Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 3785

Characterization of U(VI)-carbonato ternary complexes on hematite: EXAFS and electrophoretic mobility measurements Characterization of U(VI)-carbonato ternary complexes on hematite: EXAFS and electrophoretic mobility measurements

We have measured U(VI) adsorption on hematite using EXAFS spectroscopy and electrophoresis under conditions relevant to surface waters and aquifers (0.01 to 10 μM dissolved uranium concentrations, in equilibrium with air, pH 4.5 to 8.5). Both techniques suggest the existence of anionic U(VI)-carbonato ternary complexes. Fits to EXAFS spectra indicate that U(VI) is simultaneously...
Authors
John R. Bargar, Rebecca Reitmeyer, John J. Lenhart, James A. Davis

Organic matter sources and rehabilitation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (California, USA) Organic matter sources and rehabilitation of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (California, USA)

1. The Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta, a complex mosaic of tidal freshwater habitats in California, is the focus of a major ecosystem rehabilitation effort because of significant long-term changes in critical ecosystem functions. One of these functions is the production, transport and transformation of organic matter that constitutes the primary food supply, which may be sub-optimal...
Authors
A.D. Jassby, James E. Cloern

Metal-sulfate salts from sulfide mineral oxidation Metal-sulfate salts from sulfide mineral oxidation

The observation of “efflorescences,” or the flowering of salts, associated with periods of dryness in soils, in closed-basin lakes, in rock outcrops, and in mines and mine wastes has been noted since early antiquity. The formation of metal-sulfate salts, in connection with the mining of metals, was a phenomenon well known to the early Greek and Roman civilizations. Alum, most commonly...
Authors
J.L. Jambor, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Charles N. Alpers

Methyl-mercury degradation pathways: A comparison among three mercury impacted ecosystems Methyl-mercury degradation pathways: A comparison among three mercury impacted ecosystems

We examined microbial methylmercury (MeHg) degradation in sediment of the Florida Everglades, Carson River (NV), and San Carlos Creek (CA), three freshwater environments that differ in the extent and type of mercury contamination and sediment biogeochemistry. Degradation rate constant (kdeg) values increased with total mercury (Hgt) contamination both among and within ecosystems. The...
Authors
M. Marvin-DiPasquale, J. Agee, C. Mcgowan, R.S. Oremland, M. Thomas, D. Krabbenhoft, C.C. Gilmour

Fractionation of selenium isotopes during bacterial respiratory reduction of selenium oxyanions Fractionation of selenium isotopes during bacterial respiratory reduction of selenium oxyanions

Reduction of selenium oxyanions by microorganisms is an important process in the biogeochemical cycling of selenium. Numerous bacteria can reduce Se oxyanions, which are used as electron acceptors during the oxidation of organic matter in anoxic environments. In this study, we used a double spike (82Se and 74Se) thermal ionization mass spectrometry technique to quantify the isotopic...
Authors
M.J. Herbel, T.M. Johnson, R.S. Oremland, T.D. Bullen

The significance of microbial processes in hydrogeology and geochemistry The significance of microbial processes in hydrogeology and geochemistry

Microbial processes affect the chemical composition of groundwater and the hydraulic properties of aquifers in both contaminated and pristine groundwater systems. The patterns of water-chemistry changes that occur depend upon the relative abundance of electron donors and electron acceptors. In many pristine aquifers, where microbial metabolism is limited by the availability of electron...
Authors
F. H. Chapelle

Modeling the influence of variable pH on the transport of zinc in a contaminated aquifer using semiempirical surface complexation models Modeling the influence of variable pH on the transport of zinc in a contaminated aquifer using semiempirical surface complexation models

Land disposal of sewage effluent resulted in contamination of a sand and gravel aquifer (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) with zinc (Zn). The distribution of Zn was controlled by pH‐dependent adsorption; the Zn extended 15 m into the 30‐m‐thick sewage plume within approximately 100 m of the source but only 2–4 m into the plume between 100 and 400 m downgradient. A two‐dimensional vertical cross...
Authors
D.B. Kent, R.H. Abrams, J.A. Davis, J.A. Coston, D.R. LeBlanc

Investigation of nitrogen transformations in a southern California constructed wastewater treatment wetland Investigation of nitrogen transformations in a southern California constructed wastewater treatment wetland

A 9.9-ha combined habitat and wastewater treatment demonstration wetland was constructed and planted in the summer of 1994, at Eastern Municipal Water District’s (EMWD) Hemet/San Jacinto Regional Water Reclamation Facility (RWRF) in southern California. From January 1996 through September 1997, the marsh–pond–marsh wetland system was operated to polish an average of 3785 m3 d−1 (1×106...
Authors
J.J. Sartoris, J.S. Thullen, L. B. Barber, D.E. Salas

Determination of infiltration and percolation rates along a reach of the Santa Fe River near La Bajada, New Mexico Determination of infiltration and percolation rates along a reach of the Santa Fe River near La Bajada, New Mexico

Two methods, one a surface-water method and the second a ground-water method, were used to determine infiltration and percolation rates along a 2.5-kilometer reach of the Santa Fe River near La Bajada, New Mexico. The surface-water method uses streamflow measurements and their differences along a stream reach, streamflow-loss rates, stream surface area, and evaporation rates to determine
Authors
Carole L. Thomas, Amy E. Stewart, Jim E. Constantz
Was this page helpful?