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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: 4093

The Evolution of analytical technology and its impact on water-quality studies for selected herbicides and their degradation products in water The Evolution of analytical technology and its impact on water-quality studies for selected herbicides and their degradation products in water

This chapter aims to describe advances in analytical instrumentation and methods for the analyses of herbicides and their degradation products and to assess their impact on major findings of broad surveys of herbicides in water conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS) over the last two decades. Standards for water purity have been set and continually revised by governments as new...
Authors
Michael T. Meyer, Elisabeth A. Scribner

Radionuclides as tracers and timers in surface and groundwater Radionuclides as tracers and timers in surface and groundwater

Environmental radionuclides—in combination with stable isotopes, geochemistry, and other hydrological techniques—provide a powerful tool, often indispensable, for studying the cycling of water in continental hydrological systems. The use of environmental radionuclides in surface water studies is reviewed in the chapter. The chapter also briefly discusses groundwater and geothermal water...
Authors
Robert L. Michel

Investigation of river eutrophication as part of a low dissolved oxygen total maximum daily load implementation Investigation of river eutrophication as part of a low dissolved oxygen total maximum daily load implementation

In the United States, environmentally impaired rivers are subject to regulation under total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulations that specify watershed wide water quality standards. In California, the setting of TMDL standards is accompanied by the development of scientific and management plans directed at achieving specific water quality objectives. The San Joaquin River (SJR) in the...
Authors
W. Stringfellow, Gary Litton, Sharon Borglin, James R. Hanlon, C. Chen, J. Graham, Remie Burks, Randy A. Dahlgren, Carol Kendall, R. Brown, Nigel Quinn

Ingredients in sustainably managing water in semi-arid environments Ingredients in sustainably managing water in semi-arid environments

The lessons learned from CALFED indicate that ingredients important in the long-term resolution of water management issues may not result in short-term “solutions”. The value of this special issue lies in its identification of ingredients that stimulate re-framing of issues, adapting to new knowledge and innovative decisions. But sustainable water management also requires the political...
Authors
Samuel N. Luoma

Short-term effect of cattle exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris) populations and habitat in northeastern Oregon Short-term effect of cattle exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris) populations and habitat in northeastern Oregon

Livestock grazing is a common land use across the western United States, but concerns have been raised regarding its potential to affect amphibian populations. We studied the short-term effects of full and partial livestock grazing exclosures on Rana luteiventris (Columbia Spotted Frog) populations using a controlled manipulative field experiment with pre- and posttreatment data (2002...
Authors
M. J. Adams, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Stephanie Galvan, Stephanie J. Wessell, Wendy Wente, Chauncey W. Anderson, Allison B. Kuehl

Dietary segregation of pelagic and littoral fish assemblages in a highly modified tidal freshwater estuary Dietary segregation of pelagic and littoral fish assemblages in a highly modified tidal freshwater estuary

Estuarine food webs are highly variable and complex, making identification of their trophic pathways difficult. Energy for the food web of the San Francisco Estuary is thought to be based largely on in situ phytoplankton production, but little attention has been paid to littoral habitats, where other energy sources may be important. We analyzed the stomach contents of over 960 juvenile...
Authors
Lenny Grimaldo, A. Robin Stewart, Wim Kimmerer

A comparison of phase inversion and traveltime tomography for processing near-surface refraction traveltimes A comparison of phase inversion and traveltime tomography for processing near-surface refraction traveltimes

With phase inversion, one can estimate subsurface velocities using the phases of first-arriving waves, which are the frequency-domain equivalents of the traveltimes. Phase inversion is modified to make it suitable for processing traveltimes from near-surface refraction surveys. The modifications include parameterizing the model, correcting the observed phases, and selecting the complex...
Authors
Karl J. Ellefsen

An ecological risk assessment of the exposure and effects of 2,4-D acid to rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) An ecological risk assessment of the exposure and effects of 2,4-D acid to rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss)

Numerous state and federal agencies are increasingly concerned with the rapid expansion of invasive, noxious weeds across the United States. Herbicides are frequently applied as weed control measures in forest and rangeland ecosystems that frequently overlap with critical habitats of threatened and endangered fish species. However, there is little published chronic toxicity data for...
Authors
James Fairchild, Kevin P. Feltz, Ann Allert, L.C. Sappington, K.J. Nelson, J.A. Valle

Influence of thiamine deficiency on Lake Trout larval growth, foraging, and predator avoidance Influence of thiamine deficiency on Lake Trout larval growth, foraging, and predator avoidance

Diet‐related thiamine deficiency increases the acute mortality, known as early mortality syndrome, of salmonines from some of the Great Lakes. The consequences of thiamine deficiency as measured at the egg stage for other important early life stage processes like growth, foraging efficiency, and predator avoidance that may also result in mortality, are unknown. Accordingly, we...
Authors
J.D. Fitzsimons, Scott B. Brown, B. Williston, G. Williston, Lisa R. Brown, K. Moore, Dale C. Honeyfield, Donald E. Tillitt

What does "water quality" mean? What does "water quality" mean?

No abstract available.
Authors
Francis H. Chapelle, Paul M. Bradley, Peter B. McMahon, Bruce D. Lindsey

Dual nitrate isotopes in dry deposition: Utility for partitioning NOx source contributions to landscape nitrogen deposition Dual nitrate isotopes in dry deposition: Utility for partitioning NOx source contributions to landscape nitrogen deposition

Dry deposition is a major component of total atmospheric nitrogen deposition and thus an important source of bioavailable nitrogen to ecosystems. However, relative to wet deposition, less is known regarding the sources and spatial variability of dry deposition. This is in part due to difficulty in measuring dry deposition and associated deposition velocities. Passive sampling techniques...
Authors
E.M. Elliott, Carol Kendall, E.W. Boyer, Douglas A. Burns, Gary Lear, H.E. Golden, K. Harlin, A. Bytnerowicz, T.J. Butler, R. Glatz
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