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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

Fluxes of water and solute in a coastal wetland sediment. 2. Effect of macropores on solute exchange with surface water Fluxes of water and solute in a coastal wetland sediment. 2. Effect of macropores on solute exchange with surface water

Chloride was highly concentrated relative to seawater in matrix porewater but was comparatively dilute in macropores. Concentration differences in pore-size classes declined with depth until indistinguishable below 10 cm. The segregated chloride distribution can be explained if recharge to the sediment occurred by downward infiltration in macropores and discharge occurred by an upward...
Authors
J. W. Harvey, W.K. Nuttle

Determination of water retention in stratified porous materials Determination of water retention in stratified porous materials

Predicted and measured water-retention values,θ(ψ), were compared for repacked, stratified core samples consisting of either a sand with a stone-bearing layer or a sand with a clay loam layer in various spatial orientations. Stratified core samples were packed in submersible pressure outflow cells, then water-retention measurements were performed between matric potentials,ψ, of 0 to -100...
Authors
J. Constantz

Year-to-year fluctuation of the spring phytoplankton bloom in south San Francisco Bay: An example of ecological variability at the land-sea interface Year-to-year fluctuation of the spring phytoplankton bloom in south San Francisco Bay: An example of ecological variability at the land-sea interface

Estuaries are transitional ecosystems at the interface of the terrestrial and marine realms. Their unique physiographic position gives rise to large spatial variability, and to dynamic temporal variability resulting, in part, from a variety of forces and fluxes at the oceanic and terrestrial boundaries. River flow, in particular, is an important mechanism for delivering watershed-derived...
Authors
James E. Cloern, Alan D. Jassby

Mantle helium in ground waters of eastern North America: Time and space constraints on sources Mantle helium in ground waters of eastern North America: Time and space constraints on sources

Mantle helium in continental environments is generally considered to be the result of active volcanism and/or active extension. The latest episodes of volcanism in northeastern North America are the track of the New England hotspot (95–190 Ma) and the closure of the Iapetus sea (before 300 Ma). Thus, the identification of mantle helium in young ground waters of central New England is...
Authors
T. Torgersen, S. Drenkard, M. Stute, P. Schlosser, A. Shapiro

Fate, bioavailability and toxicity of silver in estuarine environments Fate, bioavailability and toxicity of silver in estuarine environments

The chemistry and bioavailability of Ag contribute to its high toxicity in marine and estuarine waters. Silver is unusual, in that both the dominant speciation reaction in seawater and the processes important in sorbing Ag in sediments favour enhanced bioavailability. Formation of a stable chloro complex favours dispersal of dissolved Ag, and the abundant chloro complex is available to...
Authors
S. N. Luoma, Y.B. Ho, G.W. Bryan

Uranium(VI) adsorption to ferrihydrite: Application of a surface complexation model Uranium(VI) adsorption to ferrihydrite: Application of a surface complexation model

A study of U(VI) adsorption by ferrihydrite was conducted over a wide range of U(VI) concentrations, pH, and at two partial pressures of carbon dioxide. A two-site (strong- and weak-affinity sites, FesOH and FewOH, respectively) surface complexation model was able to describe the experimental data well over a wide range of conditions, with only one species formed with each site type: an...
Authors
T.D. Waite, J.A. Davis, T.E. Payne, G.A. Waychunas, N. Xu

Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of sewage-sludge disposal at the Lowry sewage-sludge-disposal area, near Denver, Colorado, on ground- and surface-water quality, to determine the fate of nitrates from sludge leachate, and to determine the source areas of leachate and the potential for additional leaching from the disposal area. Sewage-sludge disposal began in 1969. Two...
Authors
James A. Tindall, Kenneth J. Lull, Neville G. Gaggiani

Determination of atrazine in rainfall and surface water by enzyme immunoassay Determination of atrazine in rainfall and surface water by enzyme immunoassay

Rainwater and surface water from four sites in Germany (Bavaria and Lower Saxony) were analyzed for atrazine by enzyme immunoassay from June 1990 until October 1992. The limit of quantification of the immunoassay was 0.02 μg/L with a middle of the test at 0.2 μg/L. About 60 % of the samples contained measurable amounts of atrazine. Seasonal trends were observed, with the highest...
Authors
Andrea Dankwardt, Susanne Wust, Wolfram Elling, E. Michael Thurman, Bertold Hock

Variability and prediction of freshwater and nitrate fluxes for the Louisiana-Texas shelf: Mississippi and Atchafalaya River source functions Variability and prediction of freshwater and nitrate fluxes for the Louisiana-Texas shelf: Mississippi and Atchafalaya River source functions

Time histories of riverine water discharge, nitrate concentration, and nitrate, flux have been analyzed for the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. Results indicate that water discharge variability is dominated by the annual cycle and shorter-time-scale episodic events presumably associated with snowmelt runoff and spring or summer rains. Interannual variability in water discharge is...
Authors
A. Bratkovich, S.P. Dinnel, D. A. Goolsby

Influence of diurnal variations in stream temperature on streamflow loss and groundwater recharge Influence of diurnal variations in stream temperature on streamflow loss and groundwater recharge

We demonstrate that for losing reaches with significant diurnal variations in stream temperature, the effect of stream temperature on streambed seepage is a major factor contributing to reduced afternoon streamflows. An explanation is based on the effect of stream temperature on the hydraulic conductivity of the streambed, which can be expected to double in the 0° to 25°C temperature...
Authors
Jim Constantz, Carole L. Thomas, Gary W. Zellweger
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