Austin K Baldwin
Biography
Austin Baldwin is a Hydrologist with the Idaho Water Science Center in Boise, Idaho. His research focuses on field-based studies of contaminants in surface water and sediment, including organic compounds, mercury and other metals, and microplastics. His work specifically focuses on (1) investigations into the sources, transport, and fate of contaminants, (2) processes driving contaminant partitioning among environmental compartments and transformation to more bioavailable forms, and (3) potential adverse effects of contaminants on ecosystem health. Through each of these research themes, he aims to inform management decisions to improve ecosystem health.
EDUCATION
M.S. Structural Geology, 2005, University of Texas at Austin
B.S. Geological Sciences, 2001, University of Texas at Austin
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- American Water Resources Association (AWRA)
- Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Hydrologist, USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center, Middleton, WI, Janury 2007 – May 2016
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Organic contaminants in aquatic environments; mercury in aquatic environments; aquatic toxicity; microplastic sources, transport, fate, and biological uptake; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon source identification.
Science and Products
Occurrence and Potential Risk of Microplastics in Lake Mead and the Delaware River
There is mounting evidence that microplastics present a significant threat to aquatic organisms. Microplastics – defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter – come from many different sources, including synthetic textiles, industrial waste products, personal care products, and the breakdown of litter, car tires, and other objects. This study will assess the occurrence of...
Mercury Cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex
The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) is the largest privately owned hydroelectric power complex in the United States. Upstream are millions of acres of irrigated agricultural lands and Idaho’s largest metropolitan area clustered around the state capital Boise. Downstream lie confluences with the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, critical habitat for threatened bull trout and fall chinook salmon.
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Trace Elements in Streams Near the Stibnite Mining Area
Mining of stibnite (antimony sulfide), tungsten, gold, silver, and mercury near the town of Stibnite in central Idaho has left a legacy of trace element contamination in the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River (EFSFSR) and its tributaries. Concentrations of arsenic, antimony, and mercury frequently exceed human health criteria and may impact threatened or endangered salmonid...
Microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 2017-2018: U.S. Geological Survey data release
This dataset describes the quantity and morphology of microplastics in water, surficial sediment, sediment core, fish, and shellfish samples from Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Nevada/Arizona). Water and surficial sediment samples were collected once at 9 locations. A sediment core (33 cm long) was extracted from Las Vegas Bay to assess changes in microplastic deposition ov
Microplastics in the water column and sediment in Milwaukee-Area streams, the Milwaukee Harbor, and Lake Michigan, 2016
This dataset describes the quantity, morphology, and polymer identity of microplastics in the water column and surficial sediments of Milwaukee-Area streams, the Milwaukee Harbor, and Lake Michigan (Wisconsin). Water samples were collected at 10 locations, 2-4 times each, from May to September, 2016. At the 4 shallowest locations, water was collected only at the water surface.
Water, Soil, Rock, and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2015-2017
Water and sediment samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at or near baseflow conditions from 2015-2017 in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed near Yellow Pine, Valley County, Idaho. Soil, rock and tailings samples were collected in June 2015. Sampling focused on Cinnabar Creek, which flows through the
Regression models and associated data for describing variability of host specific bacteria fluxes in eight Great Lakes tributaries, 2011-2013
Three regression models were developed for describing variability of host-specific flux data in eight Great Lakes tributaries. Models include one for Lachnospiraceae flux, one for human bacteroides flux, and one for ruminant bacteroides flux. Models were developed using the R project for statistical computing with core functionality and the survival, smwrBase, and smwrQW packages. Predict
Data release for microplastics in water, sediment, fish, and mussels in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2015
This dataset describes the concentration and morphology of microplastics in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Samples were collected during baseflow conditions at eight locations during the week of August 3-7, 2015. Four types of samples were collected: water surface, streambed sediment, smallmouth bass %2
Human-associated indicator bacteria and human specific virus loads, sample volumes, and drainage areas for six Menomonee River Watershed sampling locations, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2009 to 2011
Human-associated indicator bacteria and human specific viruses in the Menomonee River watershed in Milwaukee, WI were investigated from April 2009 to March 2011 at six sampling locations within the watershed using genetic markers to assess the amount of waterborne pathogen contamination. We used concentration and water volume data from runoff-event and low-flow periods to compute human virus...
