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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

Coprecipitation and redox reactions of manganese oxides with copper and nickel Coprecipitation and redox reactions of manganese oxides with copper and nickel

Open-system, continuous-titration experiments have been done in which a slow flux of ∼0.02 molar solution of Mn2+ chloride, nitrate, or perchlorate with Cu2+ or Ni2+ in lesser concentrations was introduced into an aerated reactor solution held at constant temperature and at constant pH by a pH-stat titrator that added dilute NaOH. The resulting mixtures of metal oxyhydroxides and their...
Authors
J.D. Hem, Carol J. Lind, C. E. Roberson

Convergent radial dispersion: A Laplace transform solution for aquifer tracer testing Convergent radial dispersion: A Laplace transform solution for aquifer tracer testing

A Laplace transform solution was obtained for the injection of a tracer in a well situated in a homogeneous aquifer where steady, horizontal, radially convergent flow has been established due to pumping at a second well. The standard advection-dispersion equation for mass transfer was used as the controlling equation. For boundary conditions, mass balances that account for mixing of the...
Authors
Allen F. Moench

Organic markers as source discriminants and sediment transport indicators in south San Francisco Bay, California Organic markers as source discriminants and sediment transport indicators in south San Francisco Bay, California

Sediment samples from nearshore sites in south San Francisco Bay and from streams flowing into that section of the Bay have been characterized in terms of their content of biogenic and anthropogenic molecular marker compounds. The distributions, input sources, and applicability of these compounds in determining sediment movement are discussed. By means of inspection and multivariate...
Authors
F. D. Hostettler, J. B. Rapp, K.A. Kvenvolden, N L. Samuel

Simulation of calcite dissolution and porosity changes in saltwater mixing zones in coastal aquifers Simulation of calcite dissolution and porosity changes in saltwater mixing zones in coastal aquifers

Thermodynamic models of aqueous solutions have indicated that the mixing of seawater and calcite-saturated fresh groundwater can produce a water that is undersaturated with respect to calcite. Mixing of such waters in coastal carbonate aquifers could lead to significant amounts of limestone dissolution. The potential for such dissolution in coastal saltwater mixing zones is analyzed by...
Authors
Ward E. Sanford, Leonard F. Konikow

Solubility of jarosite solid solutions precipitated from acid mine waters, Iron Mountain, California Solubility of jarosite solid solutions precipitated from acid mine waters, Iron Mountain, California

Because of the common occurrence of 15 to 25 mole percent hydronium substitution on the alkali site in jarosites, it is necessary to consider the hydronium content of jarosites in any attempt at rigorous evaluation of jarosite solubility or of the saturation state of natural waters with respect to jarosite. A Gibbs free energy of 3293.5±2.1 kJ mol-1 is recommended for a jarosite solid...
Authors
Charles N. Alpers, D. Kirk Nordstrom, J.W. Ball

Transport of microspheres and indigenous bacteria through a sandy aquifer: Results of natural- and forced-gradient tracer experiments Transport of microspheres and indigenous bacteria through a sandy aquifer: Results of natural- and forced-gradient tracer experiments

Transport of indigenous bacteria through sandy aquifer sediments was investigated in forced- and natural-gradient tracer teste. A diverse population of bacteria was collected and concentrated from groundwater at the site, stained with a DNA-specific fluorochrome, and injected back into the aquifer. Included with the injectate were a conservative tracer (Br- or Cl-) and bacteria-sized (0...
Authors
R.W. Harvey, L.H. George, R. L. Smith, D.R. LeBlanc

Modification of a method-of-characteristics solute-transport model to incorporate decay and equilibrium-controlled sorption or ion exchange Modification of a method-of-characteristics solute-transport model to incorporate decay and equilibrium-controlled sorption or ion exchange

The U.S. Geological Survey computer model of two-dimensional solute transport and dispersion in ground water (Konikow and Bredehoeft, 1978) has been modified to incorporate the following types of chemical reactions: (1) first-order irreversible rate-reaction, such as radioactive decay; (2) reversible equilibrium-controlled sorption with linear, Freundlich, or Langmuir isotherms; and (3)...
Authors
D.J. Goode, Leonard F. Konikow

Circular convection during subsurface injection of liquid waste, St. Petersburg, Florida Circular convection during subsurface injection of liquid waste, St. Petersburg, Florida

Injection of liquid waste into a highly transmissive, saltwater-bearing, fractured dolomite underlying the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, provided an opportunity to study density-dependent flow associated with two miscible and density-different liquids. The injection zone was 98 m thick with a radial hydraulic conductivity of 762 m/d and a vertical hydraulic conductivity of 152 m/d...
Authors
John J. Hickey

Spectroscopic evidence for organic diacid complexation with dissolved silica in aqueous systems—I. Oxalic acid Spectroscopic evidence for organic diacid complexation with dissolved silica in aqueous systems—I. Oxalic acid

Increased solubility of quartz and mobilization in contaminated groundwater due to the complexation with dissolved organic acids has been recently proposed [Bennett and Siegel, Nature 326, 684–686 (1987)]. Using laser Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, we have examined mixed solutions of oxalic and silicic acids at near neutral pH in the tenth molar concentration ranges...
Authors
N.A. Marley, P. Bennett, D.R. Janecky, J.S. Gaffney

Use of on-site high performance liquid chromatography to evaluate the magnitude and extent of organic contaminants in aquifers Use of on-site high performance liquid chromatography to evaluate the magnitude and extent of organic contaminants in aquifers

Appraisal of ground water contaminated by organic substances raises problems of difficult sample collection and timely chemical analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography was evaluated for on-site determination of specific organic contaminants in ground water samples and was used at three study sites. Organic solutes were determined directly in water samples, with little or no...
Authors
D.F. Goerlitz, B.J. Franks

Calorimetry of heterogeneous systems: H+ binding to TiO2 in NaCl Calorimetry of heterogeneous systems: H+ binding to TiO2 in NaCl

A simultaneous calorimetric and potentiometric technique has been developed for measuring the thermodynamics of proton binding to mineral oxides in the presence of a supporting electrolyte. Modifications made to a commercial titration calorimeter to add a combination pH electrode and maintain an inert atmosphere in the calorimeter reaction vessel are described. A procedure to calibrate
Authors
S.R. Mehr, D.J. Eatough, L.D. Hansen, E.A. Lewis, J.A. Davis
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