Atlantic Ocean Cruise 2010: Studying Mercury Biogeochemistry on the Continental Shelf and Slope

Abstract

<p>Humans are exposed to toxic and bioaccumulative methylmercury (MeHg) principally by the consumption of seafood. Processes in the sediments and water column of the continental margin are hypothesized to be a primary source of MeHg to the ocean. In July 2010, five students from Dr. Chad Hammerschmidt's laboratory participated in a research cruise funded by the National Science Foundation in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The objective of the cruise was to examine the cycling of mercury and MeHg in the water column and sediments on the continental shelf and slope. We sampled water, sediment, and plankton from multiple stations ranging in depth from about 600 feet to over two miles. We measured concentrations of different mercury species in these media and conducted process-level and mechanistic incubation studies to examine how MeHg was being produced, decomposed, and accumulated into the food web. This presentation will summarize our oceanographic research experience.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 8, 2011</p>