A new study finds that mines in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, and Montana are likely the source of mercury and other contaminants in Rocky Mountain snowpack.
The study was published in the May issue of the journal Environmental Pollution. It examined contamination levels for mercury, zinc, cadmium and antimony from nearly 50 sites in the Rocky Mountains.
The research team includes the Desert Research Institute’s Monica Arienzo, Associate Research Professor of Hydrology, and others from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Nevada, Reno, and Portland State University.
The researchers say they noticed higher levels of contamination in the northern Rockies and traced weather patterns back in time to come to their conclusions.
Source: A full summary can be found here from the Desert Resource Institute.
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank/ Public domain
