Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 4097

The role of microbial reductive dechlorination of TCE at a phytoremediation site The role of microbial reductive dechlorination of TCE at a phytoremediation site

In April 1996, a phytoremediation field demonstration site at the Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, Texas, was developed to remediate shallow oxic ground water (
Authors
E.M. Godsy, E. Warren, V.V. Paganelli

Use of hydraulic head to estimate volumetric gas content and ebullition flux in northern peatlands Use of hydraulic head to estimate volumetric gas content and ebullition flux in northern peatlands

Hydraulic head was overpressured at middepth in a 4.2‐m thick raised bog in the Glacial Lake Agassiz peatlands of northern Minnesota, and fluctuated in response to atmospheric pressure. Barometric efficiency (BE), determined by calculating ratios of change in hydraulic head to change in atmospheric pressure, ranged from 0.05 to 0.15 during July through November of both 1997 and 1998. The
Authors
Donald O. Rosenberry, Paul H. Glaser, Donald I. Siegel, Edwin P. Weeks

Applicability of tetrazolium salts for the measurement of respiratory activity and viability of groundwater bacteria Applicability of tetrazolium salts for the measurement of respiratory activity and viability of groundwater bacteria

A study was undertaken to measure aerobic respiration by indigenous bacteria in a sand and gravel aquifer on western Cape Cod, MA using tetrazolium salts and by direct oxygen consumption using gas chromatography (GC). In groundwater and aquifer slurries, the rate of aerobic respiration calculated from the direct GC assay was more than 600 times greater than that using the tetrazolium...
Authors
P.B. Hatzinger, P. Palmer, R. L. Smith, C.T. Penarrieta, T. Yoshinari

Diel cycles in dissolved metal concentrations in streams: Occurrence and possible causes Diel cycles in dissolved metal concentrations in streams: Occurrence and possible causes

Substantial diel (24‐hour) cycles in dissolved (0.1‐μm filtration) metal concentrations were observed during low flow for 18 sampling episodes at 14 sites on 12 neutral and alkaline streams draining historical mining areas in Montana and Idaho. At some sites, concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, and Zn increased as much as 119, 306, 167, and 500%, respectively, from afternoon minimum values to...
Authors
David A. Nimick, Chris Gammons, Tom Cleasby, James P. Madison, Don Skaar, Christine M. Brick

Microbial transformation of elements: The case of arsenic and selenium Microbial transformation of elements: The case of arsenic and selenium

Microbial activity is responsible for the transformation of at least one third of the elements in the periodic table. These transformations are the result of assimilatory, dissimilatory, or detoxification processes and form the cornerstones of many biogeochemical cycles. Arsenic and selenium are two elements whose roles in microbial ecology have only recently been recognized. Known as...
Authors
J. Stolz, P. Basu, R. Oremland

Occurrence of antibiotics in water from fish hatcheries Occurrence of antibiotics in water from fish hatcheries

The recent discovery of pharmaceuticals in streams across the United States (Kolpin and others, 2002) has raised the visibility and need for monitoring of antibiotics in the environment. Possible sources of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in streams may include fish hatcheries. This fact sheet presents the results from a preliminary study of fish hatcheries across the United States...
Authors
Earl M. Thurman, Julie E. Dietze, Elisabeth A. Scribner

Characterization of hydraulic conductivity of the alluvium and basin fill, Pinal Creek Basin near Globe, Arizona Characterization of hydraulic conductivity of the alluvium and basin fill, Pinal Creek Basin near Globe, Arizona

Acidic waters containing elevated concentrations of dissolved metals have contaminated the regional aquifer in the Pinal Creek Basin, which is in Gila County, Arizona, about 100 kilometers east of Phoenix. The aquifer is made up of two geologic units: unconsolidated stream alluvium and consolidated basin fill. To better understand how contaminants are transported through these units, a...
Authors
Cory E. Angeroth

Calculation of individual isotope equilibrium constants for implementation in geochemical models Calculation of individual isotope equilibrium constants for implementation in geochemical models

Theory is derived from the work of Urey to calculate equilibrium constants commonly used in geochemical equilibrium and reaction-transport models for reactions of individual isotopic species. Urey showed that equilibrium constants of isotope exchange reactions for molecules that contain two or more atoms of the same element in equivalent positions are related to isotope fractionation...
Authors
Donald C. Thorstenson, David L. Parkhurst

Comparison of formation and fluid-column logs in a heterogeneous basalt aquifer Comparison of formation and fluid-column logs in a heterogeneous basalt aquifer

Deep observation boreholes in the vicinity of active production wells in Honolulu, Hawaii, exhibit the anomalous condition that fluid-column electrical conductivity logs and apparent profiles of pore-water electrical conductivity derived from induction conductivity logs are nearly identical if a formation factor of 12.5 is assumed. This condition is documented in three boreholes where...
Authors
F.L. Paillet, J.H. Williams, D.S. Oki, K. D. Knutson

Simulated pond-aquifer interactions under natural and stressed conditions near Snake Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Simulated pond-aquifer interactions under natural and stressed conditions near Snake Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

A numerical model was used to simulate pond-aquifer interactions under natural and stressed conditions near Snake Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Simulation results show that pond-bottom hydraulic conductivity, which represents the degree of hydraulic connection between the pond and the aquifer, is an important control on these interactions. As this parameter was incrementally increased...
Authors
Donald A. Walter, John P. Masterson, Denis R. LeBlanc

Detection of fresh ground water and a contaminant plume beneath Red Brook Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2000 Detection of fresh ground water and a contaminant plume beneath Red Brook Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2000

Trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene were detected in ground water in a vertical interval from about 68 to 176 feet below sea level beneath the shoreline where the contaminant plume emanating from a capped landfill on the Massachusetts Military Reservation intersects Red Brook Harbor. The highest concentrations at the shoreline, about 15 micrograms per liter of trichloroethene and 1...
Authors
Timothy D. McCobb, Denis R. LeBlanc
Was this page helpful?