RMP Update in the Estuary Newsletter

The annual RMP update will be distributed in the December issue of the Estuary Newsletter, published by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. It highlights two recently completed RMP studies on mercury cycling in the Bay.

University of Michigan researchers asked "what are the primary sources of mercury to SF Bay sediment?". Using differences in the isotopic compositions of mercury in sediment throughout the Bay, they determined that historic mercury mines and gold mines are dominant sources of mercury to the south bay and the north bay, respectively.

At Trent University, researchers used artificial membranes to mimic the uptake of methylmercury from the water column by aquatic organisms. Because these devices can be deployed at chosen locations for controlled lengths of time, they may provide a less variable picture of the geographic and spatial distribution of methylmercury in the Bay than biosentinels such as small fish.