An Evaluation of Mercury Contamination in the Fish Communities of Abbotts Creek, Davidson County North Carolina
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 28, 2019
- Creator
-
Elmore, Lauren Elizabeth
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Abstract
- A fish tissue contamination data set, collected by the North Carolina Division of Environmental Management, was examined to determine the mechanisms behind mercury accumulation in Abbotts Creek fish. Mercury concentrations, undetectable in the water column, bioaccumulate to measurable levels in Abbotts Creek fishes. Piscivorous species bioconcentrate mercury; there is a significant relationship between largemouth bass size and mercury contamination levels. Trophic position, as determined by dietary preferences, affects fish mercury concentrations. Locational differences were observed in the contamination of each species, with highest concentrations observed most consistently at North Carolina Highway 47. Mercury levels in Abbotts Creek fish appear to be changing at different rates. These rates appear to be affected by sampling location. Mercury contamination levels for largemouth bass in 1990 are significantly lower than in 1981 for all Abbotts Creek sites. The largemouth bass appears to be a species which can be used to monitor environmental effects of Hg concentrations that are unmeasurable in industrial and municipal effluents.
- Date of publication
- May 1992
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Kuenzler, Edward J.
- Smith, Val H.
- Francisco, Donald E.
- Degree
- Master of Science in Public Health
- Academic concentration
- Environmental Chemistry and Biology
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 1992
- Language
- Deposit record
- c2589085-57f7-4434-bf45-a2666ba162b9
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- Parents:
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