New York State Mercury Biotic Samples (1969-2017)

NYSERDA's dataset compiles information on biotic samples used for analyzing environmental mercury concentrations across New York State from 1969 to 2017. It contains detailed records for fish and birds, including species taxonomy, physical measurements, and sample collection details. This dataset is part of an eight-dataset statewide synthesis effort to understand mercury patterns.

Use Cases

• Analyzing mercury bioaccumulation trends by species using columns like 'Species', 'Genus', 'Family', and 'Mass (g)'.
• Comparing physical characteristics of sampled organisms across waterbody types via 'Length (cm)', 'Comp_AvgWt (g)', and 'Waterbody_Type'.
• Studying sample collection methodologies and composite sample details using 'Composite_yes_no', 'Composite_Size', and 'Length_Method'.
• Conducting taxonomic studies of sampled fish and birds using hierarchical columns 'Class', 'Order', 'Family', 'Genus', and 'TSN'.

Strengths

• Provides detailed taxonomic hierarchy for species identification, including 'Class', 'Order', 'Family', 'Genus', and 'Species'.
• Includes specific physical measurements for samples such as 'Length (cm)', 'Mass (g)', 'Age', and composite statistics.
• Covers a long temporal range for environmental monitoring, with data spanning from 1969 to 2017.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as total row count, file size, and license information is missing from all platform descriptions.
• Conflicting last update timestamps exist between sources (2026-04-04 vs 2026-03-30), casting doubt on data freshness.

Provenance

Source

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

Collection Method

Compilation, analysis, and synthesis of existing data from NYSERDA-sponsored monitoring and research efforts.

Time Range

1969-2017

Freshness

2026-04-04 23:02:10.657061

Geography

New York State