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T.A. Haines

Publications and source records attributed to T.A. Haines.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

Landscape controls on mercury in streamwater at Acadia National Park, USA

Fall and spring streamwater samples were analyzed for total mercury (Hg) and major ions from 47 locations on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Samples were collected in zones that were burned in a major wildfire in 1947 and in zones that were not burned. We hypothesized that Hg concentrations in streamwater would be higher from unburned sites than burned watersheds, because fire would volatilize stored Hg. The Hg concentrations, based on burn history, were not statistically distinct. However, significant statistical associations were noted between Hg and the amount of wetlands in the drainage systems and with streamwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC). An unexpected result was that wetlands mobilized more Hg by generating more DOC in total, but upland DOC was more efficient at transporting Hg because it transports more Hg per unit DOC. Mercury concentrations were higher in samples collected at lower elevations. Mercury was positively correlated with relative discharge, although this effect was not distinguished from the DOC association. In this research, sample site elevation and the presence of upstream wetlands and their associated DOC affected Hg concentrations more strongly than burn history. ?? Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2007.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗
USGS2006

Controls on mercury and methylmercury deposition for two watersheds in Acadia National Park, Maine

Throughfall and bulk precipitation samples were collected for two watersheds at Acadia National Park, Maine, from 3 May to 16 November 2000, to determine which landscape factors affected mercury (Hg) deposition. One of these watersheds, Cadillac Brook, burned in 1947, providing a natural experimental design to study the effects of forest type on deposition to forested watersheds. Sites that face southwest received the highest Hg deposition, which may be due to the interception of cross-continental movement of contaminated air masses. Sites covered with softwood vegetation also received higher Hg deposition than other vegetation types because of the higher scavenging efficiency of the canopy structure. Methyl mercury (MeHg) deposition was not affected by these factors. Hg deposition, as bulk precipitation and throughfall was lower in Cadillac Brook watershed (burned) than in Hadlock Brook watershed (unburned) because of vegetation type and watershed aspect. Hg and MeHg inputs were weighted by season and vegetation type because these two factors had the most influence on deposition. Hg volatilization was not determined. The total Hg deposition via throughfall and bulk precipitation was 9.4 ??g/m2/year in Cadillac Brook watershed and 10.2 ??g/m2/year in Hadlock Brook watershed. The total MeHg deposition via throughfall and bulk precipitation was 0.05 ??g/m2/year in Cadillac Brook watershed and 0.10 ??g/m2/year in Hadlock Brook watershed. ?? Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2006.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗
USGS2006

Mass balances of mercury and nitrogen in burned and unburned forested watersheds at Acadia National Park, Maine, USA

Precipitation and streamwater samples were collected from 16 November 1999 to 17 November 2000 in two watersheds at Acadia National Park, Maine, and analyzed for mercury (Hg) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, nitrate plus ammonium). Cadillac Brook watershed burned in a 1947 fire that destroyed vegetation and soil organic matter. We hypothesized that Hg deposition would be higher at Hadlock Brook (the reference watershed, 10.2 ??g/m2/year) than Cadillac (9.4 ??g/m2/year) because of the greater scavenging efficiency of the softwood vegetation in Hadlock. We also hypothesized the Hg and DIN export from Cadillac Brook would be lower than Hadlock Brook because of elemental volatilization during the fire, along with subsequently lower rates of atmospheric deposition in a watershed with abundant bare soil and bedrock, and regenerating vegetation. Consistent with these hypotheses, Hg export was lower from Cadillac Brook watershed (0.4 ??g/m2/year) than from Hadlock Brook watershed (1.3 ??g/m2/year). DIN export from Cadillac Brook (11.5 eq/ ha/year) was lower than Hadlock Brook (92.5 eq/ha/year). These data show that ??50 years following a wildfire there was lower atmospheric deposition due to changes in forest species composition, lower soil pools, and greater ecosystem retention for both Hg and DIN. ?? Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2006.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗
USGS2006

Limestone fluidized bed treatment of acid-impacted water at the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, Maine, USA

