Table 5.

Policy challenges and opportunities associated with mercury abatement.

Challenge	Description	Examples	Opportunities	Sources
Transboundary	State and national action is insufficient to reach goals	Atmospheric transport Ocean circulation patterns Fish migration Fish in commerce	UNEP global agreement Integrated models for coastal and marine systems	UNEP 2002, Sunderland et al. 2009, Durnford et al. 2010, FAO 2010
Multi-media	Single medium regulations impede environmental improvement	U.S. Clean Water Act – Total Maximum Daily Loads	Federal coordination Receptor-based approaches (e.g., critical loads)	U.S. EPA 2011a& b
Cross issue	Legacy effects and novel conditions complicate predictions and policy decisions	Climate change Nutrient loading Fishing mortality Risk communication	Comprehensive mercury monitoring Multi-pollutant approaches Mitigation measures	Booth and Zeller 2005, Schmeltz et al. 2011, Driscoll et al., this issue, Warner et al. 2005
Interdisciplinary	Isolated research communities limit linkages between sources and effects	Integration of full human health and ecological effects in regulatory impact analyses	Expanded benefits analysis	Swain et al. 2007, Roman et al. 2010