On Thursday, I took part in a dragonfly larvae collection as part of The Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP). The project is a collaboration between the National Park Service (NPS) and the USGS (United States Geological Survey). It is an effective way to measure the amount of mercury in a body of water.
How does this project work? First, a crew of Scientists in Parks, park rangers, and Volunteers-in-Parks (VIPs) work together to collect dragonfly larvae from a specific area within an NPS site. Next, the family of the dragonfly is identified. These scientific name are often long and complicated — Gomphidae, Corduliidae, Libellulidae were found during the collection I went on. An information packet describing the different physical attributes of the larvae allows experts to quickly identify the family while using a microscope. Finally, the larvae are bagged up and sent to a lab for chemical testing.
This study is important, because mercury from human activities can leak into even the most remote environments. It's dangerous to wildlife and to humans. The DMP allows experts to more easily monitor the fluctuating levels of mercury in the environment. This data will help scientists determine the connections between the environment and the accrual of mercury.
As you can see from the map below, the larvae at Big Thicket have a much higher level of mercury than some other parks. Determining what causes this contamination while lead to better protection of the preserve.
If you are excited about DMP data, view it here.
If you are a more casual researcher, follow DMP on Facebook.