Decades of atmospheric acid deposition have resulted in widespread lake and river acidification in the northeastern U.S. Biological effects of acidification include increased mortality of sensitive aquatic species such as the endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a limestone-based fluidized bed system for the treatment of acid-impacted waters. The treatment system was tested at the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in East Orland, Maine over a period of 3 years. The product water from the treatment system was diluted with hatchery water to prepare water supplies with three different levels of alkalinity for testing of fish health and survival. Based on positive results from a prototype system used in the first year of the study, a larger demonstration system was used in the second and third years with the objective of decreasing operating costs. Carbon dioxide was used to accelerate limestone dissolution, and was the major factor in system performance, as evidenced by the model result: Alk = 72.84 ?? P(CO2)1/2; R2 = 0.975. No significant acidic incursions were noted for the control water over the course of the study. Had these incursions occurred, survivability in the untreated water would likely have been much more severely impacted. Treated water consistently provided elevated alkalinity and pH above that of the hatchery source water. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aquacultural Engineering↗
USGS2003

Factors affecting food chain transfer of mercury in the vicinity of the Nyanza site, Sudbury River, Massachusetts

The influence of the Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump Superfund Site on the Sudbury River, Massachusetts, was assessed by analysis of sediment, fish prey organisms, and predator fish from four locations in the river system. Whitehall Reservoir is an impoundment upstream of the site, and Reservoir #2 is an impoundment downstream of the site. Cedar Street is a flowing reach upstream of the site, and Sherman Bridge is a flowing reach downstream of the site. Collections of material for analysis were made three times, in May, July, and October. Sediment was analyzed for acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), simultaneously-extracted (SEM) metals (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Sb, Zn), and total recoverable Hg. The dominant predatory fish species collected at all sites, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), was analyzed for the same suite of metals as sediment. Analysis of stomach contents of bass identified small fish (yellow perch Perca flavescens, bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, and pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus), crayfish, and dragonfly larvae as the dominant prey organisms. Samples of the prey were collected from the same locations and at the same times as predator fish, and were analyzed for total and methyl mercury. Results of AVS and SEM analyses indicated that sediments were not toxic to aquatic invertebrates at any site. The SEM concentrations of As, Cd, and Cr were significantly higher at Reservoir #2 than at the reference sites, and SEM As and Cd were significantly higher at Sherman Bridge than at Cedar St. Sediment total Hg was elevated only at Reservoir #2. Hg was higher at site-influenced locations in all fish species except brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). Cd was higher in bluegill, black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), and brown bullhead, and Cr was higher in largemouth bass fillet samples but not in whole-body samples. There were no seasonal differences in sediment or prey organism metals, but some metals in some fish species did vary over time in an inconsistent manner. Predator fish Hg concentration was significantly linearly related to weighted prey organism methyl Hg concentration. Largemouth bass Hg was significantly lower at Reservoir #2 in our study than in previous investigations in 1989 and 1990. High concentrations of inorganic Hg remain in river sediment as a result of operation of the Nyanza site, and fish Hg concentrations in river reaches downstream of the site are elevated compared to upstream reference sites. However, the differences are relatively small and Hg concentrations in largemouth bass from the site-influenced locations are no higher than those from some other, nearby uncontaminated sites. We hypothesize that this results from burial of contaminated sediment with cleaner material, which reduces bioavailability of contaminants and possibly reduces methylation of mercury.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment↗
USGS2003

Mercury effects on predator avoidance behavior of a forage fish, golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)

Mercury contamination of fish is widespread in North America and has resulted in the establishment of fish consumption advisories to protect human health, However, the effects of mercury exposure to fish have seldom been investigated. We examined the effects of dietary mercury exposure at environmental levels in a common forage species, golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas). Fish were fed either an unaltered diet (12 ng/g wet wt methylmercury [MeHg] as Hg), a low-Hg diet (455 ng/g Hg), or a high-Hg diet (959 ng/g Hg). After 90 d mean fish whole-body total Hg concentrations were 41, 230, and 518 ng/g wet wt, respectively, which were within the range of concentrations found in this species in northern U.S. lakes. There were no mortalities or differences in growth rate among groups. Groups of fish from each treatment were exposed to a model avian predator and their behavioral response videotaped for analysis. Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was determined in fish after behavioral testing. Fish fed the high-Hg diet had significantly greater shoal vertical dispersal following predator exposure, took longer to return to pre-exposure activity level, and had greater shoal area after return to pre-exposure activity than did the other treatments, all of which would increase vulnerability of the fish to predation. There were no differences in brain AChE among treatments. We conclude that mercury exposure at levels currently occurring in northern United States lakes alters fish predator-avoidance behavior in a manner that may increase vulnerability to predation. This finding has significant implications for food chain transfer of Hg and Hg exposure of fish predators.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2002

