Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2-2010

Abstract

Understanding the ecosystem controls on the production and accumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) is a pressing issue for both environmental and public health. Certain landcover characteristics affect water chemistry in a watershed, thus predisposing it to MeHg contamination. Of these factors, wetlands have been found as the primary characteristic in predicting concentrations of MeHg in a stream. It is not clear, however, whether 1) total area or 2) percentage of wetland soils in a watershed or 3) the proximity of wetland soils to the sampling site matter most in predicting associated stream water chemistry. GIS modeling was applied to test each of these scenarios in the Lake Sunapee Watershed by overlaying information on the delineation of the Lake's major watersheds, stream sampling sites, soil data from the NRCS, and summarized water chemistry data from each site. Soil composition of each watershed and streamwater data on dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), turbidity, and sulfate concentrations were analyzed for correlations and relationships.

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