Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes

Dates

Project Start Date: 2010
Project End Date: 2015

Summary

Description of Work U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) will identify through this project significant sources and impacts of historical and newly emerging toxics to the Great Lakes ecosystem through broad surveillance as well as laboratory and field research of tree swallows and other bird species. USGS scientists will determine the amount of exposure to and the effects of historical and emerging contaminants in Great Lakes food chains. The data will inform regulators and provide guidance on removal of Beneficial Use Impairments at Area of Concern sites around the Great Lakes. Work supported under this project is quantifying exposure to, and effects of, both historical and emerging contaminants on Great Lakes food chains using sentinel [...]

Summary

Description of Work

U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) will identify through this project significant sources and impacts of historical and newly emerging toxics to the Great Lakes ecosystem through broad surveillance as well as laboratory and field research of tree swallows and other bird species. USGS scientists will determine the amount of exposure to and the effects of historical and emerging contaminants in Great Lakes food chains. The data will inform regulators and provide guidance on removal of Beneficial Use Impairments at Area of Concern sites around the Great Lakes. Work supported under this project is quantifying exposure to, and effects of, both historical and emerging contaminants on Great Lakes food chains using sentinel indicator species such as colonial waterbirds and tree swallows. Results will contribute directly to assessments of Great Lakes ecosystem health and science-based decision making, provide data that will be directly used by States and EPA to assess whether specific BUIs can be removed and AOC?s subsequently delisted, provide a baseline for future trend analysis, and determine the effectiveness of recent remediation actions at AOCs and other known hotspots. The tree swallow data provide for a biological matrix that is consistent across all AOCs and allows direct comparisons among AOCs and comparisons to non-AOC locations across not only the Great Lakes, but also the northern tier of states in the U.S. as well as Canada. Because swallows can be enticed to nest at AOCs with the use of nest boxes, similar data will be available for all AOCs. Because there are effects thresholds already established for tree swallows, or other avian species, it can be determined directly whether exposures to contaminants of various chemical classes are at or above levels of concern. The collection of colonial waterbird data, where those species occur, in conjunction with the tree swallow data, will allow for modeling and assessment of possible contaminant effects throughout the aquatic ecosystem. The limited feeding radius of swallows and close ties to sediment contamination allow for an assessment of the biological availability of sediment contaminants as well as quantification of changes in sediment contamination that will be directly usable by EPA in remedy effectiveness assessments.

Relevance & Impact

This information on effects of those chemical contaminants is directly applicable to two Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) for wildlife and is being used by States and EPA in their BUI assessments and reports. This information can also be used by decision makers to further prioritize watersheds for restoration, and is providing important metrics to measure the success of restoration and remediation activities that are ongoing or planned. Comparisons among sites, as well as to sites across the U.S. and Canada, will allow for better and more rigorous assessments of the effects of chemical contaminants on the health of the Great Lakes as a whole and at individual AOCs. This project is being conducted in close collaboration with EPA, NOAA, FWS, and State governments. By the end of this project, the resulting data set will be among the most comprehensive available for avian contaminants in a specific geographic region. A partnership has been initiated among EPA (ORD, Cincinnati, OH); USGS, Fort Collins, CO; and USGS, UMESC, WI to evaluate trophic level responses to PCB contamination at two AOCs (Manistique, MI and Ottawa River, OH). This partnership will enhance our ability to project exposure and effects throughout the food web and to provide additional information and techniques applicable to other AOCs.

Key Findings

Work funded during the first 3 years of the study has provided valuable and heretofore unavailable information, quantifying the distribution of both organic and inorganic contaminants in the same matrix (tree swallow eggs) across all AOCs and nearby reference areas. To date, detailed information has been collected at 45 study sites encompassing AOCs across all Great Lakes. EPA scientists (ORD, Athens, GA) completed metabolomic analyses of tree swallow tissues collected in 2011 by Project 80. Organic analyses from 2012 collections were completed and results are being converted to usable formats. Preliminary summaries of 2012 information have been made available to State AOC coordinators and public advisory organizations including the Fox River/Green Bay AOC, Waukegan AOC, Niagara River AOC, Menominee River AOC, Saginaw River AOC, Manistique River AOC, and Sheboygan River AOC

Products

The web site established for GLRI Project 80: ( http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/wildlife_toxicology/glri_project80.html).

A summary of Project 80 results was presented on the Huron-Erie Corridor Research vessel meeting in August 2012. This was a meeting of stakeholders and scientists from all along the Huron-Erie Corridor that encompasses two AOCs (St. Clair and Detroit Rivers) primarily, but the Clinton and Rouge Rivers AOCs were also represented.

Chris Custer participated remotely, via poster, handouts, and video, at the Manistique River AOC open house and public meeting in August 2012. Public meetings are an important venue to reach a diverse audience and provide important access to GLRI Project 80 preliminary information.

A poster was presented on Project 80 at the U.S. Areas of Concern meeting in Cleveland, OH in September 2012. Christine Custer also co-led the Bird or Animal Deformity or Reproductive Problem BUI workshop.

Two presentations summarizing Project 80 results were given at the 33rd Annual Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Long Beach, CA, November 2012.

Video link to WI swallow presentation produced by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ( http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/wildlife_toxicology/glri_project80.html).

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Contacts

Principal Investigator :: Christine M Custer
Associate Project Chief :: Michael D Jawson
Cooperator/Partner :: Thomas W Custer, Jack Waide
Lead Organization :: Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

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Related External Resources

Type: Web Link

Project Home Page	http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/wildlife_toxicology/glri_project80.html
Related Resource	http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/projects/toxic_substances/birds_as_indicators.html
Related Resource	http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/#/Browse/fats/53598192e4b0031b2f4a072e

Type: Browse Image

Thumbnail	http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/documents/glri_thumbnails/TreeSwallow.png

Material Request Instructions

Direct questions and requests to the Principle Investigator.

Purpose

Results will contribute directly to assessments of Great Lakes ecosystem health and science-based decision making, provide data that directly contribute to BUI removal and AOC delisting assessments, provide a baseline for future trend analysis, and determine the effectiveness of recent remediation actions at AOCs and other known hotspots. Specifically, all of the tree swallow and colonial waterbird data can be used directly by States and EPA to determine whether two BUIs ? (1) Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproductive Problems and (2) Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations ? can be removed. These data are being provided to States and EPA in a format and style that enable their immediate and efficient use. The tree swallow data can also be used in the remedy effectiveness context, directly and immediately, at those locations when remedies have already been implemented. Concentrations in tree swallow tissues are being measured pre- and post-dredging to assess remedy effectiveness for biological endpoints.

Project Extension

projectStatus	In Progress

Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes

Dates

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Summary

Description of Work

Relevance & Impact

Key Findings

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Summary

Summary

Description of Work

Relevance & Impact

Key Findings

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Attached Files sorting Metadata First Recent First Alphabetical

Related External Resources

Material Request Instructions

Purpose

Project Extension

Preview Image

Map

Spatial Services

Communities

Associated Items

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Provenance

Item Actions

View Item as ...

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