Where's the mercury? Relating environmental characteristics to model, predict, and map snapping turtle and fish mercury concentrations in New York State lakes

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant affecting many ecosystems, even those in remote pristine areas. Methylmercury (MeHg), is the form of Hg that can readily become biomagnified in aquatic ecosystems leading to high concentrations in fish. High Hg concentrations pose health risks to human and wildlife consumers. As previous studies have shown variability in Hg concentrations with environmental parameters, I tested the correlation of snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and fish Hg concentrations to various landscape and water chemistry parameters. From these correlations, predictive models were constructed. For both the turtle and fish analyses, acid neutralizing capacity, % wetlands in the watershed, and the mean concentration of gaseous elemental Hg deposition were consistently important predictors and model parameters for Hg concentrations in aquatic organisms. The empirical models illustrated high fish Hg concentrations in the Adirondack and Catskill State Park regions of New York.