Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
The GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter—published since 2004—provides information on USGS science activities pertinent to safeguarding the health of fish, wildlife, domesticated animals, and people from environmental exposures to contaminants and pathogens.
Featured Science Activities
Featured Science Activities
Lean about our Featured Science Activities through our pages that highlight science studies, publications, and results.
Filter Total Items: 3785
Trace metals in clams (Macoma balthica) and sediments at the Palo Alto mudflat in south San Francisco Bay: June, 1993-May, 1993 Trace metals in clams (Macoma balthica) and sediments at the Palo Alto mudflat in south San Francisco Bay: June, 1993-May, 1993
No abstract available.
Authors
S. N. Luoma, D.J. Cain, C. L. Brown, Michelle I. Hornberger
Age dating ground water by use of chlorofluorocarbons (CCl3F and CCl2F2), and distribution of chlorofluorocarbons in the unsaturated zone, Snake River Plain Aquifer, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Age dating ground water by use of chlorofluorocarbons (CCl3F and CCl2F2), and distribution of chlorofluorocarbons in the unsaturated zone, Snake River Plain Aquifer, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho
No abstract available.
Authors
Eurybiades Busenberg, E.P. Weeks, Niel Plummer, R. C. Bartholomay
The role of water exchange between a stream channel and its hyporheic zone in nitrogen cycling at the terrestrial-aquatic interface The role of water exchange between a stream channel and its hyporheic zone in nitrogen cycling at the terrestrial-aquatic interface
The subsurface riparian zone was examined as an ecotone with two interfaces. Inland is a terrestrial boundary, where transport of water and dissolved solutes is toward the channel and controlled by watershed hydrology. Streamside is an aquatic boundary, where exchange of surface water and dissolved solutes is bi-directional and flux is strongly influenced by channel hydraulics...
Authors
F.J. Triska, J.H. Duff, R.J. Avanzino
Dissolved sulfides in the oxic water column of San Francisco Bay, California Dissolved sulfides in the oxic water column of San Francisco Bay, California
Trace contaminants enter major estuaries such as San Francisco Bay from a variety of point and nonpoint sources and may then be repartitioned between solid and aqueous phases or altered in chemical speciation. Chemical speciation affects the bioavailability of metals as well as organic ligands to planktonic and benthic organisms, and the partitioning of these solutes between phases. Our...
Authors
J.S. Kuwabara, G.W. Luther
A finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian Localized Adjoint Method for solution of the advection-dispersion equation A finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian Localized Adjoint Method for solution of the advection-dispersion equation
A new mass-conservative method for solution of the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation is derived and discussed. Test results demonstrate that the finite-volume Eulerian-Lagrangian localized adjoint method (FVELLAM) outperforms standard finite-difference methods, in terms of accuracy and efficiency, for solute transport problems that are dominated by advection. For dispersion...
Authors
R. W. Healy, T.F. Russell
Stable isotope enrichment in paleowaters of the southeast Atlantic coastal plain, United States Stable isotope enrichment in paleowaters of the southeast Atlantic coastal plain, United States
Paleowaters from the Floridan aquifer system in the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain have higher D/H and 18O/16O ratios than local Holocene ground water. Maximum δ18O enrichments in ground water having adjusted radiocarbon ages of 20,000 to 26,000 years are 0.7 to 2.3 per mil. The trend in isotopic enrichment in paleowaters is the reverse of that normally observed in continental...
Authors
Niel Plummer
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen composition, transformation, retention, and transport in naturally phosphate-rich and phosphate-poor tropical streams Dissolved inorganic nitrogen composition, transformation, retention, and transport in naturally phosphate-rich and phosphate-poor tropical streams
The composition, transformation, and transport of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was compared in waters associated with two lowland streams in Costa Rica. The Salto River is enriched by geothermal-based soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), which raises the concentration up to 200 μg/L whereas Pantano Creek, an unimpacted tributary, has an SRP concentration
Authors
F.J. Triska, C. M. Pringle, G. W. Zellweger, J.H. Duff, R.J. Avanzino
Trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) and nutrients in coastal waters adjacent to San Francisco Bay, California Trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) and nutrients in coastal waters adjacent to San Francisco Bay, California
Samples collected in December 1990 and July 1991 show that dissolved Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn distributions in the Gulf of the Farallones are dominated by mixing of two end-members: (1) metal-enriched San Francisco Bay water and (2) offshore California Current water. The range of dissolved metal concentrations observed is 0.2–0.9 nmol kg−1 for Cd, 1–20 nmol kg−1 for Cu, 4–16 nmol kg−1 for Ni...
Authors
A. VanGeen, Samuel N. Luoma
The effect of streambed topography on surface-subsurface water exchange in mountain catchments The effect of streambed topography on surface-subsurface water exchange in mountain catchments
A numerical hydrological simulation suggested that water exchange between stream channels and adjacent aquifers is enhanced by convexities and concavities in streambed topography. At St. Kevin Gulch, an effluent stream in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, subsurface hydraulic gradients and movement of ionic tracers indicated that stream water was locally recharged into well-defined flow...
Authors
Judson W. Harvey, Kenneth E. Bencala
Impact of the Summitville Mine on irrigation water, agricultural soils, and alfalfa in the southwestern San Luis Valley, Colorado Impact of the Summitville Mine on irrigation water, agricultural soils, and alfalfa in the southwestern San Luis Valley, Colorado
No abstract available.
Authors
J. A. Erdman, K. S. Smith
Suspended sediment in San Francisco Bay Estuary, California: Recent history and available data sets Suspended sediment in San Francisco Bay Estuary, California: Recent history and available data sets
No abstract available.
Authors
D. H. Peterson, M.A. Noble, R. E. Smith
Seasonal relationships between planktonic microorganisms and dissolved organic material in an alpine stream Seasonal relationships between planktonic microorganisms and dissolved organic material in an alpine stream
The relationships between the abundance and activity of planktonic, heterotrophic microorganisms and the quantity and characteristics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in a Rocky Mountain stream were evaluated. Peak values of glucose uptake, 2.1 nmol L−1 hr−1, and glucose concentration, 333 nM, occurred during spring snowmelt when the water temperature was 4.0°C and the DOC concentration...
Authors
Diane M. McKnight, R. L. Smith, R.A. Harnish, C.L. Miller, K.E. Bencala