Florida Department of Environmental Protection

•  THE SOUTH FLORIDA MERCURY SCIENCE PROGRAM

from the web site..."Air currents and rainfall convey reactive, inorganic mercury from the atmosphere to the earth’s surface. Some of the deposited mercury ends up in wetlands, lakes and streams where bacteria convert a portion into methylmercury, a toxic form that is accumulated and biomagnified at each link in the food chain. In some circumstances, the result is sport fish that would be toxic if eaten by humans and prey fish that may be toxic to wildlife that eat them.

"This worldwide effect is particularly acute in the marshes of the Florida Everglades. There, largemouth bass have been found with five times the level of mercury safe for human consumption and wading birds are ingesting amounts of mercury close to levels that could reduce their populations.

"A private - public partnership is investigating ways to alleviate this problem. A consortium of electric utility interests, federal and state agencies is collaborating in the South Florida Mercury Science Program or SFMSP. SFMSP Managers meet regularly to apportion research responsibilities, correlate funding requests and share scientific results on Everglades mercury issues. While the SFMSP is focused on the Everglades and South Florida, virtually all of its work has statewide and national application.

"This site describes SFMSP strategies, plans activities and results. Links are given to the mercury related web sites of SFMSP participants and to other useful web sites dealing with mercury.

 

EPA

 

USGS

 •  South Florida Information Access
The U.S. Geological Survey has an extensive South Florida research program which includes a very significant Everglades mercury component.  

•  Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades (ACME)
USGS biogeochemical research is discussed under Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades (ACME) which has been extended as Mercury Cycling in the Everglades Nutrient Removal Areas.  

•  More ACME material 
 
•  Mercury in relation to Everglades restoration 
 
•  Mercury in relation to the Everglades food web

SFWMD

•  Methylmercury risk to Everglades Wading Birds: A Probabilistic Risk Assessment, November 1, 1999. 
Appendix to the Year 2000, Everglades Consolidated Report. [Listed 1/13/00].
This is an assessment of the risk to Everglades wading birds from eating mercury contaminated prey fish.  Criticisms of this risk assessment are also included in the Appendix.  The risk assessment is an appendix to, Chapter 7: The Everglades Mercury Problem, contained in the Year 2000, Everglades Consolidated Report of the South Florida Water Management District, which contains a broad-ranging discussion of mercury in the Everglades and its relation to efforts to remedy nutrient pollution by farm runoff and to restore more natural hydroperiods to the Everglades. 

•  Year 2000, Everglades Consolidated Report 
South Florida Water Management District  [Listed 1/13/00]
The entire Report, including Chapter 7, may be accessed from 

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

 

Florida State University

•  Florida’s Mercury Menace 
from Florida State University Research in Review. [ Listed11/99]
A discussion of the history of the Florida mercury problem and recent atmospheric research.

 

SWIM Depositions

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit:
Everglades photograph courtesy Collection Archives through Su Jewel (1997).  

 

Revised:  01/14/03