Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 3785
Microbial control of mineral–groundwater equilibria: Macroscale to microscale Microbial control of mineral–groundwater equilibria: Macroscale to microscale
Using field and laboratory experiments, the geomicrobiology of a petroleum-contaminated aquifer and the relationship between mineral alteration, groundwater chemistry, and microbial colonization were examined. Results indicate that indigenous microorganisms influence mineral weathering at two scales of interaction: macroscale processes that perturb general groundwater chemistry and...
Authors
Philip C. Bennett, Franz K. Hiebert, Jennifer Roberts Roger
Groundwater “fast paths” in the Snake River Plain aquifer: Radiogenic isotope ratios as natural groundwater tracers Groundwater “fast paths” in the Snake River Plain aquifer: Radiogenic isotope ratios as natural groundwater tracers
Preferential flow paths are expected in many groundwater systems and must be located because they can greatly affect contaminant transport. The fundamental characteristics of radiogenic isotope ratios in chemically evolving waters make them highly effective as preferential flow path indicators. These ratios tend to be more easily interpreted than solute-concentration data because their...
Authors
Thomas M. Johnson, Robert C. Roback, Travis L. McLing, Thomas D. Bullen, Donald J. DePaolo, Christine Doughty, Randall J. Hunt, Robert W. Smith, L. DeWayne Cecil, Michael T. Murrell
Timescales for migration of atmospherically derived sulphate through an alpine/subalpine watershed, Loch Vale, Colorado Timescales for migration of atmospherically derived sulphate through an alpine/subalpine watershed, Loch Vale, Colorado
Sulphur 35, a cosmogenically produced radioisotope with a short half‐life (87 days), was measured in snowpack during 1993–1997 and at four locations within the Loch Vale watershed during 1995–1997. The four sites include the two main drainages in the watershed, Andrews Creek and Icy Brook, a small south facing catchment flowing into Andrews Creek (Andrews Spring 1), and a similar north...
Authors
Robert L. Michel, Donald H. Campbell, David W. Clow, John T. Turk
Characterizing multiple timescales of stream and storage zone interaction that affect solute fate and transport in streams Characterizing multiple timescales of stream and storage zone interaction that affect solute fate and transport in streams
The fate of contaminants in streams and rivers is affected by exchange and biogeochemical transformation in slowly moving or stagnant flow zones that interact with rapid flow in the main channel. In a typical stream, there are multiple types of slowly moving flow zones in which exchange and transformation occur, such as stagnant or recirculating surface water as well as subsurface...
Authors
Jungyill Choi, Judson W. Harvey, Martha H. Conklin
Metal exposure in a benthic macroinvertebrate, Hydropsyche californica, related to mine drainage in the Sacramento River Metal exposure in a benthic macroinvertebrate, Hydropsyche californica, related to mine drainage in the Sacramento River
A biomonitoring technique was employed to complement studies of metal transport in the upper Sacramento River affected by acid mine drainage. Metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, and Zn) were determined in a resident invertebrate, Hydropsyche californica (Insecta: Trichoptera), and streambed sediments (
Authors
Daniel J. Cain, James L. Carter, Steven V. Fend, Samuel N. Luoma, Charles N. Alpers, Howard E. Taylor
Sorption of selected organic compounds from water to a peat soil and its humic-acid and humin fractions: Potential sources of the sorption nonlinearity Sorption of selected organic compounds from water to a peat soil and its humic-acid and humin fractions: Potential sources of the sorption nonlinearity
The sorption isotherms of ethylene dibromide (EDB), diuron (DUN), and 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) from water on the humic acid and humin fractions of a peat soil and on the humic-acid of a muck soil have been measured. The data were compared with those of the solutes with the whole peat from which the humic-acid (HA) and humin (HM) fractions were derived and on which the sorption of the...
Authors
C. T. Chiou, D. E. Kile, D.W. Rutherford, G. Sheng, S.A. Boyd
Pesticides in the atmosphere of the Mississippi River Valley, part II: Air Pesticides in the atmosphere of the Mississippi River Valley, part II: Air
Weekly composite air samples were collected from early April through to mid-September 1995 at three paired urban and agricultural sites along the Mississippi River region of the Midwestern United States. The paired sampling sites were located in Mississippi, Iowa, and Minnesota. A background site, removed from dense urban and agricultural areas, was located on the shore of Lake Superior...
Authors
W.T. Foreman, M.S. Majewski, D. A. Goolsby, F.W. Wiebe, R.H. Coupe
Atmospheric nitrogen in the Mississippi River Basin: Amissions, deposition and transport Atmospheric nitrogen in the Mississippi River Basin: Amissions, deposition and transport
Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen has been cited as a major factor in the nitrogen saturation of forests in the north-eastern United States and as a contributor to the eutrophication of coastal waters, including the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River. Sources of nitrogen emissions and the resulting spatial patterns of nitrogen deposition within the Mississippi River...
Authors
G.B. Lawrence, D. A. Goolsby, W.A. Battaglin, G.J. Stensland
A new method for collection of nitrate from fresh water and the analysis of nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios A new method for collection of nitrate from fresh water and the analysis of nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios
A new method for concentrating nitrate from fresh waters for δ15N and δ18O analysis has been developed and field-tested for four years. The benefits of the method are: (1) elimination of the need to transport large volumes of water to the laboratory for processing; (2) elimination of the need for hazardous preservatives; and (3) the ability to concentrate nitrate from fresh waters...
Authors
S. R. Silva, C. Kendall, D.H. Wilkison, A.C. Ziegler, Cecily C.Y. Chang, R.J. Avanzino
Nitrite fixation by humic substances: Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance evidence for potential intermediates in chemodenitrification Nitrite fixation by humic substances: Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance evidence for potential intermediates in chemodenitrification
Studies have suggested that NO− 2, produced during nitrification and denitrification, can become incorporated into soil organic matter and, in one of the processes associated with chemodenitrification, react with organic matter to form trace N gases, including N2O. To gain an understanding of the nitrosation chemistry on a molecular level, soil and aquatic humic substances were reacted...
Authors
K. A. Thorn, M.A. Mikita
Fractured-aquifer hydrogeology from geophysical logs: Brunswick group and Lockatong Formation, Pennsylvania Fractured-aquifer hydrogeology from geophysical logs: Brunswick group and Lockatong Formation, Pennsylvania
The Brunswick Group and the underlying Lockatong Formation are composed of lithified Mesozoic sediments that constitute part of the Newark Basin in southeastern Pennsylvania. These fractured rocks form an important regional aquifer that consists of gradational sequences of shale, siltstone, and sandstone, with fluid transport occurring primarily in fractures. An extensive suite of...
Authors
Roger H. Morin, Lisa A. Senior, Edward R. Decker
An organized signal in snowmelt runoff over the western United States An organized signal in snowmelt runoff over the western United States
Daily-to-weekly discharge during the snowmelt season is highly correlated among river basins in the upper elevations of the central and southern Sierra Nevada (Carson, Walker, Tuolumne, Merced, San Joaquin, Kings, and Kern Rivers). In many cases, the upper Sierra Nevada watershed operates in a single mode (with varying catchment amplitudes). In some years, with appropriate lags, this...
Authors
D. H. Peterson, R. E. Smith, M. D. Dettinger, D.R. Cayan, L. Riddle