Aida Farag, PhD
Dr. Aїda Farag is the Project Leader at the Columbia Environmental Research Center’s, Jackson Field Research Station.
She focuses on 3 research areas: 1) The potential effects of oil and gas activities on aquatic life and is the Co-Lead for the Environmental Health Mission Area – Energy Project. This project includes 35 researchers and 65 external partners from universities, state agencies, and other federal agencies focusing research on source mobility, pathways to the environment, resilience/restoration, and beneficial reuse. 2) Restoration of Contaminated and Impaired Ecosystems. Dr. Farag convened an international workshop in 2014 and continues to advance the science of putting restoration goals upfront. 3) Fish physiology to complement toxicological investigations and Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration assistance. She uses a multifaceted approach to define not only changes at the level of the individual fish but to relate those changes to population structures in the field.
Professional Experience
2000 - present Research Fishery Biologist, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Project Leader, Jackson Field Research Station, Jackson, Wyoming.
1994 - 2000 Research Fishery Biologist, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Assistant Project Leader Jackson Field Research Station, Jackson, Wyoming.
1994 - 2000 Research Fishery Biologist, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Assistant Project Leader Jackson Field Research Station, Jackson, Wyoming.
1994 - 1994 Post-doctoral Research Associate, Wyoming Cooperative Research Unit.
1988 - 1993 Research Associate and PhD candidate, University Wyoming, Dept. of Zoology and Physiology.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 1993. U.S. Department of Energy Fellowship
M.S. Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 1988.
B.S. Environmental Health Management; Indiana University, Bloomington, 1981.
Affiliations and Memberships*
1985 - present, Member of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
1998 - present, Adjunct Faculty, University of Wyoming, Department of Zoology and Physiology.
2004 - present, Member of the Society of Ecological Restoration
2007 - present, Member Editorial Board Restoration Ecology, an international journal.
2011 - 2015, Member Board of Directors, Society of Restoration Ecology
2011 - 2015, Member Science and Policy Committee, Society of Ecological Restoration
2016 - present, Science Team about Energy and Plains and Potholes (STEPPE)
2019 - present, Bakken Federal Executive Group – Natural Resources Subcommittee (BFEG)
2020 - present, Research Associate Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative
2020 - present, Plant Interest Group Steering Committee, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Science and Products
Mining impacts on fish in the Clark Fork River, Montana: A field ecotoxicology case study
Effects of acclimation on the toxicity of stream water contaminated with zinc and cadmium to juvenile cutthroat trout
Concentrations of metals in water, sediment, biofilm, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, and the role of colloids in metal uptake
Influence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
The effect of chronic chromium exposure on the health of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
The potential for chromium to affect the fertilization process of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, Washington, USA
Biomonitoring in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, USA: metal concentrations in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and relations with macroinvertebrate assemblage
Leachability of protein and metals incorporated into aquatic invertebrates: are species and metals-exposure history important?
Does biofilm contribute to diel cycling of Zn in High Ore Creek, Montana?
Winter habitat use by cutthroat trout in the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data, for streams in the upper Prickly Pear Creek watershed, Montana, 2001
Characterizing aquatic health using salmonid mortality, physiology, and biomass estimates in streams with elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana
Science and Products
- Science
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Filter Total Items: 52
Mining impacts on fish in the Clark Fork River, Montana: A field ecotoxicology case study
No abstract available.AuthorsSamuel N. Luoma, Johnnie N Moore, Aida Farag, Tracy H. Hillman, Daniel J. Cain, Michelle I. HornbergerEffects of acclimation on the toxicity of stream water contaminated with zinc and cadmium to juvenile cutthroat trout
We investigated the influence of acclimation on results of in situ bioassays with cutthroat trout in metal-contaminated streams. Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) were held for 21 days (1) in live containers at a reference or "clean" site having dissolved metals near detection limits (0.01 ??g/L cadmium [Cd] and 2.8 ??g/L zinc [Zn]; hardness 32 mg/L as CaCO3) and (2) at a site in a mining-impaAuthorsD.D. Harper, A.M. Farag, W. G. BrumbaughConcentrations of metals in water, sediment, biofilm, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, and the role of colloids in metal uptake
To characterize the partitioning of metals in a stream ecosystem, concentrations of trace metals including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured in water, colloids, sediment, biofilm (also referred to as aufwuchs), macroinvertebrates, and fish collected from the Boulder River watershed, Montana. Median concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in water throughout the watershed exceeded the U.S. EPA acute anAuthorsAida Farag, David A. Nimick, Briant A. Kimball, Stanley E. Church, David D. Harper, William G. BrumbaughInfluence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
