Join us for the next FLOW (Amigos de Bolsa Chica's Citizen Scientist water quality monitoring program) Seminar Series! Mercury pollution is a global problem that harms wildlife and contaminates the seafood we eat. Over the past millennia, mining, coal combustion, power plants, and other industrial activities have increased mercury concentration in the ocean, which poses a threat to human and environmental health. Plankton are the entry point for mercury in aquatic food webs, and subsequent biomagnification in fish is the primary route of human mercury poisoning. UCI researchers are at using cutting edge methods and techniques to study the ways in which plankton take up and transfer mercury in the ocean and coastal areas. Come learn about their research and brainstorm ways in which Southern California citizens can collaborate with scientists to better understand and mitigate these types of environmental problems. UCI researchers will be demonstrating some of the methods and techniques used to study microorganims and mercury pollution in water samples using hands-on activities that will be fun for all ages! Presented by part of the UCI Earth Systems Science Department, including Priya Ganguli, PHD