Methods

•	We surveyed bays on the Savannah River Site (SRS), an 800 km2 federal reservation located in south-central South Carolina. Public access to the SRS has been restricted since the 1950s, and the land consists of abandoned farms, and pine and deciduous forests.
	a
•	Over 300 Carolina bays exist on the SRS; previous studies have documented flora and fauna and followed long-term changes in these systems, but no previous work has been done on mercury or other heavy metals in these systems.
	a
•	There are no point sources or history of Hg pollution in the watersheds of any of these bays, suggesting the importance of atmospheric inputs.
	a
•	Three species were common to most bays: lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta), mud sunfish (Acantharchus pomotis) , and redfin pickerel (Esox americanus).
•	Fish lengths were chosen based on stork diet data presented in Gariboldi et al., (1998); these sizes represent typical fish from these wetlands that might be consumed by predators foraging in the bays.
	a
•	Fish (total n about 300) were collected using minnow traps and hoop traps from March - June 1997.
	a
•	Water samples were also collected for analysis of major anions and cations, and hydro period and maximum depth were determined on repeat visits over a multi-year period.
	a
•	Fish were freeze-dried to determine moisture content, then digested digested in sealed teflon vessels in a microwave oven, diluted with high-purity deionized water and assayed for Hg within 48 hours.
	a
•	Mercury was determined by cold-vapor atomic fluorescence detection.
•	Over 25 % of all samples were spikes, blanks, replicates, or standard materials with certified mercury concentrations (National Research Council of Canada).
	a
•	Spike recovery averaged 95 % (n=40); differences between replicates 8 % (n = 78).