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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: 3784

Differentiation of commercial fuels based on polar components using negative electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry Differentiation of commercial fuels based on polar components using negative electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry

Polar components in fuels may enable differentiation between fuel types or commercial fuel sources. A range of commercial fuels from numerous sources were analyzed by flow injection analysis/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry without extensive sample preparation, separation, or chromatography. This technique enabled screening for unique polar components at parts per million levels...
Authors
C.E. Rostad

Survey of organic wastewater contaminants in biosolids destined for land application Survey of organic wastewater contaminants in biosolids destined for land application

In this study, the presence, composition, and concentrations of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) were determined in solid materials produced during wastewater treatment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of these solids, collectively referred to as biosolids, as a source of OWCs to soil and water in contact with soil. Nine different biosolid products, produced by...
Authors
C.A. Kinney, E. T. Furlong, S.D. Zaugg, M.R. Burkhardt, S.L. Werner, J.D. Cahill, G.R. Jorgensen

Use of borehole radar tomography to monitor steam injection in fractured limestone Use of borehole radar tomography to monitor steam injection in fractured limestone

Borehole radar tomography was used as part of a pilot study to monitor steam‐enhanced remediation of a fractured limestone contaminated with volatile organic compounds at the former Loring Air Force Base, Maine, USA. Radar tomography data were collected using 100‐MHz electric‐dipole antennae before and during steam injection to evaluate whether cross‐hole radar methods could detect...
Authors
C. Gregoire, P. K. Joesten

The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI): 5-year report The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI): 5-year report

The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is an innovative, multidisciplinary program that began in 2000 in response to a congressional directive for the Department of the Interior to address the issue of amphibian declines in the United States. ARMI’s formulation was cross-disciplinary, integrating U.S. Geological Survey scientists from Biology, Water, and Geography to...
Authors
Erin Muths, Alisa L. Gallant, Evan H. Campbell Grant, William A. Battaglin, David E. Green, Jennifer S. Staiger, Susan C. Walls, Margaret S. Gunzburger, Rick F. Kearney

Storage and transit time of chemicals in thick unsaturated zones under rangeland and irrigated cropland, High Plains, United States Storage and transit time of chemicals in thick unsaturated zones under rangeland and irrigated cropland, High Plains, United States

In 2000-2002, three rangeland and six irrigated sites were instrumented to assess the storage and transit time of chemicals in thick (15 to 50 m) unsaturated zones (UZ) in the High Plains. These processes are likely to influence relations between land use and groundwater quality, yet they have not been documented systematically in the High Plains. Land use and climate were important...
Authors
P.B. McMahon, K.F. Dennehy, B. W. Bruce, J.K. Böhlke, R. L. Michel, J.J. Gurdak, D.B. Hurlbut

Occurrence and fate of organic contaminants during onsite wastewater treatment Occurrence and fate of organic contaminants during onsite wastewater treatment

Onsite wastewater treatment systems serve approximately 25% of the U.S. population. However, little is known regarding the occurrence and fate of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs), including endocrine disrupting compounds, during onsite treatment. A range of OWCs including surfactant metabolites, steroids, stimulants, metal-chelating agents, disinfectants, antimicrobial agents, and
Authors
K.E. Conn, L. B. Barber, G.K. Brown, R.L. Siegrist

Denitrification in nitrate-rich streams: Application of N2:Ar and 15N-tracer methods in intact cores Denitrification in nitrate-rich streams: Application of N2:Ar and 15N-tracer methods in intact cores

Rates of benthic denitrification were measured using two techniques, membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), applied to sediment cores from two NO3−‐rich streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River Basin. Denitrification was estimated simultaneously from measurements of N2:Ar (MIMS) and 15N[N2] (IRMS) after the addition of...
Authors
Lesley K. Smith, M.A. Voytek, J.K. Böhlke, J. W. Harvey

Measuring permanence of CO2 storage in saline formations: The Frio experiment Measuring permanence of CO2 storage in saline formations: The Frio experiment

If CO2 released from fossil fuel during energy production is returned to the subsurface, will it be retained for periods of time significant enough to benefit the atmosphere? Can trapping be assured in saline formations where there is no history of hydrocarbon accumulation? The Frio experiment in Texas was undertaken to provide answers to these questions. One thousand six hundred metric...
Authors
Susan D. Hovorka, Sally M. Benson, Christine Doughty, Barry M. Freifeild, Shinichi Sakurai, Thomas M. Daley, Yousif K. Kharaka, Mark H. Holtz, Robert C. Trautz, H. Seay Nance, Larry R. Myer, Kevin G. Knauss

Enantiomeric separation of metolachlor and its metabolites using LC-MS and CZE Enantiomeric separation of metolachlor and its metabolites using LC-MS and CZE

The stereoisomers of metolachlor and its two polar metabolites [ethane sulfonic acid (ESA) and oxanilic acid (OXA)] were separated using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), respectively. The separation of metolachlor enantiomers was achieved using a LC–MS equipped with a chiral stationary phase based on cellulose tris(3,5...
Authors
C. John Klein, R.J. Schneider, M. T. Meyer, D.S. Aga

Effects of permafrost melting on CO2 and CH4 exchange of a poorly drained black spruce lowland Effects of permafrost melting on CO2 and CH4 exchange of a poorly drained black spruce lowland

[1] Permafrost melting is occurring in areas of the boreal forest region where large amounts of carbon (C) are stored in organic soils. We measured soil respiration, net CO2 flux, and net CH4 flux during May–September 2003 and March 2004 in a black spruce lowland in interior Alaska to better understand how permafrost thaw in poorly drained landscapes affects land‐atmosphere CO2 and CH4...
Authors
K.P. Wickland, Robert G. Striegl, J. C. Neff, T. Sachs

Phosphate oxygen isotope ratios as a tracer for sources and cycling of phosphate in North San Francisco Bay, California Phosphate oxygen isotope ratios as a tracer for sources and cycling of phosphate in North San Francisco Bay, California

[1] A seasonal analysis assesing variations in the oxygen isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) was conducted in the San Francisco Bay estuarine system, California. Isotopic fractionation of oxygen in DIP (exchange of oxygen between phosphate and environmental water) at surface water temperatures occurs only as a result of enzyme‐mediated, biological reactions...
Authors
K. McLaughlin, C. Kendall, S. R. Silva, M. Young, A. Paytan
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