Scientists from BioDiversity Research Institute and Hubbard Brook Research Foundation released the results of two new studies that identify five known and nine suspected biological mercury hotspots in northeastern North America and for the first time link them directly to causes. The authors pinpoint U.S. coal-fired power plants as the major source of the problem and document new ways that airborne mercury emissions can cause biological hotspots -- namely in watersheds sensitized by decades of acid rain and reservoirs manipulated for power production. New results reveal that EPA’s mercury deposition estimates near one hotspot are far too low. The studies are the result of a three-year effort and are the cover story of the January issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal BioScience.