Madeline Turnquist, M.S.
Ecological Analyst, Center for Mercury Studies
207-839-7600 x248
madeline.turnquist@briloon.org
Madeline joined BRI's Center for Mercury Studies in the spring of 2011. Her master's research in conservation biology focused on mercury pollution in fish and snapping turtles. She built predictive models to determine the mercury concentration in fish given readily available environmental parameters. These simplified models were aimed at assisting resource managers in determining where potentially high fish mercury levels might be found and to facilitate improved field sampling schedules. She also sampled snapping turtles non-lethally for mercury in muscle and shell to correlate with environmental variables. At BRI, she coordinates various mercury projects and analyzes data collected related to mercury concentrations in fish and loons.
Currently, Madeline is investigating mercury concentrations in landlocked salmon in the Rangeley Lakes area of Maine. In addition to taking tissue samples from the fish, she collects water samples to determine the basis water chemistry in the lakes, as differences in water chemistry help explain differences in biotic mercury concentrations. Madeline also helps coordinators BRI’s Global Fish and Community Mercury Monitoring Project, which aims to determine global mercury hot spots from the collection of fish and human hair samples. Beyond her specific focus on mercury in the environment, Madeline has focused her biological studies on amphibians and reptiles and wetland systems. Using her general knowledge of biology and her passion for wetlands, she hopes to expand her work at BRI to include more work in wetland systems.
Education
- M.S., Conservation Biology, State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 2011
- B.S., Wildlife Management and Biology, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, 2008
Research Interests
- Wetland ecology and conservation
- Ecotoxicology
- Using wildlife species, specifically amphibians and reptiles, as monitors of environmental health
- Creating spatial predictive models to determine fish mercury concentrations
Publications
Presentations and Posters