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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: 3785

Oxidation and mobilization of selenium by nitrate in irrigation drainage Oxidation and mobilization of selenium by nitrate in irrigation drainage

Selenium (Se) can be oxidized by nitrate (NO−3) from irrigation on Cretaceous marine shale in western Colorado. Dissolved Se concentrations are positively correlated with dissolved NO−3concentrations in surface water and ground water samples from irrigated areas. Redox conditions dominate in the mobilization of Se in marine shale hydrogeologic settings; dissolved Se concentrations...
Authors
W. G. Wright

Molecular aggregation of humic substances Molecular aggregation of humic substances

Humic substances (HS) form molecular aggregates in solution and on mineral surfaces. Elucidation of the mechanism of formation of these aggregates is important for an understanding of the interactions of HS in soils arid natural waters. The HS are formed mainly by enzymatic depolymerization and oxidation of plant biopolymers. These reactions transform the aromatic and lipid plant...
Authors
Robert L. Wershaw

Distribution of microbial physiologic types in an aquifer contaminated by crude oil Distribution of microbial physiologic types in an aquifer contaminated by crude oil

We conducted a plume-scale study of the microbial ecology in the anaerobic portion of an aquifer contaminated by crude-oil compounds. The data provide insight into the patterns of ecological succession, microbial nutrient demands, and the relative importance of free-living versus attached microbial populations. The most probable number (MPN) method was used to characterize the spatial...
Authors
B.A. Bekins, E.M. Godsy, E. Warren

The distribution of, and relation among, mercury and methylmercury, organic carbon, carbonate, nitrogen and phosphorus, in periphyton of the south Florida ecosystem The distribution of, and relation among, mercury and methylmercury, organic carbon, carbonate, nitrogen and phosphorus, in periphyton of the south Florida ecosystem

Periphyton samples from Water Conservation Areas, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Everglades National Park in south Florida were analyzed for concentrations of total mercury, methylmercury, nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, and inorganic carbon. Concentrations of total mercury in periphyton decrease slightly along a gradient from north‐to‐south. Both total mercury and...
Authors
N.S. Simon, R. Spencer, T. Cox

Copper, lead, mercury and zinc in periphyton from the south Florida ecosystem Copper, lead, mercury and zinc in periphyton from the south Florida ecosystem

Periphyton samples from the Big Cypress National Preserve were analyzed for concentrations of copper, lead, zinc, mercury, and methylmercury. Concentrations of organic carbon, inorganic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in periphyton samples also were determined. The samples were extracted with sodium acetate solution at a pH of 5.5 to determine exchangeable and carbonate phase metal...
Authors
T. Cox, N.S. Simon, L. Newland

Oxidation of ammonia and methane in an alkaline, saline lake Oxidation of ammonia and methane in an alkaline, saline lake

The oxidation of ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) was investigated in an alkaline saline lake, Mono Lake, California (U.S.A.). Ammonia oxidation was examined in April and July 1995 by comparing dark 14CO2 fixation rates in the presence or absence of methyl fluoride (MeF), an inhibitor of NH3 oxidation. Ammonia oxidizer‐mediated dark 14CO2fixation rates were similar in surface (5–7 m) and...
Authors
S.B. Joye, T.L. Connell, L.G. Miller, R.S. Oremland, R.S. Jellison

Transport and attenuation of carboxylate-modified latex microspheres in fractured rock laboratory and field tracer tests Transport and attenuation of carboxylate-modified latex microspheres in fractured rock laboratory and field tracer tests

Understanding colloid transport in ground water is essential to assessing the migration of colloid‐size contaminants, the facilitation of dissolved contaminant transport by colloids, in situ bioremediation, and the health risks of pathogen contamination in drinking water wells. Much has been learned through laboratory and field‐scale colloid tracer tests, but progress has been hampered...
Authors
M.W. Becker, P.W. Reimus, P. Vilks

Sedimentary record of anthropogenic and biogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in San Francisco Bay, California Sedimentary record of anthropogenic and biogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in San Francisco Bay, California

Dated sediment cores collected from Richardson and San Pablo Bays in San Francisco Bay were used to reconstruct a history of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. The sedimentary record of PAHs in Richardson Bay shows that anthropogenic inputs have increased since the turn of the century, presumably as a result of increasing urbanization and industrialization around the...
Authors
W. E. Pereira, Frances D. Hostettler, Samuel N. Luoma, A. VanGeen, Christopher C. Fuller, R. J. Anima

Inhibition of precipitation and aggregation of metacinnabar (mercuric sulfide) by dissolved organic matter isolated from the Florida Everglades Inhibition of precipitation and aggregation of metacinnabar (mercuric sulfide) by dissolved organic matter isolated from the Florida Everglades

Precipitation and aggregation of metacinnabar (black HgS) was inhibited in the presence of low concentrations (≥3 mg C/L) of humic fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from the Florida Everglades. At low Hg concentrations (≤5 × 10-8 M), DOM prevented the precipitation of metacinnabar. At moderate Hg concentrations (5 × 10-5 M), DOM inhibited the aggregation of colloidal
Authors
M. Ravichandran, G. R. Aiken, J. N. Ryan, M.M. Reddy

Processes governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. II: The role of horizontal transport Processes governing phytoplankton blooms in estuaries. II: The role of horizontal transport

The development and distribution of phytoplankton blooms in estuaries are functions of both local conditions (i.e. the production-loss balance for a water column at a particular spatial location) and large-scale horizontal transport. In this study, the second of a 2-paper series, we use a depth-averaged hydrodynamic-biological model to identify transport-related mechanisms impacting...
Authors
L.V. Lucas, Jeffrey R. Koseff, Stephen G. Monismith, J. E. Cloern, J.K. Thompson
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