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
Accounting for tomographic resolution in estimating hydrologic properties from geophysical data Accounting for tomographic resolution in estimating hydrologic properties from geophysical data
No abstract available.
Authors
K. Singha, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, S. Moysey
Overview of issues in subsurface and landfill microbiology Overview of issues in subsurface and landfill microbiology
To date, the majority of evidence indicates that most subsurface environments possess climax ecological communities that are well adapted to the environment in which they live. Like their counterparts on the surface, subsurface ecosystems are characterized by a high degree of microbiological diversity, they possess trophic structure, and they exhibit material cycling and energy transfer...
Authors
Ronald W. Harvey, Joseph M. Suflita, Michael K. McInerney, Aaron L. Mills
Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface Determining the terminal electron-accepting reaction in the saturated subsurface
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard L. Smith, J. Harris
Introduction and background Introduction and background
No abstract available.
Authors
R. Harris, David P. Krabbenhoft, M. Murray, R.J. Reash, T. Saltman, R. Murray
Transport of microorganisms in the terrestrial subsurface: In situ and laboratory methods Transport of microorganisms in the terrestrial subsurface: In situ and laboratory methods
This chapter describes and discusses laboratory and field techniques for studying microbial transport behavior in aquifer materials and model porous media. Changes in ionic strength (I) during transport studies may occur inadvertently as a result of using halides as conservative tracers and may lead to density-induced sinking of the tracer cloud. Substantive increases in I as a result of...
Authors
Ronald W. Harvey, Hauke Harms, Lee L. Landkamer
Biogeochemistry of aquifer systems Biogeochemistry of aquifer systems
Many studies have examined the differences in bacterial numbers, composition, and activity between groundwater and sediment samples. The majority of the literature has suggested higher percentages of attached bacteria than of unattached bacteria in aquifer systems, including in pristine aquifers and in aquifers contaminated with petroleum, creosote, sewage, and landfill leachate. In...
Authors
Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, J.V. Weiss
Monitoring and evaluating trends in sediment and water indicators Monitoring and evaluating trends in sediment and water indicators
No abstract available.
Authors
David P. Krabbenhoft, D.R. Engstrom, C. Gilmour, R. Harris, J.P. Hurley, R.P. Mason
Integrated multi‐scale characterization of ground‐water flow and chemical transport in fractured crystalline rock at the Mirror Lake Site, New Hampshire Integrated multi‐scale characterization of ground‐water flow and chemical transport in fractured crystalline rock at the Mirror Lake Site, New Hampshire
This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Mirror Lake Site Fractures and Geologic Mapping Hydraulic Properties of Fractured Rock From Meters to Kilometers Chemical Migration in Fractured Rock Fracture Controls on Ground‐Water Flow and Chemical Transport at the Mirror Lake Site Summary
Authors
Allen M. Shapiro, Paul A. Hsieh, William C. Burton, Gregory J. Walsh
Toward a transport-based analysis of nutrient spiraling and uptake in streams Toward a transport-based analysis of nutrient spiraling and uptake in streams
Nutrient addition experiments are designed to study the cycling of nutrients in stream ecosystems where hydrologic and nonhydrologic processes determine nutrient fate. Because of the importance of hydrologic processes in stream ecosystems, a conceptual model known as nutrient spiraling is frequently employed. A central part of the nutrient spiraling approach is the determination of...
Authors
Robert L. Runkel
Habitat connectivity and ecosystem productivity: implications from a simple model. Habitat connectivity and ecosystem productivity: implications from a simple model.
The import of resources (food, nutrients) sustains biological production and food webs in resource-limited habitats. Resource export from donor habitats subsidizes production in recipient habitats, but the ecosystem-scale consequences of resource translocation are generally unknown. Here, I use a nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton model to show how dispersive connectivity between a...
Authors
James E. Cloern
Effects of surface-water irrigation on sources, fluxes, and residence times of water, nitrate, and uranium in an alluvial aquifer Effects of surface-water irrigation on sources, fluxes, and residence times of water, nitrate, and uranium in an alluvial aquifer
Effects of surface-water irrigation on an alluvial aquifer were evaluated using chemical and isotopic data including δ2H, δ18O, 3H, δ3He, Ar, Ne, N2, δ15N, and 234U/238U activity ratios in a transect of nested wells in the North Platte River valley in western Nebraska, USA. The data were used to evaluate sources and fluxes of H2O, NO3- and U, all of which were strongly affected by...
Authors
John Karl Bohlke, Ingrid M. Verstraeten, Thomas F. Kraemer
Thioarsenates in geothermal waters of Yellowstone National Park: Determination, preservation, and geochemical importance Thioarsenates in geothermal waters of Yellowstone National Park: Determination, preservation, and geochemical importance
Mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrathioarsenate, as well as methylated arsenic oxy- and thioanions, were determined besides arsenite and arsenate in geothermal waters of Yellowstone National Park using anion-exchange chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Retention time match with synthetic standards, measured S:As ratios, and molecular electrospray mass spectra support the
Authors
B. Planer-Friedrich, J. London, R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, D. Wallschlager