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WHICH AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS POSE THE GREATEST RISK TO WESTERN NATIONAL PARKS (USA)?
Citation:
LANDERS, D. H., M. M. ERWAY, S. USENKO, K. HAGEMAN, L. ACKERMAN, S. SIMONICH, A. SCHWINDT, D. H. CAMPBELL, H. E. TAYLOR, AND T. BLETT. WHICH AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS POSE THE GREATEST RISK TO WESTERN NATIONAL PARKS (USA)? Presented at International SETAC Meeting, Montreal, QC, CANADA, November 05 - 09, 2006.
Description:
The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants where having an impact on remote western ecosystems. Multiple sample media (snow, water, sediment, fish and terrestrial vegetation) were collected from 2003 - 2005 from eight primary National Park units ranging in latitude from California to Alaska and East to the Rocky Mountains (Colorado and Montana). Additional vegetation samples were collected from 12 secondary parks. The objective was to evaluate contaminant flux, pathways and impacts of semi-volatile organic compounds and metals including mercury. Atmospheric back trajectory modeling was performed for each site to determine the potential sources of contaminants. WACAP is designed so that contaminant pathways can be inferred based on the contaminants measured in the various environmental matrices. Annual snow pack analysis directly estimates a major component of annual contaminant deposition. Flux histories revealed in dated lake sediments reflect local, regional and global contaminant use and are influenced by deposition fluxes as well as watershed characteristics and aquatic processes. Fish concentrations reflect the gross contaminant loading to the watershed and the food web. Linking these matrices we evaluate current and future risk to these ecosystems using contaminant status in snow, fish and recent sediments relative to contaminant criteria from the scientific literature.