Association of methylmercury with dissolved humic acids

Sorption of methylmercury (MeHg) to three different humic acids was investigated as a function of pH and humic concentration. The extent of sorption did not show a strong pH dependence within the pH range of 5−9. Below pH 5, a decrease in adsorption for all humic samples was observed. The experimental data for equilibrium sorption of MeHg were modeled using a discrete log K spectrum approach with three weakly acidic functional groups. The modeling parameters, which were the equilibrium binding constants and the total binding capacities, represented the data well at all MeHg and humic concentra tions and pH values for a given humic sample. The estimated binding constants for complexes of MeHg with humic acids were similar in magnitude to those of MeHg with thiol-containing compounds, suggesting that binding of MeHg involves the thiol groups of humic acids. The results show that only a small fraction of the reduced sulfur species in humic substances may take part in binding MeHg, but in most natural systems, this subfraction is considerably higher in concentration than ambient MeHg. The model developed here can be incorporated into speciation models to assess the bioavailability of MeHg in the presence of dissolved organic matter and competing ligands such as chloride and sulfide.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS2001

Mercury contamination and growth rate two piscivore populations

We found no relationship between fish growth rate and mercury concentration in a lake trout population and conditional support for an inverse relationship in a smallmouth bass population. A bioenergetics model indicated that mercury concentration was more responsive to dietary mercury intake than to growth rate. When biodilution is evident, it may bias contaminant versus fish size relationships.

Maine↗
USGS2001

Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) as monitors for mercury contamination of aquatic environments

We assessed the distribution of mercury in snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ) by analyzing front shoulder muscle, back leg muscle, tail muscle, blood, liver, and marginal carapacial scute (shell) of 26 adult turtles from five small lakes. Total mercury concentration in muscle ranged from 50 to500 ng g −1 wet weight and was highly correlated among the three tissue locations. There was no relationship between muscle mercury concentration and body size. Mercury concentration in blood was similar to muscle; the correlation with muscle mercury concentration was significant but there was some variability. Mercury concentration in shell was much higher than in muscle or blood, ranging from 500 to 3300 ng g −1 , and was highly correlated with muscle mercury concentration. Liver mercury concentration was similar to shell, but was highly variable and uncorrelated with any other tissue. We conclude that snapping turtles accumulate mercury from their environment and may be useful monitors of mercury contamination.

Connecticut↗
USGS2001

Effects of acidity and aluminim on the physiology and migratory behavior of Atlantic salmon smolts in Maina, USA

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, smolts of hatchery origin were held for 5 to 16 days in ambient (pH 6.35, labile Al = 60 ??g L-1), limed (pH 6.72, labile Al = 58.4 ??g L-1), or acidified (pH 5.47, labile Al=96 ??g L-1) water from the Narraguagus River in Maine, USA. Wild smolts were captured in the same river in rotary traps and held for up to two days in ambient river water. Osmoregulatory ability was assessed by measuring Na+/K+ ATPase activity, hematocrit, and blood Cl concentration in freshwater, and after 24-hr exposure to seawater. Hatchery smolts exposed to acidic water and wild smolts displayed sub-lethal ionoregulatory stress both in fresh and seawater, with mortalities of wild smolts in seawater. Using ultrasonic telemetry, hatchery-reared ambient and acid-exposed, and wild smolts were tracked as they migrated through freshwater and estuarine sections of the river. The proportion of wild smolts migrating during daylight hours was higher than for hatchery-reared smolts. Wild smolts remained in the freshwater portions of the river longer than either group of hatchery smolts, although survival during migration to seawater was similar for all three treatments. Acid-exposed hatchery-origin and wild Narraguagus River smolts were both under ionoregulatory stress that may have affected their migratory behavior, but not their survival for the time and area in which we tracked them.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution↗
USGS1997

