Homepage for the Biochemistry and Physiology Branch in Columbia, MO, which develops analytical techniques (cell bioassay/immunoassay) on toxicity related to fish and wildlife; and conducts research in microbiology and physiology.
Links to Columbia Environmental Research Center online databases with text, data, and metadata on toxicity, Missouri River, biomonitoring of environmental status and trends, contaminants, and sediments.
Links to electronic publications of the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) including journal articles and full-text publications accessible by publication series and subjects.
Research and assessments on mineral and energy resources, the economic and environmental effects of resource extraction and use; and on human activities that introduce chemical and pathogenic contaminants into the environment.
Report describing the results of an interdisciplinary environmental study of the World Trade Center (WTC) area after the attack on September 11, 2001. The investigations included imaging spectroscopy mapping and laboratory analysis.
Overview of the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program role in investigating the occurrence and fate of agricultural chemicals with links to investigations, headlines, on-line fact sheets, new publications, bibliographies and photo gallery.
Chapter of Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases on algal toxins, red tide toxins, phycotoxins, dinoflagellates, cyanobacterium, and bird mortality due to algal toxicosis.
Amphibian population declines and deformities due to various causes including land use change, viruses, and fungi. Links to USGS press releases, answers to FAQs (HTML and PDF versions) and photos with downloadable files.
Papers from a 1999 symposium on the possible effects on water resources and the environment of large agricultural feeding operations for pigs, chickens, and cattle, with links to other meetings, bibliography, and research studies. (Also as PDF files)
Information on arsenic in United States ground water largely as a result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils. Includes links to publications, data, maps, and links to other sites with information on arsenic.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in rocks, soils, and the waters in contact with them. It is found in ground water as the result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils. This site links to data, maps, and more.
The study of petroleum in both the saturated and unsaturated zones, to better understand the processes that control contaminant behavior, and to use this understanding to estimate the future behavior of the contaminants.
Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program is designed to assess and monitor the effects of environmental contaminants on biological resources with links to detailed information on specific species.
Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay Studies research project conducted as part of Boston Harbor cleanup to predict the fate of contaminants and sediments introduced to Massachusetts' coastal waters from sources that include Boston sewage outfall.
Historical gold mining has left this area susceptible to mercury contamination. Elevated concentrations of mercury in the fish are well documented here.
The Contaminant Biology Program investigates contaminant exposure and effects on fish, wildlife, and other organisms, their habitat and ecosystems. Links include description of projects, research centers, and news.
The information provided in the CEE-TV database profiles available geo-referenced information on contaminant exposure and effects in terrestrial vertebrates along the U. S. coasts. The database utilizes Microsoft's Access 2000 for Windows.
Project summaries and publications on wildlife contaminant exposures and prediction and monitoring of future restoration-driven exposures within the South Florida ecosystems.
Wetlands and oil wells shouldn't mix, but in some areas they do. This explains what problems may arise and how we study the effects of highly salty water produced by oil wells when it leaks into nearby wetlands and streams.
Manual listing field procedures for bird specimen collecting, bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral diseases, biotoxins, chemical toxins, common and scientific names of birds, and glossary. Manual can be downloaded or viewed in PDF format.
Even though lead usage has declined due to environmental awareness and regulation, several human sources of lead continue to affect birds. Hunting ammunition and fishing gear are ingested by the birds, with toxic effects.
Fact sheet on mercury and the environment, including toxic effects, risk to people and wildlife, sources of mercury, environments where methylmercury is a problem, and mercury contamination.
Homepage for the research on occurrence, movement, flux, fate, and effects of agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides, in 25 states by the Midcontinent Agricultural Chemical Research Project (MACRP) with links to study results and publications.
Trace elements are inorganic chemicals occurring in small amounts in nature. This web site of the National Water Quality Assessment links to U.S. data, publications, news, and other sites on trace metals, metalloids and radionuclides in water.
Overview of three research programs including determining levels of mercury at selected sites in water, sediment and fish, mercury emissions into the atmosphere, and mercury cycling in the Everglades National Park, Florida.
Multiple studies addressing urban water-quality issues, to describe biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of urban water resources over time, and relate those characteristics to natural processes and human activities
Primary homepage for the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program studying water quality in river, aquifer and coastal water basins throughout the nation. Links to reports, data, models, maps and national synthesis studies.
Explanation of chemical contaminants released into aquatic environments by popular sealcoating compounds used in parking lots, with frequently-asked questions, links, and contact information.
Overview of aspects of research on pesticides and herbicides in Midwestern rivers with collection of data, results over a period of time, online publications, and bibliography.
Description and photos related to the Picher Mining District in Oklahoma, once a primary U.S. source of lead and zinc and now the largest superfund site in the U.S. with millions of cubic yards of mine tailings (locally known as "chat") remaining.
Locations of survey points, a photographic record of each site, field observations of vegetation cover and descriptions of oil coverage in the water and on plants, including measurements of the distance of oil penetration from the shoreline.
Science center in Florida focusing on amphibians and reptiles, coastal ecology, contaminants and ecotoxicology, imperiled fish, manatees, and invasive species
Description of the Status and Trends program, which monitors the abundance, distribution, productivity, and health of the Nation's living resources, detecting and evaluating changes in these variables over time.
Overview of studies of marine sediment on the continental shelf south of Los Angeles contaminated with DDT and PCBs from past sewage effluent discharges with links to research on Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Shelf and Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Paper by Duane Chapman for the 6th International SPMD Workshop and Symposium on a semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) measures contaminants in water by mimicking the parts of fish that cause concentration of specific chemicals in fish tissues.
Homepage for the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, which provides scientific information on contaminated sites and on human and environmental health. Links to news, topical information, investigations, meetings, publications, and photos.
Report (PDF format) on an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of contaminated ground water from a metals refinery adjacent to the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska testing water and sediments for contaminants and toxicity.
Research on contamination by trichloroethylene (TCE) in fractured rock at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Trenton, N.J. with links to site description, bibliography, online reports, and findings.
People who manage recreational areas need better, more timely estimates of the likelihood that the beach and lake waters will be hazardous to human health, and which factors cause those hazards.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub of California's water system and an important habitat for fish and wildlife. USGS research has provided resource managers and other stakeholders with a good understanding of how pesticides enter the Delta.
Listing of USGS research and monitoring projects on mine drainage, in order to promote cooperation and collaboration among scientists working on problems related to mining and the environment.
Imagery, sampling information, and other data intended for use in assessing and remediating environmental problems related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010
Studies showing how human activities affect environmental and ecological health and how the quality of our environment and wildlife affects human health.
Links to studies at the Amargosa Desert Research Site by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program studying the subsurface migration and fate of contaminants in arid environments. Links to news, remediation, photos, bibliography and techniques.