The South Bay Mercury Project: Using Biosentinels to Monitor Effects of Wetland Restoration for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (Waterbird Mercury Component)

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project plans to convert 50-90% of the former salt evaporation ponds of South San Francisco Bay into tidal marsh habitat. This large-scale habitat restoration may change the distribution, bioavailability, and bioaccumulation of methylmercury. The South Bay is known to already have high methylmercury levels in biota, with methylmercury concentrations in several waterbird species above known toxicity thresholds where avian reproduction is impaired.