office. “ The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program provided the equipment and the initial sample analyses through a federal grant.  Baldwin and Mobile Counties provided the sites and donated site preparation work .  ADEM will commit the staff time to set up and operate the monitors.”
 


Click on Picture to enlarge


Click on Picture to enlarge

 Research indicates that under certain water chemistry conditions, common to “black-water” coastal streams, mercury is prone to bioaccumulate in predatory fish species.  Scientists theorize  the source of the mercury may be the result of atmospheric deposition from industrial releases or even natural conditions in coastal waters.  Florida and Mississippi have encountered similar situations.  Several migratory fish  species in the gulf and on the

East Coast also show mercury accumulations.  “ We have long known that some mercury compounds are added to the atmosphere from industrial emissions including burning coal and that these compounds could be deposited in our waterways along with rain water.  However, we don’t know how much of the mercury we find in area waterways is from this source or the result of our past sins with industrial emissions and discharges.  This national monitoring program will help us answer these questions,” said David Yeager, Director of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.

 The  Alabama Department of Public Health has established fish consumption advisories due to mercury in the tissue of fish from several coastal water bodies and provides information on all current fish consumption advisories at its website—www.alapubhealth.org.
 
 
 

This site best view at 800X600 with Netscape 6.0 or Explorer 5.5 or higher
For questions or comments about this page, please contact DISL
Last Date Updated: 02/15/07
Site design and creation copyright: Dauphin Island Sea Lab