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 .........................................................................................