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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

Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 2. A dynamic analysis of coupled hydrologic and chemical processes that determine solute transport Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 2. A dynamic analysis of coupled hydrologic and chemical processes that determine solute transport

Solute transport in streams is determined by the interaction of physical and chemical processes. Data from an injection experiment for chloride and several cations indicate significant influence of solutestreambed processes on transport in a mountain stream. These data are interpreted in terms of transient storage processes for all tracers and sorption processes for the cations. Process...
Authors
Kenneth E. Bencala

The ecological effect of acid conditions and precipitation of hydrous metal oxides in a Rocky Mountain stream The ecological effect of acid conditions and precipitation of hydrous metal oxides in a Rocky Mountain stream

Periphyton and benthic invertebrates assemblages were studied at the confluence of two Rocky Mountain streams, Deer Creek and the Snake River near Montezuma, Colorado. Upstream from the confluence the Snake River is acidic and enriched in dissolved trace metals, while Deer Creek is a typical Rocky Mountain stream. In the Snake River, downstream from the confluence, the pH increases and...
Authors
Diane M. McKnight, G. L. Feder

Effect of anisotropy and groundwater system geometry on seepage through lakebeds. 2. Numerical simulation analysis Effect of anisotropy and groundwater system geometry on seepage through lakebeds. 2. Numerical simulation analysis

The interaction of lakes and groundwater is controlled partly by the geologic framework through which the water flows. Two interrelated geometric factors of the groundwater system that affect flow are overall geometry of the system, and anisotropy of the porous media within the system. Numerical simulation analysis was made for variations in the coefficient of anisotropy for each of...
Authors
T. C. Winter, H.O. Pfannkuch

Effects of copper on composition species of periphyton in a Sierra Nevada, California, stream Effects of copper on composition species of periphyton in a Sierra Nevada, California, stream

An oligotrophic stream was continuously dosed for 1 yr at 2.5, 5 and 10 mu g l-1 CuT; c12, 25 and 50 ng l-1 Cu2+. The numerically most abundant taxa were Bacillariophyceae (Achnanthes minutissima, Cocconeis placentula, Cymbella microcephala, C. sinuata, Fragilaria construens, F. crotonensis, Navicula spp., Synedra acus and S. rumpens), and the Cyanophyta Lyngbya spp., a co-dominant...
Authors
H.V. Leland, J.L. Carter

Comparison of sediments and organisms in identifying sources of biologically available trace metal contamination Comparison of sediments and organisms in identifying sources of biologically available trace metal contamination

Sediments and an indicator organism (Macoma balthica, a deposit-feeding bivalve) were used to assess the relative importance of secondary sewage, urban runoff, a landfill containing metal-enriched ash wastes and a yacht harbor in contributing to Ag, Cu and Zn enrichment in South San Francisco Bay. Spatial gradients in sediments and organisms showed Cu and Ag enrichment originated from...
Authors
E.A. Thomson, Samuel N. Luoma, C.E. Johansson, D.J. Cain

Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 1. An experimental analysis of cation and anion transport in a mountain stream Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 1. An experimental analysis of cation and anion transport in a mountain stream

An experimental injection was performed to study the transport of stream water solutes under conditions of significant interaction with streambed sediments in a mountain pool-and-riffle stream. Experiments were conducted in Little Lost Man Creek, Humboldt County, California, in a period of low flow duringwhich only a part of the bank-full channel held active surface flow. The injection...
Authors
Kenneth E. Bencala, Vance C. Kennedy, Gary W. Zellweger, Alan P. Jackman, Ronald J. Avanzino

Complexation of trace metals by adsorbed natural organic matter Complexation of trace metals by adsorbed natural organic matter

The adsorption behavior and solution speciation of Cu(II) and Cd(II) were studied in model systems containing colloidal alumina particles and dissolved natural organic matter. At equilibrium a significant fraction of the alumina surface was covered by adsorbed organic matter. Cu(II) was partitioned primarily between the surface-bound organic matter and dissolved Cu-organic complexes in...
Authors
J.A. Davis

Subsurface injection of treated sewage into a saline-water aquifer at St. Petersburg, Florida - Water-quality changes and potential for recovery of injected sewage Subsurface injection of treated sewage into a saline-water aquifer at St. Petersburg, Florida - Water-quality changes and potential for recovery of injected sewage

The city of St. Petersburg is testing subsurface injection of treated sewage into the Floridan aquifer as a means of eliminating discharge of sewage to surface waters and as a means of storing treated sewage for future nonpotable reuse. The injection zone at the test site at the start of injection contained saline water with chloride concentrations ranging from 14,000 to 20,000...
Authors
J.J. Hickey, G. G. Ehrlich

Adsorption of goethite onto quartz and kaolinite Adsorption of goethite onto quartz and kaolinite

The adsorption of colloidal goethite onto quartz and kaolinite substrates has been studied as a function of pH and NaCl concentration. Goethite adsorption was measured quantitatively by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that adsorption onto both substrates is due primarily to coulombic forces; however, the pH dependence of adsorption is very different for the...
Authors
M. C. Goldberg, Eugene R. Weiner, P. M. Boymel

Volatilization of ketones Volatilization of ketones

Volatilization fluxes of seven ketones were measured over a range of temperatures. Gas-film coefficients were calculated from these volatilization fluxes and related to the gas-film coefficient for the evaporation of water. These relations, when combined with an equation for estimating the gas-film coefficient for evaporation of water from a canal, permit estimating gas-film coefficients...
Authors
R. E. Rathbun, D. Y. Tai

Denitrification in San Francisco Bay intertidal sediments Denitrification in San Francisco Bay intertidal sediments

The acetylene block technique was employed to study denitrification in intertidal estuarine sediments. Addition of nitrate to sediment slurries stimulated denitrification. During the dry season, sediment-slurry denitrification rates displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and ambient NO3− + NO2− concentrations (≤26 μM) were below the apparent Km (50 μM) for nitrate. During the rainy season...
Authors
Ronald S. Oremland, Cindy Umberger, Charles W. Culbertson, Richard L. Smith
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