Greetings, Birders,
I received this post from Steve Wilson, and got his permission to share it with
you all.
Judy Chucker
St. Louis Park
Hennepin
- Forwarded Message -
The latest issue of Bird Studies Canada carried the following item:
“ Mercury Threatens Canada’s Loons
12 December 2013 – Toxic mercury escapes to the atmosphere anytime fossil fuels
are burned. Once in lakes, it travels up the food chain to fish and loons.
Loons, which are high on the chain, produce fewer chicks when they become
burdened with the toxin.
Researchers at Queen’s University and Environment Canada recently determined
the proportion of 1900 water bodies across Canada where mercury was high enough
to cause problems for breeding loons. Their study was published in
Environmental Science & Technology . Fish had enough mercury to lower loon
productivity at an alarming 10-36% of lakes. The researchers found the risk to
loons was highest in acidic lakes in eastern Canada, because acid enhances
uptake of mercury into the food chain.
Bird Studies Canada’s 32-year report from our Canadian Lakes Loon Survey –
published earlier this year – also found that loon chick numbers were lowest in
acidic lakes in eastern Canada. The results of the two studies clearly show
that further reductions in mercury emissions will improve the health of
Canada’s loons, and the lake ecosystems on which we all depend.”
Given the number of acid-trending lakes in northern Minnesota, this news is
relevant to water quality and loons in Minnesota, as well. Not new news, but
worth keeping in mind.
Steve Wilson
Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
