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Columbia Environmental Research Center

Welcome to the Columbia Environmental Research Center. Our research focuses on environmental contaminants and the effects of habitat alterations on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. 

News

New USGS model uses dragonflies to estimate freshwater mercury risk on U.S. protected lands

New USGS model uses dragonflies to estimate freshwater mercury risk on U.S. protected lands

USGS Friday's Findings - August 9, 2024

USGS Friday's Findings - August 9, 2024

Friday's Findings - January 26, 2024

Friday's Findings - January 26, 2024

Publications

Ecosystem drivers of freshwater mercury bioaccumulation are context-dependent: Insights from continental-scale modeling

Significant variation in mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation is observed across the diversity of freshwater ecosystems in North America. While there is support for the major drivers of Hg bioaccumulation, the relative influence of different external factors can vary widely among waterbodies, which makes predicting Hg risk across large spatial scales particularly challenging. We modeled Hg...
Authors
Christopher James Kotalik, James Willacker, Jeff S. Wesner, Branden L. Johnson, Colleen M. Flanagan Pritz, Sarah J. Nelson, David Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith

Exposure to the Polychlorinated biphenyl mixture Aroclor 1254 elicits neurological and cardiac developmental effects in early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The goal of this study was to compare the bioaccumulation of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1254 in zebrafish to cardiac and neurologic outcomes. The establishment of effect concentrations (ECs) for cardiac and neurotoxic effects of PCBs in early life stage fish is challenging due to a lack of measured PCB concentrations in test media (e.g., fish tissue), the lack of standard exposure methods...
Authors
Corey A. Green, Jeffrey M. Morris, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Rachel Leads, Claire R. Lay, Michel Gielazyn, Lisa Rosman, Daniel Schlenk, Aaron P. Roberts

The MIEM guidelines: Minimum information for reporting of environmental metabarcoding data

Environmental DNA (eDNA) and RNA (eRNA) metabarcoding has become a popular tool for assessing biodiversity from environmental samples, but inconsistent documentation of methods, data and metadata makes results difficult to reproduce and synthesise. A working group of scientists have collaborated to produce a set of minimum reporting guidelines for the constituent steps of metabarcoding...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Jacoby D. Baker, Cathryn L. Abbott, Rachel J. Brown, Joseph M. Craine, Zachary Gold, Margaret Hunter, Mark D. Johnson, Devin Nicole Jones, Michelle J. Jungbluth, Sean P. Jungbluth, Yer Lor, Aaron P. Maloy, Christopher M. Merkes, Rachel T. Noble, Nastassia V. Patin, Adam Sepulveda, Stephen Frank Spear, Joshua A. Steele, Miwa Takahashi, Alison W. Watts, Susanna Theroux

Science

Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxS) Dysregulates Lipid Homeostasis in Early Life Stage Fish

A frequently detected perfluorinated compound in the environment, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), can alter lipid metabolism in developing fish. This work identifies a novel mechanism in which PFHxS targets lipid metabolism pathways by using multiple omic techniques and modeling approaches.
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Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxS) Dysregulates Lipid Homeostasis in Early Life Stage Fish

A frequently detected perfluorinated compound in the environment, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), can alter lipid metabolism in developing fish. This work identifies a novel mechanism in which PFHxS targets lipid metabolism pathways by using multiple omic techniques and modeling approaches.
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Increased Mercury, Reduced Insect Diversity, and Food Web impacts from Historical Mercury Mining

U.S. Geological Survey scientists are seeking to understand the impacts of mercury mining on headwater streams, organisms, and food webs, focused on potential effects from historical mining in central Idaho. Mercury associated with mine waste can leave a legacy of contamination that continues to impact stream health in culturally and ecologically important headwater streams after mining activities...
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Increased Mercury, Reduced Insect Diversity, and Food Web impacts from Historical Mercury Mining

U.S. Geological Survey scientists are seeking to understand the impacts of mercury mining on headwater streams, organisms, and food webs, focused on potential effects from historical mining in central Idaho. Mercury associated with mine waste can leave a legacy of contamination that continues to impact stream health in culturally and ecologically important headwater streams after mining activities...
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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team

The Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team (CTT) within the Environmental Health Program partners with external and internal stakeholders to develop and apply analytical methods for measuring PFAS in complex matrices, addressing environmental health issues related to transport, distribution, fate, effects, and exposure.
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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team

The Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Core Technology Team (CTT) within the Environmental Health Program partners with external and internal stakeholders to develop and apply analytical methods for measuring PFAS in complex matrices, addressing environmental health issues related to transport, distribution, fate, effects, and exposure.
Learn More
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