The Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP) is a nationwide study that works with citizen scientists and community volunteers to collect dragonfly larvae for mercury analysis. Mercury is a global pollutant that, in large amounts, can be toxic to humans and wildlife. Knowing the levels of mercury in dragonfly larvae can help the NPS identify hot spots to guide future park research and inform risk communication to protect the public. It can also provide baseline information to measure the effectiveness of mercury reduction policies. Not only that, but the citizen scientists who participate learn more about the natural world! The DMP utilizes a citizen science framework for monitoring mercury pollution in U.S. national parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels. Volunteers work with scientists to collect 10 - 20 larvae (also called nymphs) from lakes, rivers, and wetlands and identify them to the family level. Once each nymph is identified, measured, labeled, and carefully packaged, it is placed in the freezer. Ultimately all samples and data sheets are shipped on dry ice to a United States Geological Survey (USGS) laboratory in Oregon where they are analyzed to determine their mercury content.
Discover more about the project at the NPS Dragonfly Mercury Project Citizen Science Page and connect to annual data flyers or dive directly into the DMP Data Dashboard by visiting the Dragonfly Mercury Project Data Visualization Tool. |
Last updated: April 18, 2024