Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
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Field study and simulation of diurnal temperature effects on infiltration and variably saturated flow beneath an ephemeral stream Field study and simulation of diurnal temperature effects on infiltration and variably saturated flow beneath an ephemeral stream
Two experiments were performed to investigate flow beneath an ephemeral stream and to estimate streambed infiltration rates. Discharge and stream-area measurements were used to determine infiltration rates. Stream and subsurface temperatures were used to interpret subsurface flow through variably saturated sediments beneath the stream. Spatial variations in subsurface temperatures...
Authors
Anne Dudek Ronan, David E. Prudic, Carl E. Thodal, Jim Constantz
Simulation of variable-density flow and transport of reactive and nonreactive solutes during a tracer test at Cape Cod, Massachusetts Simulation of variable-density flow and transport of reactive and nonreactive solutes during a tracer test at Cape Cod, Massachusetts
A multispecies numerical code was developed to simulate flow and mass transport with kinetic adsorption in variable-density flow systems. The two-dimensional code simulated the transport of bromide (Br−), a nonreactive tracer, and lithium (Li+), a reactive tracer, in a large-scale tracer test performed in a sand-and-gravel aquifer at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A two-fraction kinetic...
Authors
Hubao Zhang, Frank W. Schwartz, Warren W. Wood, S. P. Garabedian, D.R. LeBlanc
Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance
We determined the role of the hyporheic zone (the subsurface zone where stream water and shallow groundwater mix) in enhancing microbially mediated oxidation of dissolved manganese (to form manganese precipitates) in a drainage basin contaminated by copper mining. The fate of manganese is of overall importance to water quality in Pinal Creek Basin, Arizona, because manganese reactions...
Authors
Judson W. Harvey, Christopher C. Fuller
Flow and suspended particulate transport in a tidal bottom layer, south San Francisco Bay, California Flow and suspended particulate transport in a tidal bottom layer, south San Francisco Bay, California
Field investigations of the hydrodynamics and the resuspension and transport of particulate matter in a bottom boundary layer were carried out in South San Francisco Bay, California during March-April 1995. The GEOPROBE, an instrumented bottom tripod, and broad-band acousti Doppler current profilers were used in this investigation. The instrument assemblage provided detailed measurements...
Authors
R. T. Cheng, J. W. Gartner, D.A. Cacchione, G. B. Tate
Trophic transfer of methyl mercury in the northern Florida Everglades Trophic transfer of methyl mercury in the northern Florida Everglades
There are spatial differences in methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in biota in Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3 in the Everglades, with higher concentrations generally found in the southern areas. Fish and hemipterans had the most MeHg on a wet weight basis, with levels exceeding 30 ng g-1. The magnitude of MeHg accumulation in biota varies seasonally and does not always appear to be...
Authors
L.B. Cleckner, P.J. Garrison, J.P. Hurley, M.L. Olson, D. P. Krabbenhoft
Ground water age and nitrate distribution within a glacial aquifer beneath a thick unsaturated zone Ground water age and nitrate distribution within a glacial aquifer beneath a thick unsaturated zone
The impact on ground water quality from increasing fertilizer application rates over the past 40 years is evaluated within a glacial aquifer system beneath a thick unsaturated zone. Ground water ages within the aquifer could not be accurately determined from the measured distribution of 3H and as a result, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and 3H/3He dating techniques were applied. Beneath a 25 m...
Authors
C.T. Johnston, P.G. Cook, S.K. Frape, Niel Plummer, Eurybiades Busenberg, R.J. Blackport
Changes in the isotopic and chemical composition of ground water resulting from a recharge pulse from a sinking stream Changes in the isotopic and chemical composition of ground water resulting from a recharge pulse from a sinking stream
The Little River, an ephemeral stream that drains a watershed of approximately 88 km2 in northern Florida, disappears into a series of sinkholes along the Cody Scarp and flows directly into the carbonate Upper Floridan aquifer, the source of water supply in northern Florida. The changes in the geochemistry of ground water caused by a major recharge pulse from the sinking stream were...
Authors
B. G. Katz, J.S. Catches, T.D. Bullen, R. L. Michel
Partition characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on soils and sediments Partition characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on soils and sediments
The partition behavior was determined for three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), i.e., naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, from water to a range of soil and sediment samples. The measured partition coefficients of the individual PAHs between soil/sediment organic matter (SOM) and water (i.e., K(oc) values) are relatively invariant either for the 'clean' (uncontaminated) soils...
Authors
C. T. Chiou, S.E. Mcgroddy, D. E. Kile
Solution of the advection-dispersion equation in two dimensions by a finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint method Solution of the advection-dispersion equation in two dimensions by a finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint method
We extend the finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint method (FVELLAM) for solution of the advection-dispersion equation to two dimensions. The method can conserve mass globally and is not limited by restrictions on the size of the grid Peclet or Courant number. Therefore, it is well suited for solution of advection-dominated ground-water solute transport problems. In test...
Authors
Richard W. Healy, T.F. Russell
Contribution of hydroxylated atrazine degradation products to the total atrazine load in midwestern streams Contribution of hydroxylated atrazine degradation products to the total atrazine load in midwestern streams
The contribution of hydroxylated atrazine degradation products (HADPs) to the total atrazine load (i.e., atrazine plus stable metabolites) in streams needs to be determined in order to fully assess the impact of atrazine contamination on stream ecosystems and human health. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the contribution of HADPs to the total atrazine load in streams...
Authors
R.N. Lerch, P.E. Blanchard, E.M. Thurman
Type curves to determine the relative importance of advection and dispersion for solute and vapor transport Type curves to determine the relative importance of advection and dispersion for solute and vapor transport
The relative importance of advection and dispersion for both solute and vapor transport can be determined from type curves or concentration, flux, or cumulative flux. The dimensionless form of the type curves provides a means to directly evaluate the importance of mass transport by advection relative to that of mass transport by diffusion and dispersion. Type curves based on an...
Authors
J.A. Garges, A. L. Baehr
Using stable isotopes of water and strontium to investigate the hydrology of a natural and a constructed wetland Using stable isotopes of water and strontium to investigate the hydrology of a natural and a constructed wetland
Wetlands cannot exist without water, but wetland hydrology is difficult to characterize. As a result, compensatory wetland mitigation often only assumes the proper hydrology has been created. In this study, water sources and mass transfer processes in a natural and constructed wetland complex were investigated using isotopes of water and strontium. Water isotope profiles in the saturated...
Authors
R. J. Hunt, T.D. Bullen, D. P. Krabbenhoft, C. Kendall