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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

Sulfur geochemistry of hydrothermal waters in Yellowstone National Park: I. The origin of thiosulfate in hot spring waters Sulfur geochemistry of hydrothermal waters in Yellowstone National Park: I. The origin of thiosulfate in hot spring waters

Thiosulfate (S2O32−), polythionate (SxO62−), dissolved sulfide (H2S), and sulfate (SO42−) concentrations in thirty-nine alkaline and acidic springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) were determined. The analyses were conducted on site, using ion chromatography for thiosulfate, polythionate, and sulfate, and using colorimetry for dissolved sulfide. Thiosulfate was detected at...
Authors
Y. Xu, M.A.A. Schoonen, D. Kirk Nordstrom, K.M. Cunningham, J.W. Ball

Using stable isotopes of water and strontium to investigate the hydrology of a natural and a constructed wetland Using stable isotopes of water and strontium to investigate the hydrology of a natural and a constructed wetland

Wetlands cannot exist without water, but wetland hydrology is difficult to characterize. As a result, compensatory wetland mitigation often only assumes the proper hydrology has been created. In this study, water sources and mass transfer processes in a natural and constructed wetland complex were investigated using isotopes of water and strontium. Water isotope profiles in the saturated...
Authors
R. J. Hunt, T.D. Bullen, D. P. Krabbenhoft, C. Kendall

Theoretical Evaluation of the Transient Response of Constant Head and Constant Flow-Rate Permeability Tests Theoretical Evaluation of the Transient Response of Constant Head and Constant Flow-Rate Permeability Tests

A theoretical analysis is presented that compares the response characteristics of the constant head and the constant flowrate (flow pump) laboratory techniques for quantifying the hydraulic properties of geologic materials having permeabilities less than 10-10 m/s. Rigorous analytical solutions that describe the transient distributions of hydraulic gradient within a specimen are...
Authors
M. Zhang, M. Takahashi, R. H. Morin, T. Esaki

Development and testing of a compartmentalized reaction network model for redox zones in contaminated aquifers Development and testing of a compartmentalized reaction network model for redox zones in contaminated aquifers

The work reported here is the first part of a larger effort focused on efficient numerical simulation of redox zone development in contaminated aquifers. The sequential use of various electron acceptors, which is governed by the energy yield of each reaction, gives rise to redox zones. The large difference in energy yields between the various redox reactions leads to systems of equations...
Authors
Robert H. Abrams, Keith Loague, Douglas B. Kent

Experimental evaluation of factors affecting temporal variability of water samples obtained from long-screened wells Experimental evaluation of factors affecting temporal variability of water samples obtained from long-screened wells

As a well is pumped through time, concentrations of specific constituents in the water discharging from the well may change as a result of their transport within the well and the aquifer. A series of experiments conducted at a research site on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, examined the effects of transport on the chemistry of water samples obtained from a long-screened well. Analyses of time...
Authors
T. E. Reilly, D.R. LeBlanc

Bacterial oxidation of dibromomethane and methyl bromide in natural waters and enrichment cultures Bacterial oxidation of dibromomethane and methyl bromide in natural waters and enrichment cultures

Bacterial oxidation of14CH2Br2 and14CH3Br was measured in freshwater, estuarine, seawater, and hypersaline-alkaline samples. In general, bacteria from the various sites oxidized similar amounts of14CH2Br2 and comparatively less 14CH3Br. Bacterial oxidation of14CH3Br was rapid in freshwater samples compared to bacterial oxidation of 14CH3Br in more saline waters. Freshwater was also the...
Authors
K.D. Goodwin, J.K. Schaefer, R.S. Oremland

Sedimentation and bathymetric change in San Pablo Bay: 1856-1983 Sedimentation and bathymetric change in San Pablo Bay: 1856-1983

A long-term perspective of erosion and deposition in San Francisco Bay is vital to understanding and managing wetland change, harbor and channel siltation, and other sediment-related phenomena such as particle and particle-associated substance (pollutants, trace metals, etc.) transport and deposition. A quantitative comparison of historical hydrographic surveys provides this perspective...
Authors
Bruce E. Jaffe, Richard E. Smith, Laura Zink Torresan

Spatial variation in saturated hydraulic conductivity of sediments at a crude-oil spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota Spatial variation in saturated hydraulic conductivity of sediments at a crude-oil spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota

Saturated hydraulic conductivity of aquifer sediments at a crude-oil spill research site near Bemidji, Minnesota were examined using pneumatically-induced head-difference tests and packer/vacuum system tests. Results from slug tests on 58 wells show that hydraulic conductivity varies both horizontally and vertically in the range from about 10-7 to 10-4 meters per second (m/s), with a...
Authors
Michael L. Strobel, G. N. Delin, Carissa J. Munson

Application of nonlinear-regression methods to a ground-water flow model of the Albuquerque Basin, New Mexico Application of nonlinear-regression methods to a ground-water flow model of the Albuquerque Basin, New Mexico

This report documents the application of nonlinear-regression methods to a numerical model of ground-water flow in the Albuquerque Basin, New Mexico. In the Albuquerque Basin, ground water is the primary source for most water uses. Ground-water withdrawal has steadily increased since the 1940's, resulting in large declines in water levels in the Albuquerque area. A ground-water flow...
Authors
C. R. Tiedeman, J. M. Kernodle, D. P. McAda
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