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Deposition And Fate Of Atmospheric Mercury In Forested Landscapes Of The Adirondack Park, Ny, Bradley Blackwell

Civil and Environmental Engineering - Dissertations

In this dissertation, I investigated the deposition and fate of atmospheric mercury (Hg) to forested landscapes of the Adirondack region in Upstate New York. Despite the fact that forests are the dominant land cover in North America, there has been relatively little research on the deposition, transport, and fate of Hg within forested ecosystems. The objective of this dissertation was to quantify pathways of Hg deposition in forested sites in the Adirondack Park and to examine spatial and geographic patterns of Hg deposition and fate.

The research for this dissertation was conducted in three phases. In Phase One, I compared …

Spatial Patterns Of Mercury In Atmospheric Deposition, Soils And Lake Biota In The Adirondack Park, New York, Xue Yu

Civil and Environmental Engineering - Dissertations

Mercury (Hg), as a trace element cycling in the environment, poses a serious health threat to both humans and wildlife due to its toxicity. Atmospheric deposition is the main source of Hg to most remote environments. The Adirondack Park in New York State of the United States receives moderate Hg deposition, and is a region characterized by relatively high concentrations of Hg in the terrestrial and especially aquatic biota. It is important to understand the mechanisms that contribute to the sensitivity of this region to Hg inputs. In my research, studies of the spatial patterns of Hg in atmospheric deposition, …

Effects Of Calcium Addition On Structure And Bioavailability Of Soil Organic Matter, Ankit Balaria

Civil and Environmental Engineering - Dissertations

The northeastern USA has a long history of acid rain, which has impacted soil fertility and raised concerns about the sustainability of the forests in the region. To facilitate recovery of these forests, calcium addition, in the form of wollastonite, was evaluated as a remedial tool at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forests in New Hampshire, USA. In order to study the effects of these amendments on soil organic matter and soil microbes, I characterized the structural chemistry of soil organic matter (SOM) and its hot-water extractable organic matter (HWEOM) fraction for Hubbard Brook soils and studied the changes in the structure …