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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

Response characteristics of DOC flushing in an alpine catchment Response characteristics of DOC flushing in an alpine catchment

The spatial distribution of source areas and associated residence times of water in the catchment are significant factors controlling the annual cycles of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in Deer Creek (Summit County, Colorado). During spring snowmelt (April-August 1992), stream DOC concentrations increased with the rising limb of the hydrograph, peaked before maximum...
Authors
E.W. Boyer, G.M. Hornberger, K.E. Bencala, Diane M. McKnight

Tritium/3He dating of river infiltration: An example from the Danube in the Szigetköz area, Hungary Tritium/3He dating of river infiltration: An example from the Danube in the Szigetköz area, Hungary

3H, He, 4He, and Ne data were obtained from a shallow ground-water system being recharged by bank infiltration from the Danube River in northwestern Hungary. After correting for excess air, 4He and Ne concentrations reflect a recharge temperature of about 9° C., close to the mean annual temperature of the Danube (10.4° C). Values of H plus 3Hetrit (“initial tritium”) as a function of the...
Authors
M. Stute, J. Deak, K. Révész, J. K. Böhlke, E. Deseo, R. Weppernig, P. Schlosser

The design of sampling transects for characterizing water quality in estuaries The design of sampling transects for characterizing water quality in estuaries

The high spatial variability of estuaries poses a challenge for characterizing estuarine water quality. This problem was examined by conducting monthly high-resolution transects for several water quality variables (chlorophyll a, suspended particulate matter and salinity) in San Francisco Bay (California, U.S.A.). Using these data, six different ways of choosing station locations along a...
Authors
A.D. Jassby, B.E. Cole, J. E. Cloern

Modeling structural influences on soil water retention Modeling structural influences on soil water retention

A new model quantities the effect of soil structure, considered as the arrangement of particles in the soil, on soil water retention. The model partitions the pore space into texture-related and structure-related components, the textural component being what can be deduced to exist if the arrangement of the particles were random, and the structural component being the remainder. An...
Authors
J. R. Nimmo

Use of chemical and isotopic tracers to characterize the interactions between ground water and surface water in mantled karst Use of chemical and isotopic tracers to characterize the interactions between ground water and surface water in mantled karst

In the mantled karst terrane of northern Florida, the water quality of the Upper Floridan aquifer is influenced by the degree of connectivity between the aquifer and the surface. Chemical and isotopic analyses [18O/16O (δ18O), 2H/1H (δD), 13C/12C (δ13C), tritium (3H), and strontium‐87/strontium‐86 (87Sr/86Sr)] along with geochemical mass‐balance modeling were used to identify the...
Authors
B. G. Katz, T.B. Coplen, T.D. Bullen, J. Hal Davis

Organic carbon and nitrogen content associated with colloids and suspended particulates from the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries Organic carbon and nitrogen content associated with colloids and suspended particulates from the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries

Suspended material samples were collected at 16 sites along the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries during July-August 1991, October-November 1991, and April-May 1992, and separated into colloid and particulate fractions to determine the organic carbon content of these two fractions of suspended material. Sample collection involved centrifugation to isolate the suspended...
Authors
C.E. Rostad, J.A. Leenheer, S.R. Daniel

Are walleye from Lake Roosevelt contaminated with mercury? Are walleye from Lake Roosevelt contaminated with mercury?

To find out, scientists from the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) tested walleye and other sport fish from the upper Columbia River and Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (Lake Roosevelt), the largest reservoir in Washington and a popular fishing spot. Findings: Walleye had higher concentrations of mercury than other sport fish. Larger walleye had higher mercury concentrations than smaller walleye...
Authors
Martha L. Erwin, Mark D. Munn

Effects of exchanged cation and layer charge on the sorption of water and EGME vapors on montmorillonite clays Effects of exchanged cation and layer charge on the sorption of water and EGME vapors on montmorillonite clays

The effects of exchanged cation and layer charge on the sorption of water and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGME) vapors on montmorillonite have been studied on SAz-1 and SWy-1 source clays, each exchanged respectively with Ca, Na, K, Cs and tetramethylammonium (TMA) cations. The corresponding lattice expansions were also determined, and the corresponding N2 adsorption data were...
Authors
Cary T. Chiou, David W. Rutherford

Method for determination of methyl tert-butyl ether and its degradation products in water Method for determination of methyl tert-butyl ether and its degradation products in water

An analytical method is described that can detect the major alkyl ether compounds that are used as gasoline oxygenates (methyl tert-butyl ether, MTBE; ethyl tert-butyl ether, ETBE; and tert-amyl methyl ether, TAME) and their most characteristic degradation products (tert-butyl alcohol, TBA; tert-butyl formate, TBF; and tert-amyl alcohol, TAA) in water at sub-ppb concentrations. The new...
Authors
C.D. Church, L.M. Isabelle, J. F. Pankow, D.L. Rose, P.G. Tratnyek
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