Mercury and Rice in the California Delta: Lessons Linking Wetlands to Water to Wildlife

Presenter: Lisamarie Windham-Myers, USGS Research Ecologist, National Research Program

- Wetlands are hotspots for mercury methylation and export of methylmercury to aquatic foodwebs.

Rice is the most abundant wetland type in California and globally in temperate and tropical latitudes.

- Physical, chemical and biological Hg transformations are temporally pulsed in agricultural wetlands, due largely to seasonal water management practices.

- Monitoring methylmercury at the right time and location is essential to managing and projecting future exposure for wildlife and humans.