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UNL installs mercury monitoring stationNebraska On Oct. 13, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began monitoring at its West Central Research and Extension Center for atmospheric mercury, said a UNL specialist. "Mercury is a concern because it's a toxic element," said Jim Goeke, UNL Hydrogeologist with the Conservation and Survey Division. The monitoring system at North Platte is one of 100 nationwide and one of two in Nebraska, Goeke said. Mercury testing will add another data set to the already-existing acid rain monitoring that's been in progress since 1986. Goeke said that he expects to find mercury because monitoring sites in remote areas of South Dakota and New Mexico are detecting mercury. Specialists running the studies aren't really sure of the source. "We're launching into the great unknown," Goeke said. "We're going to be able to tell you if there's mercury and how much we have. Then the challenge becomes to figure out where it comes from and what to do about it." Goeke said he's amazed by the sophistication of the monitoring system, because "we're looking at nanotechnology." Since mercury's measured in nanograms, technicians handling the system have to be meticulous when collecting samples. "We wear batches of gloves, just to ensure that everything is absolutely, surgically, squeaky clean," he said. "When we collect samples we can't contaminate it with something that might be on our skin." Goeke said that he normally focuses on groundwater and its connection to surface water. Since groundwater starts with rainfall and recharge, he said, whatever washes out of that atmospheric chemistry affects the quality of Nebraska's groundwater system. In addition to the meteorology collected at Lee Bird Field, UNL maintains a system that records when it rains, how long it rains and how much falls each time. It monitors any changes in the basic chemistry of the rain from week to week. Now the presence of mercury will be added to the chemistry that's monitored. Goeke believe that there's a knee jerk reaction to suspect the most obvious sources for chemical contamination in the atmosphere. "When we put in the acid rain station in 1986," he said, "knowing we're just 22 miles downwind from the Gerald Gentleman Power Generating Station, I thought we were going to have some very interesting chemistry." He said that acid rain generally has a pH of about 4.3 or less. But the acid rain monitor has only shown levels below that once. Throughout the 20 years of testing, pH has averaged more than six. "That's the kind of background atmospheric pH that's related to remote areas." The mercury study is being done in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality under an Environmental Trust Grant. Goeke expressed appreciation to the people who contribute to that fund because those revenues help make these projects possible. Goeke suggested that people "stay tuned" because he expects to start getting results by the end of the year. 10/27/08 Date: 10/22/08
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