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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

Chemical, crystallographic and stable isotopic properties of alunite and jarosite from acid-Hypersaline Australian lakes Chemical, crystallographic and stable isotopic properties of alunite and jarosite from acid-Hypersaline Australian lakes

Chemical, crystallographic and isotopic analyses were made on samples containing alunite and jarosite from the sediments of four acid, hypersaline lakes in southeastern and southwestern Australia. The alunite and jarosite are K-rich with relatively low Na contents based on chemical analysis and determination of unit cell dimensions by powder X-ray diffraction. Correcting the chemical...
Authors
Charles N. Alpers, R. O. Rye, D. Kirk Nordstrom, L. D. White, B.-S. King

Herbicide transport in rivers: Importance of hydrology and geochemistry in nonpoint-source contamination Herbicide transport in rivers: Importance of hydrology and geochemistry in nonpoint-source contamination

Alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and metribuzin were measured at six sites during 1984 and 1985 in large subbasins within the Cedar River, IA. A computer model separated the Cedar River discharge hydrograph into groundwater and overland-flow components. The concentration of herbicides in the river when groundwater was the major flow component was less than 1.0 μg/L and...
Authors
P. J. Squillace, E.M. Thurman

Analytical interferences of mercuric chloride preservative in environmental water samples: Determination of organic compounds isolated by continuous liquid-liquid extraction or closed-loop stripping Analytical interferences of mercuric chloride preservative in environmental water samples: Determination of organic compounds isolated by continuous liquid-liquid extraction or closed-loop stripping

Analytical interferences were observed during the determination of organic compounds in groundwater samples preserved with mercuric chloride. The nature of the interference was different depending on the analytical isolation technique employed. (1) Water samples extracted with dichloromethane by continuous liquid-liquid extraction (CLLE) and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass...
Authors
W.T. Foreman, S.D. Zaugg, L.M. Falres, M.G. Werner, T.J. Leiker, P.F. Rogerson

Tensiometers: Theory, construction, and use Tensiometers: Theory, construction, and use

Standard tensiometers are used to measure matric potential as low as −870 cm of water in the unsaturated zone by creating a saturated hydraulic link between the soil water and a pressure sensor. The direction and, in some cases, quantity of water flux can be determined using multiple installations. A variety of commercial and fabricated tensiometers are commonly used. Saturated porous...
Authors
D.I. Stannard

Floodplain storage of mine tailings in the Belle Fourche river system: a sediment budget approach Floodplain storage of mine tailings in the Belle Fourche river system: a sediment budget approach

Arsenic‐contaminated mine tailings that were discharged into Whitewood Creek at Lead, South Dakota, from 1876 to 1978, were deposited along the floodplains of Whitewood Creek and the Belle Fourche River. The resulting arsenic‐contaminated floodplain deposit consists mostly of overbank sediments and filled abandoned meanders along White‐wood Creek, and overbank and point‐bar sediments...
Authors
D. C. Marron

Improved apparatus for measuring hydraulic conductivity at low water content Improved apparatus for measuring hydraulic conductivity at low water content

A modification of the steady-state centrifuge method (SSCM) for unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K) measurement improves the range and adjustability of this method. The modified apparatus allows mechanical adjustments to vary the measured K by a factor of 360. In addition, the use of different flow-regulating ceramic materials can give a total K range covering about six orders of...
Authors
J. R. Nimmo, K.C. Akstin, K.A. Mello

Large lake basins of the southern High Plains: Ground-water control of their origin? Large lake basins of the southern High Plains: Ground-water control of their origin?

The origin of the ∼40-50 topographically large lake basins on the southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico has been an enigma. Previous workers have considered deflation or evaporite dissolution at depth and subsequent collapse as the most probable mechanisms. However, the eolian hypotheses have been unable to provide convincing arguments as to how the wind selectively erodes the...
Authors
W.W. Wood, W. E. Sanford, C.C. Reeves

Determination of subsurface fluid contents at a crude-oil spill site Determination of subsurface fluid contents at a crude-oil spill site

Measurement of the fluid-content distribution at sites contaminated by immiscible fluids, including crude oil, is needed to better understand the movement of these fluids in the subsurface and to provide data to calibrate and verify numerical models and geophysical methods. A laboratory method was used to quantify the fluid contents of 146 core sections retrieved from boreholes aligned...
Authors
K.M. Hess, W.N. Herkelrath, H.I. Essaid

Humic substances and trace metals associated with Fe and Al oxides deposited in an acidic mountain stream Humic substances and trace metals associated with Fe and Al oxides deposited in an acidic mountain stream

Hydrous iron and aluminum oxides are deposited on the streambed in the confluence of the Snake River and Deer Creek, two streams in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The Snake River is acidic and has high concentrations of dissolved Fe and Al. These metals precipitate at the confluence with the pristine, neutral pH, Deer Creek because of the greater pH (4.5-6.0) in the confluence. The...
Authors
Diane M. McKnight, R.L. Wershaw, K.E. Bencala, G. W. Zellweger, G. L. Feder

Aquatic insects as bioindicators of trace element contamination in cobble-bottom rivers and streams Aquatic insects as bioindicators of trace element contamination in cobble-bottom rivers and streams

In one river, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn were analysed in insects and in fine bed sediments over a 381-km reach downstream of a large copper mining complex. In another river, As contamination from a gold mine was assessed in insects and bed sediments over a 40-km reach. All insect taxa collected in contaminated river reaches had elevated whole-body trace element concentrations, but few species...
Authors
D.J. Cain, S. N. Luoma, J.L. Carter, S.V. Fend
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