Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biological Sciences (MS)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Advisor 1

Gordon Paterson

Committee Member 1

Brandon S. Gerig

Committee Member 2

Rupali Datta

Abstract

Dam removal is a critical part of river and stream remediation projects around the world. Frequently dams are associated with impoundment ponds containing sediments that can act as a sink of various persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that can pose risks for human and aquatic wildlife. In this study, we deployed semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) at multiple locations along a 25-mile stretch of the Boardman River in Traverse City Michigan to passively sample POP concentrations in this area that has recently undergone dam and impoundment pond sediment removal. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), di-chloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and cyclodiene compounds were in the low ng/L range and below regulatory guidelines considered to pose chronic risks to aquatic health. Spatial patterns in POP profiles were present among the different deployment sites and were considered to generally reflect differences in land-use patterns along the rural to urban gradient of the monitored area of the river.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Included in

Biochemistry Commons

Share

COinS