Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes - Egg Contaminants Data

Start Date

2014-05-01

End Date

2014-07-01

Publication Date

2016-05-02

Start Date

2014-05-01

End Date

2014-07-01

Custer, C.M., 2016, Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes - Egg Contaminants Data: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7K64G5H.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement [GLWQA] designated Areas of Concern (AOCs) which were geographical areas where significant beneficial use impairment (BUI) has occurred as a result of human activities. Thirty-one AOCs were identified in the United States of which five are shared (Binational) with Canada. Fourteen BUIs were identified in the GLWQA. A BUI relates to a change in the chemical, physical or biological integrity of the Great Lakes System sufficient to cause any of the 14 conditions outlined in Annex 1.a of the GLWQA. Each AOC was assigned a variable number of BUIs. Although each State has unique criteria, the ‘Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproductive Problems’ BUI uses two basic approaches to assess possible impairment: (1) reproductive data collected in the field and compared to normal reproductive rates in similar, but non-contaminated areas, or (2) a comparison of tissue concentrations to background and known reproductive effect levels from both field and laboratory studies. For birds, egg concentrations are often the tissue used for these assessments and is the subject of the current paper. Most AOCs list PCBs as the primary contaminant of concern, however, PCDD-Fs are often specifically listed as well. The objectives of this study were to quantify exposure to organic chemicals among Great Lakes basin AOCs and nearby non-AOCs, and to compare these values to published background concentrations and effects thresholds. These results provide critical information identified by land managers and regulators as necessary to assess the ‘Bird or Animal Deformity or Reproductive Problems’ BUI.

ScienceBase WMS

• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
• Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC)

Data source

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