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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

Arsenate adsorption mechanisms at the allophane: Water interface Arsenate adsorption mechanisms at the allophane: Water interface

We investigated arsenate (As(V)) reactivity and surface speciation on amorphous aluminosilicate mineral (synthetic allophane) surfaces using batch adsorption experiments, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The adsorption isotherm experiments indicated that As(V) uptake increased with increasing [As(V)]o from 50 to 1000 μM (i.e., Langmuir type...
Authors
Y. Arai, D.L. Sparks, J.A. Davis

Percolation and transport in a sandy soil under a natural hydraulic gradient Percolation and transport in a sandy soil under a natural hydraulic gradient

Unsaturated flow and transport under a natural hydraulic gradient in a Mediterranean climate were investigated with a field tracer experiment combined with laboratory analyses and numerical modeling. Bromide was applied to the surface of a sandy soil during the dry season. During the subsequent rainy season, repeated sediment sampling tracked the movement of bromide through the profile...
Authors
Christopher T. Green, David A. Stonestrom, Barbara A. Bekins, Katherine C. Akstin, Marjorie S. Schulz

Wave spectral energy variability in the northeast Pacific Wave spectral energy variability in the northeast Pacific

The dominant characteristics of wave energy variability in the eastern North Pacific are described from NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy data collected from 1981 to 2003. Ten buoys at distributed locations were selected for comparison based on record duration and data continuity. Long‐period (LP) [T > 12] s, intermediate‐period [6 ≤ T ≤ 12] s, and short‐period [T 6] s wave...
Authors
P.D. Bromirski, D.R. Cayan, R.E. Flick

Hydrologic properties of coal-beds in the Powder River Basin, Montana: II. Aquifer test analysis Hydrologic properties of coal-beds in the Powder River Basin, Montana: II. Aquifer test analysis

A multiple well aquifer test to determine anisotropic transmissivity was conducted on a coal-bed in the Powder River Basin, southeastern Montana, as part of a multidisciplinary investigation to determine hydrologic conditions of coal-beds in the area. For the test, three wells were drilled equidistant from and at different angles to a production well tapping the Flowers–Goodale coal seam...
Authors
E.P. Weeks

Diel behavior of iron and other heavy metals in a mountain stream with acidic to neutral pH: Fisher Creek, Montana, USA Diel behavior of iron and other heavy metals in a mountain stream with acidic to neutral pH: Fisher Creek, Montana, USA

Three simultaneous 24-h samplings at three sites over a downstream pH gradient were conducted to examine diel fluctuations in heavy metal concentrations in Fisher Creek, a small mountain stream draining abandoned mine lands in Montana. Average pH values at the upstream (F1), middle (F2), and downstream (F3) monitoring stations were 3.31, 5.46, and 6.80, respectively. The downstream...
Authors
C.H. Gammons, D. A. Nimick, S.R. Parker, T.E. Cleasby, R. Blaine McCleskey

Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments Sensitivity analysis of conservative and reactive stream transient storage models applied to field data from multiple-reach experiments

The transient storage model (TSM) has been widely used in studies of stream solute transport and fate, with an increasing emphasis on reactive solute transport. In this study we perform sensitivity analyses of a conservative TSM and two different reactive solute transport models (RSTM), one that includes first-order decay in the stream and the storage zone, and a second that considers...
Authors
M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, D.T. Scott, R.L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight

A method for the use of landscape metrics in freshwater research and management A method for the use of landscape metrics in freshwater research and management

Freshwater research and management efforts could be greatly enhanced by a better understanding of the relationship between landscape-scale factors and water quality indicators. This is particularly true in urban areas, where land transformation impacts stream systems at a variety of scales. Despite advances in landscape quantification methods, several studies attempting to elucidate the
Authors
F.R. Kearns, N.M. Kelly, J.L. Carter, V.H. Resh

Why is metal bioaccumulation so variable? Biodynamics as a unifying concept Why is metal bioaccumulation so variable? Biodynamics as a unifying concept

Ecological risks from metal contaminants are difficult to document because responses differ among species, threats differ among metals, and environmental influences are complex. Unifying concepts are needed to better tie together such complexities. Here we suggest that a biologically based conceptualization, the biodynamic model, provides the necessary unification for a key aspect in...
Authors
Samuel N. Luoma, Philip S. Rainbow

A method adapting microarray technology for signature tagged mutagenesis of Dusulfovibrio dusulfuricans G20 and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in anaerobic sediment survival experiments A method adapting microarray technology for signature tagged mutagenesis of Dusulfovibrio dusulfuricans G20 and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in anaerobic sediment survival experiments

Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) is a powerful technique that can be used to identify genes expressed by bacteria during exposure to conditions in their natural environments. To date, there have been no reports of studies in which this approach was used to study organisms of environmental, rather than pathogenic, significance. We used a mini-Tn10 transposon-bearing plasmid, pBSL180...
Authors
Jennifer L. Groh, Qingwei Luo, Jimmy D. Ballard, Lee R. Krumholz

Major and trace element composition of copiapite-group minerals and coexisting water from the Richmond mine, Iron Mountain, California Major and trace element composition of copiapite-group minerals and coexisting water from the Richmond mine, Iron Mountain, California

Copiapite-group minerals of the general formula AR4(SO4)6(OH)2·nH2O, where A is predominantly Mg, Fe2+, or 0.67Al3+, R is predominantly Fe3+, and n is typically 20, are among several secondary hydrous Fe sulfates occurring in the inactive mine workings of the massive sulfide deposit at Iron Mountain, CA, a USEPA Superfund site that produces extremely acidic drainage. Samples of copiapite...
Authors
H.E. Jamieson, C. Robinson, Charles N. Alpers, R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Ronald C. Peterson

Role for Fe(III) minerals in nitrate-dependent microbial U(IV) oxidation Role for Fe(III) minerals in nitrate-dependent microbial U(IV) oxidation

Microbiological reduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) is a means of preventing the migration of that element in groundwater, but the presence of nitrate in U(IV)-containing sediments leads to U(IV) oxidation and remobilizaton. Nitrite or iron(III) oxyhydroxides may oxidize U(IV) under nitrate-reducing conditions, and we determined the rate and extent of U(IV) oxidation by these...
Authors
John M. Senko, Yasser Mohamed, Thomas A. Dewers, Lee R. Krumholz

Transmission of atmospherically derived trace elements through an undeveloped, forested Maryland watershed Transmission of atmospherically derived trace elements through an undeveloped, forested Maryland watershed

The transmission of atmospherically derived trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) was evaluated in a small, undeveloped, forested watershed located in north-central Maryland. Atmospheric input was determined for wet-only and vegetative throughfall components. Annual throughfall fluxes were significantly enriched over incident precipitation for most elements...
Authors
J.R. Scudlark, Karen C. Rice, Kathryn M. Conko, Owen P. Bricker, T.M. Church
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