Randy is the lead scientist on mercury related research in Forest Service Research. You can find his bio here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/about/people/kolka He has been working on mercury cycling in northern Minnesota since the mid-1990s, starting with his PhD dissertation. Much of his mercury research is on the USDA Forest Service’s Marcell Experimental Forest just north of Grand Rapids. He also leads the important SPRUCE experiment (Spruce and Peatland Responses under Changing Environments) which some of us have visited. Randy is an adjunct faculty member at six universities in the US and Canada and has nearly 300 scientific publications.
Factors Influencing Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in Fish
Cutting-edge research on the Marcell Experimental Forest and other locations in northern Minnesota over the past couple of decades have led to discoveries related to mercury biogeochemistry, atmospheric deposition, hot spots where the bioaccumulative methylmercury is produced and controls on that production, the impact of fire on the transport and bioaccumulation in fish, and how warming associated with climate change influences mercury cycles. As a result of our long-term mercury research program, EPA and the state Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has used our research in major cases such as the Polymet mine decision, and currently with proposing a total maximum daily load (TMDL) policy for the St. Louis River.
This talk was recorded on zoom. Here is a link to the video:
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