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Ecosystem Assessment of Mercury in the Great Salt Lake, Utah 2008

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Ecosystem Assessment of Mercury in the Great Salt Lake, Utah 2008 Ecosystem Assessment of Mercury in the Great Salt Lake, Utah 2008 Utah Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Quality January, 2011 Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................. 2 Synopsis of the 2008 Great Salt Lake Mercury Ecosystem Assessment .............. 4 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4 Conceptual Models for Hg in Great Salt Lake, Utah .................................................... 11 Constructing the Conceptual Site Models................................................................. 11 Establishing Ecological Threat Benchmarks ............................................................ 12 Results for Open Waters (Gilbert Bay) of Great Salt Lake ...................................... 14 Results for the Adjacent Wetlands to Great Salt Lake .............................................. 18 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 20 References ..................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 1. Mercury Distribution in Sediment and Water Samples Collected from Great Salt Lake, Utah, and Surrounding Wetland Areas ..................................... 29 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 29 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 31 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 35 Sample collection ...................................................................................................... 35 Field measurements .................................................................................................. 36 Analytical .................................................................................................................. 37 Data archival ............................................................................................................ 39 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................. 40 Mercury inputs .......................................................................................................... 40 Gilbert Bay ................................................................................................................ 46 Perimeter wetland water samples ............................................................................. 51 Perimeter wetland sediment samples ........................................................................ 58 Perimeter wetland fish tissue samples ...................................................................... 61 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 64 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 67 References ..................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 2. Assessment of Total Mercury Concentrations in Great Salt Lake Artemia (Artemia franciscana) .......................................................................... 106 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 106 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 107 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 108 Study Sites ............................................................................................................... 108 Sample Collection ................................................................................................... 109 Sample Processing .................................................................................................. 110 Analytical ................................................................................................................ 111 Statistical................................................................................................................. 111 Data Archival .......................................................................................................... 111 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 112 Lake wide summary................................................................................................. 113 Location .................................................................................................................. 114 Seasonality .............................................................................................................. 114 Dietary Benchmarks for Avian Wildlife .................................................................. 114 2 Life Stages ............................................................................................................... 116 Deep Brine Layer Influence .................................................................................... 116 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 117 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 118 References ................................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 3. Mercury Concentrations in Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) and Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) at Great Salt Lake, Utah ............................ 130 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 130 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 131 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 133 Study Sites ............................................................................................................... 133 Sample Collection ................................................................................................... 134 Sample Processing .................................................................................................. 136 Analytical ................................................................................................................ 137 Data Archival .......................................................................................................... 138 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................. 138 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 140 Cinnamon Teal ........................................................................................................ 140 Northern Shoveler ................................................................................................... 146 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 149 References ................................................................................................................... 150 Chapter 4. Biostrome communities and mercury and selenium bioaccumulation in the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) ....................................................................... 164 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 164 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 165 Methods....................................................................................................................... 168 Study sites................................................................................................................ 168 Water, biostrome collections, chlorophyll and organic matter .............................. 172 Brine fly collection and analyses ............................................................................ 174 Mercury analyses .................................................................................................... 175 Selenium analyses ................................................................................................... 177 Length-weight and Dry to wet weight conversions ................................................. 177 Statistical analyses .................................................................................................. 178 Results ......................................................................................................................... 179 Brine fly abundance and biomass ........................................................................... 180 Mercury concentrations .........................................................................................
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