Modeling methylmercury in Maine's tribal meres
Name
1126542208-MIT.pdf
Size
8.05 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
57ce3fe0cfdc3482de81823c517ac1bb
Author(s)
Hoffman, Nick(Nicholas D.)
Advisor(s)
Noelle Selin.
Date Issued
2018
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in the fish of twenty Maine lakes were projected for the year 2035 under three different policy scenarios. A mechanistic model of Hg fate and transport was calibrated for Maine's environment using four parameters: volumetric outflow rate, settling velocity, burial velocity, and Hg(II) biotic solids partitioning coefficient. The model was evaluated through comparison with measured results from the year 1993. The model results showed that the strictest global Hg regulations will lead to the greatest decreases in MeHg concentration. No piscivore will be safe for frequent consumption, even under the strictest regulations in the cleanest lakes. The Wabanaki traditional-subsistence diet will continue to entail unsafe MeHg exposures.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2018
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-76).
Subjects
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
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