Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 3785
Assessment of contamination from arsenical pesticide use on orchards in the great valley region, Virginia and West Virginia, USA Assessment of contamination from arsenical pesticide use on orchards in the great valley region, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
Lead arsenate pesticides were widely used in apple orchards from 1925 to 1955. Soils from historic orchards in four counties in Virginia and West Virginia contained elevated concentrations of As and Pb, consistent with an arsenical pesticide source. Arsenic concentrations in approximately 50% of the orchard site soils and approximately 1% of reference site soils exceed the USEPA...
Authors
Gilpin R. Robinson, Peter Larkins, Carol J. Boughton, Bradley W. Reed, Philip L. Sibrell
Three-dimensional flow in the Florida platform: Theoretical analysis of Kohout convection at its type locality Three-dimensional flow in the Florida platform: Theoretical analysis of Kohout convection at its type locality
Kohout convection is the name given to the circulation of saline groundwater deep within carbonate platforms, first proposed by F.A. Kohout in the 1960s for south Florida. It is now seen as an Mg pump for dolomitization by seawater. As proposed by Kohout, cold seawater is drawn into the Florida platform from the deep Straits of Florida as part of a geothermally driven circulation in...
Authors
J.D. Hughes, H. Leonard Vacher, Ward E. Sanford
Whole-ecosystem study shows rapid fish-mercury response to changes in mercury deposition Whole-ecosystem study shows rapid fish-mercury response to changes in mercury deposition
Methylmercury contamination of fisheries from centuries of industrial atmospheric emissions negatively impacts humans and wild-life worldwide. The response of fish methylmercury concentrations to changes in mercury deposition has been difficult to establish because sediments/soils contain large pools of historical contamination, and many factors in addition to deposition affect fish...
Authors
R.C. Harris, J.W.M. Rudd, M. Amyot, Christopher L. Babiarz, K.G. Beaty, P.J. Blanchfield, R.A. Bodaly, B.A. Branfireun, C.C. Gilmour, J.A. Graydon, A. Heyes, H. Hintelmann, J.P. Hurley, C.A. Kelly, David P. Krabbenhoft, S.E. Lindberg, R.P. Mason, M.J. Paterson, C.L. Podemski, A. Robinson, K.A. Sandilands, G.R. Southworthn, Louis, Michael T. Tate
Diel changes in water chemistry in an arsenic-rich stream and treatment-pond system Diel changes in water chemistry in an arsenic-rich stream and treatment-pond system
Arsenic concentrations are elevated in surface waters of the Warm Springs Ponds Operable Unit (WSPOU), located at the head of the upper Clark Fork River Superfund site, Montana, USA. Arsenic is derived from historical deposition of smelter emissions (Mill and Willow Creeks) and historical mining and milling wastes (Silver Bow Creek). Although long-term monitoring has characterized the...
Authors
C.H. Gammons, T.M. Grant, David A. Nimick, S.R. Parker, M.D. DeGrandpre
Diel cycling of zinc in a stream impacted by acid rock drainage: Initial results from a new in situ Zn analyzer Diel cycling of zinc in a stream impacted by acid rock drainage: Initial results from a new in situ Zn analyzer
Recent work has demonstrated that many trace metals undergo dramatic diel (24-h) cycles in near neutral pH streams with metal concentrations reproducibly changing up to 500% during the diel period (Nimick et al., 2003). To examine diel zinc cycles in streams affected by acid rock drainage, we have developed a novel instrument, the Zn-DigiScan, to continuously monitor in situ zinc...
Authors
Thomas P. Chapin, David A. Nimick, Chris Gammons, Richard B. Wanty
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
Modeling low-temperature geochemical processes Modeling low-temperature geochemical processes
No abstract available.
Authors
D. Kirk Nordstrom
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
Reconstructing sediment age profiles from historical bathymetry changes in San Pablo Bay, California Reconstructing sediment age profiles from historical bathymetry changes in San Pablo Bay, California
Sediment age profiles reconstructed from a sequence of historical bathymetry changes are used to investigate the subsurface distribution of historical sediments in a subembayment of the San Francisco Estuary. Profiles are created in a grid-based GIS modeling program that stratifies historical deposition into temporal horizons. The model's reconstructions are supported by comparisons to...
Authors
Shawn A. Higgins, Bruce E. Jaffe, Christopher C. Fuller
Influence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) Influence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
Extrapolating results of laboratory bioassays to streams is difficult, because conditions such as temperature and dissolved metal concentrations can change substantially on diel time scales. Field bioassays conducted for 96 h in two mining‐affected streams compared the survival of hatchery‐raised, metal‐näive westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) exposed to dissolved (0...
Authors
David A. Nimick, David D. Harper, Aida Farag, Tom Cleasby, Elizabeth MacConnell, D. Skaar