Ryan Lepak Lake Guardian 2 (IMAGE)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Ryan Lepak Lake Guardian 2

Caption

Using a combination of mercury, nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis -- which he terms "fingerprinting" -- on samples of lake trout archived from 1978 to 2012, researcher Ryan Lepak discovered there wasn't an obvious decrease in concentrations of mercury in these fish even though the sediment record revealed reduced mercury loading. The new study shows this is due to shifts in the fish's diet.

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Image courtesy of Ryan Lepak

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