Rhea Sanders

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High concentrations of mercury detected throughout Central California sediments have become a major concern due to the bioaccumulation and the toxic effects of mercury. Twelve million kg of mercury were used in gold mining activities during 1860-1900, a large fraction of which was subsequently lost to the environment during processing. Of this amount, 60 percent is thought to have been lost to the atmosphere. Currently, the relative magnitude of atmospheric deposition versus the transport of mercury by central valley river runoff into delta sediments and the natural, pre-anthropogenic fluxes are unknown. Responsible mitigation strategies, however, require the ability to apportion this contaminant into its dominant pathways and restore watersheds to their natural loads. Knowledge of pre-existing mercury levels are needed to quantify the mercury introduced from anthropogenic versus natural sources. My research involves the analysis of atmospherically derived mercury and sediment cores from lakes across Central California to detect changes in atmospheric mercury deposition from pre-anthropogenic to the present.