Graduate Seminar

Mercury contamination of water bodies throughout the Great Basin is being observed at alarmingly high rates.  Although many different source types could be contributing to the problem, the media has chosen to focus almost exclusively on the hypothesis that gold mining activities in Nevada are to blame.  This presentation will review the science behind the media implications and identify a chemical fingerprint of particulate matter emitted by ore-roasting facilities in Nevada that can be used to test this hypothesis for the first time.