USGS scientists use tree swallows and colonial waterbirds in the Great Lakes watershed to evaluate contaminant
- Exposure (geographic and spatial);
- Trends through time(temporal)
- Effects (reproductive, physiological, genetic)
- Monitor cleanup actions
Objectives 1 and 2 - Exposure data concentrate on several classes of new and emerging contaminants, such as the now ubiquitous flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDCs]) and stain repellents (perfluorinated compounds [PFCs]). These data are important in understanding the distribution of these relatively-little studied chemicals in birds. UMESC scientists gather data on several well-studied chemical classes (PCBs, mercury, dioxins) as well because these can still be present in the environment at possible levels of concern.
Objective 3 - Effects of environmental contaminants on birds were first brought to the nation’s attention by Rachel Carson in her seminal book Silent Spring. Since then birds have been used effectively in contaminant effect assessments. Project 80 measures numerous different types of endpoints ranging from genetic up to population-level endpoints.
Objective 4 - Cleaning up contaminated areas is an important component of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Equally important is assessing how effective those remedies have been.
Additional resources associated with UMESC's avian ecology projects are availalbe in the ScienceBase sections listed in the 'Related External Resources' section of this Web page.
