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Mercury Contamination of Biota from Acadia National Park, Maine: A Review

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 June 2007

Abstract

We reviewed literature reporting both total and methylmercury from biota from Acadia National Park, Maine, USA. Our review of existing data indicates that 1) mercury contamination is widespread throughout the Park’s various aquatic ecosystems; 2) mercury pollution likely represents a moderate to high risk to biota inhabiting the Park; and 3) biota at all trophic levels possess elevated concentrations of both total and methylmercury. Watershed fire history and the resulting post-fire forest succession patterns are an important landscape attribute governing mercury cycling at Acadia National Park. Therefore, park service personnel should consider these factors when planning and implementing Hg biomonitoring efforts. Additional baseline funding from the National Park Service for Hg research and biomonitoring will likely be required in order to further evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of mercury contamination in the park’s biota.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to T. Haines for providing guidance with study design and help with analyses. B. Connery, D. Manski, B. Gawley, and B. Breen from ANP provided logistical, operational, and administrative support. J. Crocker, H. Moore, and D. Demers assisted with field sampling. C. Devoy conducted and supervised lab work for all amphibian samples. Work was funded by the United States Geological Survey – Biological Resources Division, Eastern National Parks and Monuments Association, Declining Amphibian Population Task Force, University of Maine, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Friends of Acadia National Park, National Park Service, and BioDiversity Research Institute. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers who reviewed this manuscript.

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  1. Michael S. Bank

    Present address: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Michael S. Bank & John R. Burgess

  2. BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, ME, USA

    David C. Evers

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Cynthia S. Loftin

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  1. Michael S. Bank
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  2. John R. Burgess
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  3. David C. Evers
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  4. Cynthia S. Loftin
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Correspondence to Michael S. Bank.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9824-x

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Bank, M.S., Burgess, J.R., Evers, D.C. et al. Mercury Contamination of Biota from Acadia National Park, Maine: A Review. Environ Monit Assess 126, 105–115 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-9324-4

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