Extrapolating results of laboratory bioassays to streams is difficult, because conditions such as temperature and dissolved metal concentrations can change substantially on diel time scales. Field bioassays conducted for 96 h in two mining‐affected streams compared the survival of hatchery‐raised, metal‐näive westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) exposed to dissolved (0.1‐μm filtrAuthorsDavid A. Nimick, David D. Harper, Aida Farag, Tom Cleasby, Elizabeth MacConnell, D. SkaarThe effect of chronic chromium exposure on the health of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
This study was designed to determine fish health impairment of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) exposed to chromium. Juvenile Chinook salmon were exposed to aqueous chromium concentrations (0–266 μg l−1) that have been documented in porewater from bottom sediments and in well waters near salmon spawning areas in the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. After Chinook salmon paAuthorsA.M. Farag, T. May, G.D. Marty, M. Easton, D.D. Harper, E. E. Little, L. ClevelandThe potential for chromium to affect the fertilization process of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, Washington, USA
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation in south central Washington was claimed by the federal government as a site for the production of plutonium. During the course of production and operation of the facilities at Hanford, radionuclides and chromium were discharged directly into the river and also contaminated the groundwater. This study was designed to assess the effects of chromium (Cr) on Chinook salAuthorsA.M. Farag, D.D. Harper, L. Cleveland, W. G. Brumbaugh, E. E. LittleBiomonitoring in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, USA: metal concentrations in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and relations with macroinvertebrate assemblage
Portions of the Boulder River watershed contain elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in water, sediment, and biota. We measured concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and assessed macroinvertebrate assemblage and aquatic habitat with the objective of monitoring planned remediation efforts. Concentrations of metals were generally hAuthorsD.T. Rhea, D.D. Harper, A.M. Farag, W. G. BrumbaughLeachability of protein and metals incorporated into aquatic invertebrates: are species and metals-exposure history important?
To partially simulate conditions in fish intestinal tracts, we leached six groups of metals-contaminated invertebrates at pH 2 and pH 7, and analyzed the concentrations of four metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and total protein in the leachates. Four of the groups of invertebrates were benthic macroinvertebrates collected from metals-contaminated rivers (the Clark Fork River in Montana and the Coeur d’AuthorsJ.S. Meyer, M.J. Suedkamp, J.M. Morris, A.M. FaragDoes biofilm contribute to diel cycling of Zn in High Ore Creek, Montana?
Concentrations of metals cycle daily in the water column of some mining-impacted streams in the Rocky Mountains of the western USA. We hypothesized that biofilm in High Ore Creek, Montana, USA, sorbs and releases Zn on a diel cycle, and this uptake-and-release cycle controls the total and dissolved (0.45-μm filtered) Zn concentrations. We collected water samples from three sites (upstream, middleAuthorsJ.M. Morris, D. A. Nimick, A.M. Farag, J.S. MeyerWinter habitat use by cutthroat trout in the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming
Winter habitat use by Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri was monitored with radiotelemetry during November-March 1998-2001 in channelized and unaltered sections of the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming. The use of run and off-channel pool habitat was significantly correlated to water temperature; run use was most frequent when mean water temperature exceeded 1.0°C, and off-chAuthorsD.D. Harper, A.M. FaragWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data, for streams in the upper Prickly Pear Creek watershed, Montana, 2001
The upper Prickly Pear Creek watershed encompasses the upstream 15 miles of Prickly Pear Creek, south of Helena, Montana (fig. 1). The headwaters of Prickly Pear Creek and its tributaries (Beavertown Creek, Clancy Creek, Dutchman Creek, Golconda Creek, Lump Gulch, Spring Creek, and Warm Springs Creek) are primarily in the Helena National Forest, whereas the central part of the watershed primarilyAuthorsTerry L. Klein, Joanna N. Thamke, David D. Harper, Aïda M. Farag, David A. Nimick, David L. FeyCharacterizing aquatic health using salmonid mortality, physiology, and biomass estimates in streams with elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana
Abandoned tailings and mine adits are located throughout the Boulder River watershed in Montana. In this watershed, all species of fish are absent from some tributary reaches near mine sources; however, populations of brook trout Salvelinus fontitalis, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, and cut-throat trout O. clarki are found further downstream. Multiple methods must be used to investigate the efAuthorsAïda M. Farag, Don Skaar, David A. Nimick, Elizabeth MacConnell, Christer Hogstrand
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government