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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: 4096

Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States

To better understand the composition of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in landfill leachate, fresh leachate from 19 landfills was sampled across the United States during 2011. The sampled network included 12 municipal and 7 private landfills with varying landfill waste compositions, geographic and climatic settings, ages of waste, waste loads, and leachate production. A total of...
Authors
Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. Gray, Eric A. Schwab

Effects of a dual-pump crude-oil recovery system, Bemidji, Minnesota, USA Effects of a dual-pump crude-oil recovery system, Bemidji, Minnesota, USA

A crude-oil spill occurred in 1979 when a pipeline burst near Bemidji, MN. In 1998, the pipeline company installed a dual-pump recovery system designed to remove crude oil remaining in the subsurface at the site. The remediation from 1999 to 2003 resulted in removal of about 115,000 L of crude oil, representing between 36% and 41% of the volume of oil (280,000 to 316,000 L) estimated to...
Authors
Geoffrey N. Delin, William N. Herkelrath

Temporal and spatial changes in golden eagle reproduction in relation to increased off highway vehicle activity Temporal and spatial changes in golden eagle reproduction in relation to increased off highway vehicle activity

We used >40 years of data on golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting in southwestern Idaho, USA, to assess whether the proportion of territories and pairs producing young has changed over time, and whether territories in areas where off highway vehicle (OHV) use has increased significantly were less likely to be productive than those in areas that continued to have little or no...
Authors
Karen Steenhof, Jessi L. Brown, Michael N. Kochert

Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture

Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians...
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Rebecca Reeves, Erin L. Muths, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Michelle Hladik, Clay L. Pierce

A landscape-based reconnaissance survey of estrogenic activity in streams of the upper Potomac, upper James,and Shenandoah Rivers, USA A landscape-based reconnaissance survey of estrogenic activity in streams of the upper Potomac, upper James,and Shenandoah Rivers, USA

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are becoming of increasing concern in waterways of the USA and worldwide. What remains poorly understood, however, is how prevalent these emerging contaminants are in the environment and what methods are best able to determine landscape sources of EDCs. We describe the development of a spatially structured sampling design and a reconnaissance survey...
Authors
John A. Young, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Adam J. Sperry, Vicki Blazer

A simple control for sediment-toxicity exposures using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca A simple control for sediment-toxicity exposures using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca

Sediment-toxicity exposures comparing survival and growth of the freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca, are often components of aquatic-habitat assessments. Standardized exposure methods have been established and require evaluations for quality assurance. Test acceptability using performance-based criteria can be determined from exposures to control sediments, which are collected from the
Authors
Peter J. Lasier, Matthew L. Urich

Spatial and temporal patterns of avian paramyxovirus-1 outbreaks in Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the USA Spatial and temporal patterns of avian paramyxovirus-1 outbreaks in Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the USA

Morbidity and mortality events caused by avian paramyxovirus-1 (APMV-1) in Double-crested Cormorant (DCCO; Phalacrocorax auritus) nesting colonies in the US and Canada have been sporadically documented in the literature. We describe APMV-1 associated outbreaks in DCCO in the US from the first reported occurrence in 1992 through 2012. The frequency of APMV-1 outbreaks has increased in the...
Authors
C. LeAnn White, S. Ip, Carol U. Meteyer, Daniel P. Walsh, Jeffrey S. Hall, Michelle Carstensen, Paul C. Wolf

Practical limitations on the use of diurnal temperature signals to quantify groundwater upwelling Practical limitations on the use of diurnal temperature signals to quantify groundwater upwelling

Groundwater upwelling to streams creates unique habitat by influencing stream water quality and temperature; upwelling zones also serve as vectors for contamination when groundwater is degraded. Temperature time series data acquired along vertical profiles in the streambed have been applied to simple analytical models to determine rates of vertical fluid flux. These models are based on...
Authors
Martin A. Briggs, Laura K. Lautz, Sean F. Buckley, John W. Lane

Limitations to estimating bacterial cross-speciestransmission using genetic and genomic markers: Inferences from simulation modeling Limitations to estimating bacterial cross-speciestransmission using genetic and genomic markers: Inferences from simulation modeling

Cross‐species transmission (CST) of bacterial pathogens has major implications for human health, livestock, and wildlife management because it determines whether control actions in one species may have subsequent effects on other potential host species. The study of bacterial transmission has benefitted from methods measuring two types of genetic variation: variable number of tandem...
Authors
Julio Andre Benavides, Paul C. Cross, Gordon Luikart, Scott Creel

Assembling evidence for identifying reservoirs of infection Assembling evidence for identifying reservoirs of infection

Many pathogens persist in multihost systems, making the identification of infection reservoirs crucial for devising effective interventions. Here, we present a conceptual framework for classifying patterns of incidence and prevalence, and review recent scientific advances that allow us to study and manage reservoirs simultaneously. We argue that interventions can have a crucial role in...
Authors
Mafalda Viana, Rebecca Mancy, Roman Biek, Sarah Cleaveland, Paul C. Cross, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Daniel T. Haydon

Invasive crayfish as vectors of mercury in freshwater food webs of the Pacific Northwest Invasive crayfish as vectors of mercury in freshwater food webs of the Pacific Northwest

Invasive species are important drivers of environmental change in aquatic ecosystems and can alter habitat characteristics, community composition, and ecosystem energetics. Such changes have important implications for many ecosystem processes, including the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of contaminants through food webs. Mercury concentrations were measured in 2 nonnative and 1...
Authors
Branden L. Johnson, James J. Willacker, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Christopher A. Pearl, M. J. Adams
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