About the USGS Mercury Laboratory

During the late 1980s, the Wisconsin DNR became aware that a surprising number of lakes in remote locations contained game fish with high levels of mercury.  These observations resulted in the start of the Wisconsin Water Science Center’s Mercury Program. The Mercury in Temperate Lakes (MTL) project and Florida Everglades project were the WI WSC's first mercury projects. These projects were directly responsible for redefining what we know about mercury concentrations, sources, and pathways to fish.

The Office of Water Quality provided funding to establish the Mercury Research Laboratory (MRL) in 1994.  The MRL immediately began offering low-level mercury analysis for all the USGS. It also initiated a large, multi-agency mercury investigation in the Florida Everglades.

The USGS Mercury Laboratory is located at the Wisconsin Water Science Center offices in Middleton, Wisconsin. Staff and contact information is located in the left side menu of every web page.

The USGS Mercury Research Laboratory is a member of the USGS water-quality laboratory group.

Lab Methods

Mercury is the most common contaminant of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, however, its sources, pathways and toxicity controlling processes are very complex. In addition, sampling and analytical procedures are very exacting and a great care must be taken to yield reliable data.

Samples are processed according to MRL laboratory procedures and analysis methods. See the back of the Request for Analysis form for a complete list of analysis codes. Review the QA Manual for a complete overview of lab procedures.

Lab photos

air barrier	fume hood	ICP-MS
distillation setup	methylmercury bubblers	acid bath
distillation block	distillation block	distillation block
lab database	lab view	distillation block
distillation setup	distillation setup	distillation setup
mixing total standard	mixing total standard	clean equipment storage
methylmercury bubblers	methylmercury bubblers	methylmercury CVAFS
	acid bath