Mercury concentrations in Maine sport fishes

To assess mercury contamination of fish in Maine, fish were collected from 120 randomly selected lakes. The collection goal for each lake was five fish of the single most common sport fish species within the size range commonly harvested by anglers. Skinless, boneless fillets of fish from each lake were composited, homogenized, and analyzed for total mercury. The two most abundant species, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu , were also analyzed individually. The composite fish analyses indicate high concentrations of mercury, particularly in large and long‐lived nonsalmonid species. Chain pickerel Esox niger , smallmouth bass, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides , and white perch Morone americana had the highest average mercury concentrations, and brook trout and yellow perch Perca flavescens had the lowest. The mean species composite mercury concentration was positively correlated with a factor incorporating the average size and age of the fish. Lakes containing fish with high mercury concentrations were not clustered near known industrial or population centers but were commonest in the area within 150 km of the seacoast, reflecting the geographical distribution of species that contained higher mercury concentrations. Stocked and wild brook trout were not different in length or weight, but wild fish were older and had higher mercury concentrations. Fish populations maintained by frequent introductions of hatchery‐produced fish and subject to high angler exploitation rates may consist of younger fish with lower exposure to environmental mercury and thus contain lower concentrations than wild populations.

Maine↗
USGS1994

Metal concentration in the gill, gastrointestinal tract, and carcass of white suckers ( Catostomus commersoni ) in relation to lake acidity

Adult white suckers were collected from four lakes in Maine that ranged in pH from 7.0 to 5.4. The gastrointestinal tract and remainder of the carcass of fishes of similar age and size from each lake, and gills from additional fishes of similar size, were analyzed for Al, Cd, Pb, and Zn. Carcasses were also analyzed for Hg. Concentrations of Al, Cd, and Pb were highest in the gastrointestinal tract and lowest in the carcass; Zn concentration was highest in the gill. For carcass, all metals except Al differed significantly among lakes, for gill tissue Cd and Pb differed, and for gastrointestinal tract, only Cd differed among lakes. Where differences were significant, patterns among lakes were similar in each tissue analyzed. Concentrations of Cd, Hg, and Pb were negatively correlated with lake water pH, acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), Ca, and lake:watershed area, and positively correlated with lake water SO 4 , indicating that concentrations were higher in fish from more acidic lakes. Zinc concentrations in gills were unrelated to lake acidity, and carcass concentrations were higher in the less acidic lakes, which is the opposite of the pattern for the other metals studied. Zinc in gastrointestinal tract did not differ among lakes. Although the lakes we studied were located in undisturbed watersheds and did not receive any point source discharges, fish metal concentrations were comparable to or higher than those reported from waters receiving industrial discharges.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution↗
USGS1981

Mercury in the muscle tissue of fish from three northern Maine lakes

There is evidence that fish in Canadian wilderness areas exhibit elevated mercury levels because of the oligotrophic nature of the lakes they inhabit (BROUZES et al. 1977). D'ITRI et al. (1971) reported higher levels of mercury in trout from oligotrophic waters than in trout from eutrophic waters in unpolluted areas. They attributed part of the difference to differences in the food of the fish in the two types of waters. Position on the trophic scale is an important factor determining the degree of bioaccumulation of mercury by aquatic organisms, especially fish. Elevated mercury levels have been reported in fish from three wilderness lakes in northern Maine (NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES 1978). Concentrations exceeding 0.50 ~g/g were detected in the muscle tissue of many of the fish. We report the levels of mercury in the muscle tissue of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and lake trout (S. namaycush) from three northern Maine lakes. Mercury levels in fish from two wilderness lakes in the same drainage basin were compared with each other, and in turn with those in fish from a lake in a separate drainage basin. The fish species composition in one of the wilderness lakes, Cliff Lake, is different from that in the other two lakes, enabling us to analyze the effects of trophic structure on mercury concentration in top carnivores. It is unlikely that mercury from agricultural, geological, or local industrial sources occurs in these lakes.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