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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

Discovery of cyanuric acid during an assessment of natural organic matter in stormflow water of the Santa Ana River, southern California, 2003-2004 Discovery of cyanuric acid during an assessment of natural organic matter in stormflow water of the Santa Ana River, southern California, 2003-2004

A stormflow study of natural organic matter and organic contaminants in the Santa Ana River, the Mill Creek tributary, and an urban drain tributary discovered cyanuric acid in variable concentrations up to 510 g/L. Cyanuric acid was isolated with a hydrophilic natural organic matter (NOM) fraction, and its identity was confirmed by a combination of infrared spectrometry, 13C-nuclear...
Authors
Jerry A. Leenheer, John A. Izbicki, Colleen E. Rostad, Ted I. Noyes, Greg Woodside

Arsenic in the environment: Biology and chemistry Arsenic in the environment: Biology and chemistry

Arsenic (As) distribution and toxicology in the environment is a serious issue, with millions of individuals worldwide being affected by As toxicosis. Sources of As contamination are both natural and anthropogenic and the scale of contamination ranges from local to regional. There are many areas of research that are being actively pursued to address the As contamination problem. These...
Authors
Prosun Bhattacharya, Alan H. Welch, Kenneth G. Stollenwerk, Mike J. McLaughlin, Jochen Bundschuh, G. Panaullah

Profiling refined hydrocarbon fuels using polar components Profiling refined hydrocarbon fuels using polar components

Identification of a fuel released into the environment can be difficult due to biodegradation or weathering. Negative electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry was used to screen for unique polar components in a wide variety of commercial hydrocarbon products and mixtures. These fuels produced unique and relatively simple spectra. When applied to hydrocarbon samples from a large, long...
Authors
Colleen E. Rostad, Frances D. Hostettler

Composition of pore water in lake sediments, research site "B", Osage County, Oklahoma: Implications for lake water quality and benthic organisms Composition of pore water in lake sediments, research site "B", Osage County, Oklahoma: Implications for lake water quality and benthic organisms

Shallow ground water at US Geological Survey research site B in northeastern Oklahoma is contaminated with NaCl-rich brine from past and present oil production operations. Contaminated ground water provides a potential source of salts, metals, and hydrocarbons to sediment and water of adjacent Skiatook Lake. A former brine storage pit 10 m in diameter that is now submerged just offshore...
Authors
Robert A. Zielinski, William N. Herkelrath, James K. Otton

Characterization of suspended particles in Everglades wetlands Characterization of suspended particles in Everglades wetlands

We report the concentration, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) content, and size and chemical fractionation of fine suspended particles (0.2‐100 µm) and colloids (3 kilodalton [kDa]‐0.1 µm) in the surface water of Everglades wetlands along regional and P‐enrichment gradients. Total suspended sediment concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 2.7 mg L−1. Total particulate P concentrations increased...
Authors
Gregory B. Noe, Judson W. Harvey, James E. Saiers

Role of hydrous iron oxide formation in attenuation and diel cycling of dissolved trace metals in a stream affected by acid rock drainage Role of hydrous iron oxide formation in attenuation and diel cycling of dissolved trace metals in a stream affected by acid rock drainage

Mining-impacted streams have been shown to undergo diel (24-h) fluctuations in concentrations of major and trace elements. Fisher Creek in south-central Montana, USA receives acid rock drainage (ARD) from natural and mining-related sources. A previous diel field study found substantial changes in dissolved metal concentrations at three sites with differing pH regimes during a 24-h period...
Authors
Stephen R. Parker, Chris Gammons, Clain A. Jones, David A. Nimick

Simple predictions of maximum transport rate in unsaturated soil and rock Simple predictions of maximum transport rate in unsaturated soil and rock

In contrast with the extreme variability expected for water and contaminant fluxes in the unsaturated zone, evidence from 64 field tests of preferential flow indicates that the maximum transport speed Vmax, adjusted for episodicity of infiltration, deviates little from a geometric mean of 13 m/d. A model based on constant‐speed travel during infiltration pulses of actual or estimated...
Authors
John R. Nimmo

Oxygen and chlorine isotopic fractionation during perchlorate biodegradation: Laboratory results and implications for forensics and natural attenuation studies Oxygen and chlorine isotopic fractionation during perchlorate biodegradation: Laboratory results and implications for forensics and natural attenuation studies

Perchlorate is a widespread environmental contaminant having both anthropogenic and natural sources. Stable isotope ratios of O and Cl in a given sample of perchlorate may be used to distinguish its source(s). Isotopic ratios may also be useful for identifying the extent of biodegradation of perchlorate, which is critical for assessing natural attenuation of this contaminant in...
Authors
Neil C. Sturchio, John Karl Bohlke, Abelardo D. Beloso, S.H. Streger, Linnea J. Heraty, Paul B. Hatzinger

Freshwater-saltwater transition zone movement during aquifer storage and recovery cycles in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, USA Freshwater-saltwater transition zone movement during aquifer storage and recovery cycles in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, USA

Freshwater storage in deep aquifers of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, USA, is under consideration as an emergency water supply for New York City. The purpose of a New York City storage and recovery system is to provide an emergency water supply during times of drought or other contingencies and would entail longer-term storage phases than a typical annual cycle. There is concern amongst
Authors
Paul E. Misut, Clifford I. Voss

Concentrations of metals in water, sediment, biofilm, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, and the role of colloids in metal uptake Concentrations of metals in water, sediment, biofilm, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, and the role of colloids in metal uptake

To characterize the partitioning of metals in a stream ecosystem, concentrations of trace metals including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured in water, colloids, sediment, biofilm (also referred to as aufwuchs), macroinvertebrates, and fish collected from the Boulder River watershed, Montana. Median concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in water throughout the watershed exceeded the U.S...
Authors
Aida Farag, David A. Nimick, Briant A. Kimball, Stanley E. Church, David D. Harper, William G. Brumbaugh
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