Robert Mason
My current research interests are directed at the fate, transport, and transformation of trace metals, especially mercury, but also cadmium, lead, and the metalloids (arsenic and selenium) in aquatic systems and the atmosphere. The scope of research includes the open ocean, the coastal zone and estuaries, as well as freshwater systems. The focus of current and recent research is the important transformation processes, in the sediment, water and air, and at the interfaces (sediment/water and air/sea) for metals and how these impact bioavailability and bioaccumulation into aquatic organisms (http://sp.uconn.edu/~rom05001/projects.html). Mercury inputs come from both natural and anthropogenic sources and it appears that man’s activities have exacerbated the mercury problem globally and locally. Elevated levels of methylmercury in fish are an important human and ecosystem health concern, and as the links between inputs of inorganic mercury and accumulation of methylmercury in fish are complex, and involve many steps, these links have been the focus of much study.