Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 4098
In situ stimulation of groundwater denitrification with formate to remediate nitrate contamination In situ stimulation of groundwater denitrification with formate to remediate nitrate contamination
In situ stimulation of denitrification has been proposed as a mechanism to remediate groundwater nitrate contamination. In this study, sodium formate was added to a sand and gravel aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, to test whether formate could serve as a potential electron donor for subsurface denitrification. During 16- and 10-day trials, groundwater from an anoxic nitrate-containing zone (0.5...
Authors
R. L. Smith, D.N. Miller, M. H. Brooks, M.A. Widdowson, M.W. Killingstad
Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996 Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996
Estuaries receive large quantities of suspended sediments following the first major storm of the water year. The first-flush events transport the majority of suspended sediments in any given year, and because of their relative freshness in the hydrologic system, these sediments may carry a significant amount of the sediment-associated pesticide load transported into estuaries. To...
Authors
Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kathryn Kuivila, Miranda S. Fram
Standard reference water samples for rare earth element determinations Standard reference water samples for rare earth element determinations
Standard reference water samples (SRWS) were collected from two mine sites, one near Ophir, CO, USA and the other near Redding, CA, USA. The samples were filtered, preserved, and analyzed for rare earth element (REE) concentrations (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These two samples were acid mine waters...
Authors
P. L. Verplanck, Ronald C. Antweiler, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Howard E. Taylor
Demonstration of significant abiotic iron isotope fractionation in nature Demonstration of significant abiotic iron isotope fractionation in nature
Field and laboratory studies reveal that the mineral ferrihydrite, formed as a result of abiotic oxidation of aqueous ferrous to ferric Fe, contains Fe that is isotopically heavy relative to coexisting aqueous Fe. Because the electron transfer step of the oxidation process at pH >5 is essentially irreversible and should favor the lighter Fe isotopes in the ferric iron product, this...
Authors
T.D. Bullen, A. F. White, C.W. Childs, D.V. Vivit, M.S. Schultz
Groundwater residence times in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia, USA: A multi-tracer approach Groundwater residence times in Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia, USA: A multi-tracer approach
Chemical and isotopic properties of water discharging from springs and wells in Shenandoah National Park (SNP), near the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, VA, USA were monitored to obtain information on groundwater residence times. Investigated time scales included seasonal (wet season, April, 1996; dry season, August–September, 1997), monthly (March through September, 1999) and hourly...
Authors
Niel Plummer, E. Busenberg, J.K. Böhlke, D.L. Nelms, R. L. Michel, P. Schlosser
Compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of a contaminant plume in Kingsford, Michigan, USA Compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of a contaminant plume in Kingsford, Michigan, USA
Compound-specific isotope analysis was used to study a contaminated site near Kingsford, Michigan, USA. Organic compounds at three of the sites studied had similar 13C values indicating that the contaminant source is the same for all sites. At a fourth site, chemical and 13C values had evolved due to microbial degradation of organics, with the 13C being much heavier than the starting...
Authors
R. L. Michel, S. R. Silva, B. Bemis, E.M. Godsy, E. Warren
Inter-annual changes in the benthic community structure of riffles and pools in reaches of contrasting gradient Inter-annual changes in the benthic community structure of riffles and pools in reaches of contrasting gradient
The inter-annual variation in the structure of the benthic community of riffles and pools was evaluated in contrasting geomorphic settings. The community structure of riffles and pools was a function of habitat, reach gradient, and discharge and was taxon specific. In years of below average peak discharge, riffles had higher taxon richness than pools (66 versus 47) but richness was...
Authors
J.L. Carter, S.V. Fend
Trace metal concentrations in shallow ground water Trace metal concentrations in shallow ground water
Trace metal clean sampling and analysis techniques were used to examine the temporal patterns of Hg, Cu, and Zn concentrations in shallow ground water, and the relationships between metal concentrations in ground water and in a hydrologically connected river. Hg, Cu, and Zn concentrations in ground water ranged from 0.07 to 4.6 ng L−1, 0.07 to 3.10 μg L−1, and 0.17 to 2.18 μg L−1...
Authors
L.M. Zelewski, D. P. Krabbenhoft, D.E. Armstrong
Transient storage assessments of dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin, Oregon Transient storage assessments of dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin, Oregon
Rhodamine WT dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin yield concentration-time curves with characteristically long recession times suggestive of active transient storage processes. The scale of drainage areas contributing to the stream reaches studied in the Willamette Basin ranges from 10 to 12,000 km2. A transient storage assessment of the tracer studies has been...
Authors
A. Laenen, K.E. Bencala
A functional relation for field-scale nonaqueous phase liquid dissolution developed using a pore network model A functional relation for field-scale nonaqueous phase liquid dissolution developed using a pore network model
A pore network model with cubic chambers and rectangular tubes was used to estimate the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) dissolution rate coefficient, Kdissai, and NAPL/water total specific interfacial area, ai. Kdissai was computed as a function of modified Peclet number(Pe′) for various NAPL saturations (SN) and ai during drainage and imbibition and during dissolution without...
Authors
L.A. Dillard, H.I. Essaid, M.J. Blunt
Regional water-quality analysis of 2,4-D and dicamba in river water using gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry Regional water-quality analysis of 2,4-D and dicamba in river water using gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry
Gas chromatography with isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used in regional National Water Quality Assessment studies of the herbicides, 2,4-D and dicamba, in river water across the United States. The GC-MS method involved solid-phase extraction, derivatized with deuterated 2,4-D, and analysis by selected ion monitoring. The...
Authors
E.M. Thurman, L.R. Zimmerman, D.S. Aga, R. J. Gilliom
Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: Using alkylbenzenes as process probes Natural attenuation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the leachate plume of a municipal landfill: Using alkylbenzenes as process probes
More than 70 individual VOCs were identified in the leachate plume of a closed municipal landfill. Concentrations were low when compared with data published for other landfills, and total VOCs accounted for less than 0.1% of the total dissolved organic carbon. The VOC concentrations in the core of the anoxic leachate plume are variable, but in all cases they were found to be near or...
Authors
Robert P. Eganhouse, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Martha A. Scholl, L.L. Matthews