Atmospheric deposition has been found to be the dominant source of mercury (Hg) in New England's aquatic environment (Krabbenhoft and others, 1999; Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) and others, 1998). Little is known about atmospheric mercury deposition in urban areas because most atmospheric monitoring to date has been done in rural areas. Preliminary water, sediment, and fish tissue data, collected by U.S. Geological Survey's New England Coastal Basins (NECB) study as part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, shows elevated concentrations of mercury in the Boston metropolitan area. The NECB Mercury Deposition Network is a four-site, 2-year data collection effort by the USGS to help define the levels of mercury in precipitation and identify how atmospheric mercury may be contributing to mercury in the aquatic ecosystem.

New England Coastal Basins Mercury Deposition Network collaborators:

- USGS National Atmospheric Deposition Program
- USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
- USGS Mercury Studies Team
- Frontier Geosciences
- New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Air Resources Division
- Ipswich/Parker EMPACT study
- Blue Hill Observatory