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: 4098

Water-quality data for pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000 Water-quality data for pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999-2000

Water-quality data collected during 1999 and 2000 as part of the first nationwide reconnaissance of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) are presented in this report. A network of 139 streams in 30 states were sampled and analyzed for 95 different OWCs using five new research methods developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Site...
Authors
Kimberlee K. Barnes, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, E. Michael Thurman, Edward T. Furlong, Steven D. Zaugg, Larry B. Barber

Near field receiving water monitoring of benthic community near the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay: February 1974 through December 2000 Near field receiving water monitoring of benthic community near the Palo Alto Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay: February 1974 through December 2000

Analyses of the benthic community structure over a 26-year period show that changes in the community have occurred concurrent with reduced concentrations of metals in the sediment and in the tissues of the biosentinal clam Macoma balthica from the same area. The community has shifted from being dominated by several opportunistic species to a community where the species are more similar...
Authors
Janet K. Thompson, Francis Parcheso, Michelle K. Shouse

Selected micrometeorological and soil-moisture data at Amargosa Desert Research Site in Nye County near Beatty, Nevada, 1998-2000 Selected micrometeorological and soil-moisture data at Amargosa Desert Research Site in Nye County near Beatty, Nevada, 1998-2000

Selected micrometeorological and soil-moisture data were collected at the Amargosa Desert Research Site adjacent to a low-level radioactive waste and hazardous chemical waste facility near Beatty, Nev., 1998-2000. Data were collected in support of ongoing research studies to improve the understanding of hydrologic and contaminant-transport processes in arid environments...
Authors
Michael J. Johnson, Charles J. Mayers, Brian J. Andraski

Potential effects of global warming on the Sacramento/San Joaquin watershed and the San Francisco estuary Potential effects of global warming on the Sacramento/San Joaquin watershed and the San Francisco estuary

California's primary hydrologic system, the San Francisco estuary and its upstream watershed, is vulnerable to the regional hydrologic consequences of projected global climate change. Projected temperature anomalies from a global climate model are used to drive a combined model of watershed hydrology and estuarine dynamics. By 2090, a projected temperature increase of 2.1°C results in a...
Authors
Noah Knowles, Daniel R. Cayan

Mercury on the move during snowmelt in Vermont Mercury on the move during snowmelt in Vermont

Although mercury (Hg) emissions peaked in the United States over the last 20 to 40 years and are now declining, they remain well above natural background levels in soils and sediments. Only a small fraction of the Hg deposited from the atmosphere to the terrestrial landscape runs off in streamflow. However, some of this Hg is methylated in the environment and can potentially...
Authors
James B. Shanley, P. F. Schuster, M.M. Reddy, D.A. Roth, Howard E. Taylor, G. Aiken

Fractured-rock aquifers, understanding an increasingly important source of water Fractured-rock aquifers, understanding an increasingly important source of water

Ground water is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. It provides drinking water to communities, supports industry and agriculture, and sustains streams and wetlands. A long record of contributions exists in understanding ground-water movement in sand and gravel aquifers; historically, these aquifers were easily accessible and the first to be investigated. With increased...
Authors
Allen M. Shapiro

Mechanisms of uranium interactions with hydroxyapatite: Implications for groundwater remediation Mechanisms of uranium interactions with hydroxyapatite: Implications for groundwater remediation

The speciation of U(VI) sorbed to synthetic hydroxyapatite was investigated using a combination of U LIII-edge XAS, synchrotron XRD, batch uptake measurements, and SEM-EDS. The mechanisms of U(VI) removal by apatite were determined in order to evaluate the feasibility of apatite-based in-situ permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). In batch U(VI) uptake experiments with synthetic...
Authors
C. C. Fuller, J.R. Bargar, J.A. Davis, M.J. Piana

A hydrogen-based subsurface microbial community dominated by methanogens A hydrogen-based subsurface microbial community dominated by methanogens

The search for extraterrestrial life may be facilitated if ecosystems can be found on Earth that exist under conditions analogous to those present on other planets or moons. It has been proposed, on the basis of geochemical and thermodynamic considerations, that geologically derived hydrogen might support subsurface microbial communities on Mars and Europa in which methanogens form the...
Authors
F. H. Chapelle, Kyle O'Neil, P. M. Bradley, B.A. Methe, S.A. Ciufo, L.L. Knobel, Derek R. Lovley

Simulation of the mobility of metal-EDTA complexes in groundwater: The influence of contaminant metals Simulation of the mobility of metal-EDTA complexes in groundwater: The influence of contaminant metals

Reactive transport simulations were conducted to model chemical reactions between metal−EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) complexes during transport in a mildly acidic quartz−sand aquifer. Simulations were compared with the results of small-scale tracer tests wherein nickel−, zinc−, and calcium−EDTA complexes and free EDTA were injected into three distinct chemical zones of a plume...
Authors
J.C. Friedly, D.B. Kent, J.A. Davis
Was this page helpful?