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Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 4097

Long-term changes in consentrations and flux fo nitrogen in the Mississippi River Basin, USA Long-term changes in consentrations and flux fo nitrogen in the Mississippi River Basin, USA

Current and historical data show that nitrogen concentrations and flux in the Mississippi River Basin have increased significantly during the past 100 years. Most of the increase observed in the lower Mississippi River has occurred since the early 1970s and is due almost entirely to an increase in nitrate. The current (1980-99) average annual nitrogen (N) flux from the Mississippi Basin...
Authors
D. A. Goolsby, W.A. Battaglin

Constants for mercury binding by organic matter isolates from the Florida Everglades Constants for mercury binding by organic matter isolates from the Florida Everglades

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been implicated as an important complexing agent for Hg that can affect its mobility and bioavailability in aquatic ecosystems. However, binding constants for natural Hg-DOM complexes are not well known. We employed a competitive ligand approach to estimate conditional stability constants for Hg complexes with DOM isolates collected from Florida...
Authors
J.M. Benoit, R.P. Mason, C.C. Gilmour, G. R. Aiken

A functional relation for field-scale nonaqueous phase liquid dissolution developed using a pore network model A functional relation for field-scale nonaqueous phase liquid dissolution developed using a pore network model

A pore network model with cubic chambers and rectangular tubes was used to estimate the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) dissolution rate coefficient, Kdissai, and NAPL/water total specific interfacial area, ai. Kdissai was computed as a function of modified Peclet number(Pe′) for various NAPL saturations (SN) and ai during drainage and imbibition and during dissolution without...
Authors
L.A. Dillard, H.I. Essaid, M.J. Blunt

Effects of acidic recharge on groundwater at the St. Kevin Gulch site, Leadville, Colorado Effects of acidic recharge on groundwater at the St. Kevin Gulch site, Leadville, Colorado

The acid rock drainage-affected stream of St. Kevin Gulch recharges the Quaternary sand and gravel aquifer of Tennessee Park, near Leadville, Colorado, lowering pH and contributing iron, cadmium, copper, zinc and sulphate to the ground-water system. Dissolved metal mobility is controlled by the seasonal spring runoff as well as oxidation/reduction (redox) reactions in the aquifer...
Authors
S.S. Paschke, W.J. Harrison, K. Walton-Day

Linking hyporheic flow and nitrogen cycling near the Willamette River: A large river in Oregon, USA Linking hyporheic flow and nitrogen cycling near the Willamette River: A large river in Oregon, USA

Several approaches were used to characterize ground water/surface water interactions near the Willamette River - A large (ninth order) river in Oregon, USA. A series of potentiometric surface maps demonstrated the presence of highly dynamic hydraulic gradients between rivers and the adjacent aquifer. Hyporheic zone gradients extended on the order of hundreds of meters. River gains and...
Authors
S.R. Hinkle, J.H. Duff, F.J. Triska, A. Laenen, E.B. Gates, K.E. Bencala, D.A. Wentz, S. R. Silva

Methyl tert‐butyl ether degradation in the unsaturated zone and the relation between MTBE in the atmosphere and shallow groundwater Methyl tert‐butyl ether degradation in the unsaturated zone and the relation between MTBE in the atmosphere and shallow groundwater

Atmospheric methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) concentrations in southern New Jersey generally exceeded concentrations in samples taken from the unsaturated zone. A simple unsaturated zone transport model indicates that MTBE degradation can explain the attenuation with half‐lives from a few months to a couple of years. Tert‐butyl alcohol (TBA), a possible degradation product of MTBE, was...
Authors
Arthur L. Baehr, Emmanuel G. Charles, Ronald J. Baker

Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: Using alkylbenzenes as process probes Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: Using alkylbenzenes as process probes

More than 70 individual VOCs were identified in the leachate plume of a closed municipal landfill. Concentrations were low when compared with data published for other landfills, and total VOCs accounted for less than 0.1% of the total dissolved organic carbon. The VOC concentrations in the core of the anoxic leachate plume are variable, but in all cases they were found to be near or...
Authors
Robert P. Eganhouse, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Martha A. Scholl, L.L. Matthews

Quantification of metal loads by tracer injection and synoptic sampling in Daisy Creek and the Stillwater River, Park County, Montana, August 1999 Quantification of metal loads by tracer injection and synoptic sampling in Daisy Creek and the Stillwater River, Park County, Montana, August 1999

A metal-loading study using tracer-injection and synoptic-sampling methods was conducted in Daisy Creek and a short reach of the Stillwater River during baseflow in August 1999 to quantify the metal inputs from acid rock drainage in the New World Mining District near Yellowstone National Park and to examine the downstream transport of these metals into the Stillwater River. Loads were...
Authors
David A. Nimick, Thomas E. Cleasby

MODFLOW-2000, the U.S. Geological Survey modular ground-water model: User guide to the LMT6 package, the linkage with MT3DMS for multi-species mass transport modeling MODFLOW-2000, the U.S. Geological Survey modular ground-water model: User guide to the LMT6 package, the linkage with MT3DMS for multi-species mass transport modeling

MODFLOW-2000, the newest version of MODFLOW, is a computer program that numerically solves the three-dimensional ground-water flow equation for a porous medium using a finite-difference method. MT3DMS, the successor to MT3D, is a computer program for modeling multi-species solute transport in three-dimensional ground-water systems using multiple solution techniques, including the finite...
Authors
Chunmiao Zheng, Mary Catherine Hill, Paul A. Hsieh

Analysis of streambed temperatures in ephemeral channels to determine streamflow frequency and duration Analysis of streambed temperatures in ephemeral channels to determine streamflow frequency and duration

Spatial and temporal patterns in streamflow are rarely monitored for ephemeral streams. Flashy, erosive streamflows common in ephemeral channels create a series of operational and maintenance problems, which makes it impractical to deploy a series of gaging stations along ephemeral channels. Streambed temperature is a robust and inexpensive parameter to monitor remotely, leading to the...
Authors
James E. Constantz, David A. Stonestrom, Amy E. Stewart, Richard G. Niswonger, Tyson R. Smith

Spectroscopic evidence for ternary surface complexes in the lead(II)-malonic acid-hematite system Spectroscopic evidence for ternary surface complexes in the lead(II)-malonic acid-hematite system

Using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) measurements, we examined the sorption of Pb(II) to hematite in the presence of malonic acid. Pb LIII-edge EXAFS measurements performed in the presence of malonate indicate the presence of both Fe and C neighbors, suggesting that a major fraction of surface-bound...
Authors
J.J. Lenhart, J.R. Bargar, J.A. Davis
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