NETNContaminants
Importance / IssuesContaminants, including heavy metal contamination, are of high ecological relevance to both terrestrial and aquatic resources due to the accumulation of trace elements and organic compounds. Bioaccumulation (magnification of contaminants through the food chain) is a serious problem, especially in aquatic organisms. Accumulated contaminants can cause fitness reductions or death in many taxa. Baseline amounts of heavy metals within parks may be at high levels "naturally," and responses may be difficult to interpret without long-term data. The first step in addressing the contaminants issue is to identify and prioritize potential sources for each park. As time and resources permit, we will work to integrate the contaminants vital sign into the monitoring program by first conducting park specific inventories of major contaminants before considering protocol development or monitoring. Protocol Development & StatusAt this time the Northeast Temperate Network is not developing a protocol for this vital sign. Potential MeasuresPotential measures will be developed with the protocol. |
 Preliminary Monitoring ObjectiveMonitoring objectives will be developed with the protocol. |
ReferencesNone Presently Available |