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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: 4098

Ground- and surface-water chemistry of Handcart Gulch, Park County, Colorado, 2003-2006 Ground- and surface-water chemistry of Handcart Gulch, Park County, Colorado, 2003-2006

As part of a multidisciplinary project to determine the processes that control ground-water chemistry and flow in mineralized alpine environments, ground- and surface-water samples from Handcart Gulch, Colorado were collected for analysis of inorganic solutes and water and dissolved sulfate stable isotopes in selected samples. The primary aim of this study was to document variations in...
Authors
Philip L. Verplanck, Andrew H. Manning, Briant A. Kimball, R. Blaine McCleskey, Robert L. Runkel, Jonathan S. Caine, Monique Adams, Pamela A. Gemery-Hill, David L. Fey

Fecal-indicator bacteria and Escherichia coli pathogen data collected near a novel sub-irrigation water-treatment system in Lenawee County, Michigan, June-November 2007 Fecal-indicator bacteria and Escherichia coli pathogen data collected near a novel sub-irrigation water-treatment system in Lenawee County, Michigan, June-November 2007

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lenawee County Conservation District in Lenawee County, Mich., conducted a sampling effort over a single growing season (June to November 2007) to evaluate the microbiological water quality around a novel livestock reservoir wetland sub-irrigation system. Samples were collected and analyzed for fecal coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli...
Authors
Joseph W. Duris, Stephanie Beeler

Principal hydrologic responses to climatic and geologic variability in the Sierra Nevada, California Principal hydrologic responses to climatic and geologic variability in the Sierra Nevada, California

Sierra Nevada snowpack is a critical water source for California’s growing population and agricultural industry. However, because mountain winters and springs are warming, on average, precipitation as snowfall relative to rain is decreasing, and snowmelt is earlier. The changes are stronger at mid-elevations than at higher elevations. The result is that the water supply provided by...
Authors
David H. Peterson, Iris Stewart, Fred Murphy

Environmental presence and persistence of pharmaceuticals: An overview Environmental presence and persistence of pharmaceuticals: An overview

Emerging contaminants (ECs) in the environment – that is, chemicals with domestic, municipal, industrial, or agricultural sources that are not commonly monitored but may have the potential for adverse environmental effects – is a rapidly growing field of research. The use of “emerging” is not intended to infer that the presence of these compounds in the environment is new. These...
Authors
Susan T. Glassmeyer, Dana W. Koplin, Edward T. Furlong, M. Focazio

Seasonal and spatial variability in dissolved organic matter quantity and composition from the Yukon River basin, Alaska Seasonal and spatial variability in dissolved organic matter quantity and composition from the Yukon River basin, Alaska

[1] The seasonal and spatial variability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) quantity and chemical composition were investigated in the Yukon River basin of Alaska, United States, and northwestern Canada. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chromophoric DOM (CDOM), and dissolved lignin phenols were measured across a range of source waters and the seasonal hydrograph. Strong relationships were...
Authors
R.G.M. Spencer, George Aiken, Kimberly P. Wickland, Rob Striegl, Peter J. Hernes

N-15 NMR study of the immobilization of 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluene in aerobic compost N-15 NMR study of the immobilization of 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluene in aerobic compost

Large-scale aerobic windrow composting has been used to bioremediate washout lagoon soils contaminated with the explosives TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) and RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) at several sites within the United States. We previously used 15N NMR to investigate the reduction and binding of T15NT in aerobic bench -scale reactors simulating the conditions of windrow
Authors
Kevin A. Thorn, J.C. Pennington, Kay R. Kennedy, Larry G. Cox, C.A. Hayes, B.E. Porter

Ground-based thermography of fluvial systems at low and high discharge reveals potential complex thermal heterogeneity driven by flow variation and bioroughness Ground-based thermography of fluvial systems at low and high discharge reveals potential complex thermal heterogeneity driven by flow variation and bioroughness

Temperature is a primary physical and biogeochemical variable in aquatic systems. Field‐based measurement of temperature at discrete sampling points has revealed temperature variability in fluvial systems, but traditional techniques do not readily allow for synoptic sampling schemes that can address temperature‐related questions with broad, yet detailed, coverage. We present results of...
Authors
M.B. Cardenas, J. W. Harvey, A.I. Packman, D.T. Scott

Evaluation of statistical treatments of left-censored environmental data using coincident uncensored data sets: I. Summary statistics Evaluation of statistical treatments of left-censored environmental data using coincident uncensored data sets: I. Summary statistics

The main classes of statistical treatment of below-detection limit (left-censored) environmental data for the determination of basic statistics that have been used in the literature are substitution methods, maximum likelihood, regression on order statistics (ROS), and nonparametric techniques. These treatments, along with using all instrument-generated data (even those below detection)...
Authors
Ronald C. Antweiler, Howard E. Taylor

Analysis of chlorothalonil and three degradates in sediment and soil Analysis of chlorothalonil and three degradates in sediment and soil

A method has been developed for the simultaneous extraction of chlorothalonil and three of its degradates (4-hydroxy-2,5,6-trichloroisophthalonitrile, 1-carbamoyl-3-cyano-4-hydroxy-2,5,6-trichlorobenzene, and 1,3-dicarbamoyl-2,4,5,6-tetrachlorobenzene) from soils and sediments; the compounds were extracted using sonication with acetone and isolation of the parent compound and matrix...
Authors
M.L. Hladik, K.M. Kuivila

Coupled effect of chemotaxis and growth on microbial distributions in organic-amended aquifer sediments: Observations from laboratory and field studies Coupled effect of chemotaxis and growth on microbial distributions in organic-amended aquifer sediments: Observations from laboratory and field studies

The inter-relationship of growth and chemotactic response exhibited by two common soil-inhabiting bacteria was investigated to determine its impact on bacterial migration. Filter-chambers were used to simulate aquifer sediments characterized by vertical gradients of organic contaminants in both artificial groundwater flow systems in the laboratory and within the screened intervals of...
Authors
M. Wang, R.M. Ford, R.W. Harvey

Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach Comparison of total mercury and methylmercury cycling at five sites using the small watershed approach

The small watershed approach is well-suited but underutilized in mercury research. We applied the small watershed approach to investigate total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) dynamics in streamwater at the five diverse forested headwater catchments of the US Geological Survey Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) program. At all sites, baseflow THg was generally less...
Authors
J. B. Shanley, Mast M. Alisa, K. Campbell, G. R. Aiken, D. P. Krabbenhoft, R. J. Hunt, J.F. Walker, P. F. Schuster, A. Chalmers, Brent T. Aulenbach, N.E. Peters, M. Marvin-DiPasquale, D. W. Clow, M.M. Shafer
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