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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

Characterization of lake water and ground water movement in the littoral zone of Williams Lake, a closed-basin lake in North central Minnesota Characterization of lake water and ground water movement in the littoral zone of Williams Lake, a closed-basin lake in North central Minnesota

Williams Lake, Minnesota is a closed‐basin lake that is a flow‐through system with respect to ground water. Ground‐water input represents half of the annual water input and most of the chemical input to the lake. Chemical budgets indicate that the lake is a sink for calcium, yet surficial sediments contain little calcium carbonate. Sediment pore‐water samplers (peepers) were used to...
Authors
P. F. Schuster, M.M. Reddy, J. W. LaBaugh, R.S. Parkhurst, D.O. Rosenberry, T. C. Winter, Ronald C. Antweiler, W.E. Dean

Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids

An in‐stream injection of two dissolved organic acids (phthalic and aspartic acids) was performed in an acidic mountain stream to assess the effects of organic acids on Fe photoreduction and H2O2 cycling. Results indicate that the fate of Fe is dependent on a net balance of oxidative and reductive processes, which can vary over a distance of several meters due to changes in incident...
Authors
Durelle T. Scott, Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Bettina M. Voelker, Briant A. Kimball, Elizabeth R. Carraway

Microbial cycling of mercury in contaminated pelagic and wetland sediments of San Pablo Bay, California Microbial cycling of mercury in contaminated pelagic and wetland sediments of San Pablo Bay, California

San Pablo Bay is an estuary, within northern San Francisco Bay, containing elevated sediment mercury (Hg) levels because of historic loading of hydraulic mining debris during the California gold-rush of the late 1800s. A preliminary investigation of benthic microbial Hg cycling was conducted in surface sediment (0–4 cm) collected from one salt-marsh and three open-water sites. A deeper...
Authors
M. C. Marvin-DiPasquale, J.L. Agee, R. M. Bouse, B. E. Jaffe

Simplified method for detecting tritium contamination in plants and soil Simplified method for detecting tritium contamination in plants and soil

Cost-effective methods are needed to identify the presence and distribution of tritium near radioactive waste disposal and other contaminated sites. The objectives of this study were to (i) develop a simplified sample preparation method for determining tritium contamination in plants and (ii) determine if plant data could be used as an indicator of soil contamination. The method entailed
Authors
Brian J. Andraski, Mark W. Sandstrom, R. L. Michel, J.C. Radyk, David A. Stonestrom, M. J. Johnson, C.J. Mayers

Bioreactors for removing methyl bromide following contained fumigations Bioreactors for removing methyl bromide following contained fumigations

Use of methyl bromide (MeBr) as a quarantine, commodity, or structural fumigant is under scrutiny because its release to the atmosphere contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. A closed-system bioreactor consisting of 0.5 L of a growing culture of a previously described bacterium, strain IMB-1, removed MeBr (>110 μmol L-1) from recirculating air. Strain IMB-1 grew slowly to...
Authors
Laurence G. Miller, Shaun Baesman, Ronald S. Oremland

Geomorphic and hydrologic assessment of erosion hazards at the Norman municipal landfill, Canadian River floodplain, central Oklahoma Geomorphic and hydrologic assessment of erosion hazards at the Norman municipal landfill, Canadian River floodplain, central Oklahoma

The Norman, Oklahoma, municipal landfill closed in 1985 after 63 years of operation, because it was identified as a point source of hazardous leachate composed of organic and inorganic compounds. The landfill is located on the floodplain of the Canadian River, a sand-bed river characterized by erodible channel boundaries and by large variation in mean monthly discharges. In 1986...
Authors
Jennifer A. Curtis, John W. Whitney

Escherichia coli and enterococci at beaches in the Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan: Sources, characteristics, and environmental pathways Escherichia coli and enterococci at beaches in the Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan: Sources, characteristics, and environmental pathways

This study quantified Escherichia coli(EC) and enterococci (ENT) in beach waters and dominant source materials, correlated these with ambient conditions, and determined selected EC genotypes and ENT phenotypes. Bathing-water ENT criteria were exceeded more frequently than EC criteria, providing conflicting interpretations of water quality. Dominant sources of EC and ENT were bird feces...
Authors
S.K. Haack, L.R. Fogarty, C. Wright

Response of benthic invertebrate assemblages to metal exposure and bioaccumulation associated with hard-rock mining in northwestern streams, USA Response of benthic invertebrate assemblages to metal exposure and bioaccumulation associated with hard-rock mining in northwestern streams, USA

Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, environmental variables, and associated mine density were evaluated during the summer of 2000 at 18 reference and test sites in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Regis River basins, northwestern USA as part of the US Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Zn in water and (or) streambed sediment at test...
Authors
T.R. Maret, D.J. Cain, D.E. MacCoy, T.M. Short

Inverse modeling of BTEX dissolution and biodegradation at the Bemidji, MN crude-oil spill site Inverse modeling of BTEX dissolution and biodegradation at the Bemidji, MN crude-oil spill site

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) solute transport and biodegradation code BIOMOC was used in conjunction with the USGS universal inverse modeling code UCODE to quantify field-scale hydrocarbon dissolution and biodegradation at the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program crude-oil spill research site located near Bemidji, MN. This inverse modeling effort used the extensive historical...
Authors
H.I. Essaid, I.M. Cozzarelli, R.P. Eganhouse, W.N. Herkelrath, B.A. Bekins, G. N. Delin
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