Microplastics in 29 Great Lakes tributaries (2014-15)
This dataset describes the quantity and morphology of floating microplastics in 29 Great Lakes tributaries in 6 states. Samples were collected in spring 2014 – spring 2015. Each tributary was sampled three to four times, capturing low-flow and runoff-event conditions.
Identifying chemicals and mixtures of potential biological concern detected in passive samplers from Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput data and biological pathways
Waterborne contaminants were monitored in 69 tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes in 2010 and 2014 using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). A risk-based screening approach was used to prioritize chemicals and chemical mixtures, identify sites at greatest risk for biological impacts...
Alvarez, David; Corsi, Steven R.; DeCicco, Laura A.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Baldwin, Austin K.
Microplastics in the Delaware River, northeastern United States
Microplastics are a contaminant of increasing concern in aquatic environments. Our understanding of microplastics in freshwater environments has increased dramatically over the past decade, but we still lack information on microplastic occurrence and biological uptake in National Park Service (NPS) waters. During 2015–19, the U.S. Geological...
Baldwin, Austin K.; Spanjer, Andrew R.; Hayhurst, Brett; Hamilton, Donald Effect of organic matter concentration and characteristics on mercury mobilization and methylmercury production at an abandoned mine site
Thousands of abandoned mines throughout the western region of North America contain elevated total-mercury (THg) concentrations. Mercury is mobilized from these sites primarily due to erosion of particulate-bound Hg (THg-P). Organic matter-based soil amendments can promote vegetation growth on mine tailings, reducing erosion and subsequent loading...
Eckley, Chris S.; Luxton, Todd P.; Stanfield, Brooks; Baldwin, Austin K.; Holloway, JoAnn; McKernan, John; Johnson, Mark Seasonal dynamics and interannual variability in mercury concentrations and loads through a three-reservoir complex
The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) along the Snake River (Idaho-Oregon border, USA) encompasses three successive reservoirs that seasonally stratify, creating anoxic conditions in the hypolimnion that promote methylmercury (MeHg) production. This study quantified seasonal dynamics and interannual variability in mercury concentrations (inorganic...
Baldwin, Austin K.; Poulin, Brett; Naymik, Jesse; Hoovestol, Charles; Clark, Gregory M.; Krabbenhoft, David P. Primary sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to streambed sediment in Great Lakes tributaries using multiple lines of evidence
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most widespread and potentially toxic contaminants in Great Lakes (USA/Canada) tributaries. The sources of PAHs are numerous and diverse, and identifying the primary source(s) can be difficult. The present study used multiple lines of evidence to determine the likely sources of PAHs to...
Baldwin, Austin K.; Corsi, Steven R.; Oliver, Samantha; Lenaker, Peter L.; Nott, Michelle A.; Mills, Marc A.; Norris, Gary A.; Paatero, Pentti Microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, USA: Occurrence and biological uptake
Microplastics are an environmental contaminant of growing concern, but there is a lack of information about microplastic distribution, persistence, availability, and biological uptake in freshwater systems. This is especially true for large river systems like the Colorado River that spans multiple states through mostly rural and agricultural land...
Baldwin, Austin K.; Spanjer, Andrew; Rosen, Michael R.; Thom, Theresa Vertical distribution of microplastics in the water column and surficial sediment from the Milwaukee River basin to Lake Michigan
Microplastic contamination was studied along a freshwater continuum from inland streams to the Milwaukee River estuary to Lake Michigan, and vertically from the water surface, water subsurface and sediment. Microplastics were detected in all 96 water samples and nine sediment samples collected. Results indicated a gradient of polymer presence with...
Lenaker, Peter L.; Baldwin, Austin K.; Corsi, Steven R.; Mason, Sherri A.; Reneau, Paul; Scott, John W Prioritizing chemicals of ecological concern in Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput screening data and adverse outcome pathways
Chemical monitoring data were collected in surface waters from 57 Great Lakes tributaries from 2010-13 to identify chemicals of potential biological relevance and sites at which these chemicals occur. Traditional water-quality benchmarks for aquatic life based on in vivo toxicity data were available for 34 of 67 evaluated chemicals. To expand...
Corsi, Steven R.; DeCicco, Laura A.; Daniel Villeneuve; Brett Blackwell; Kellie Fay; Gerald Ankley; Baldwin, Austin K.
Arsenic, antimony, mercury, and water temperature in streams near Stibnite mining area, central Idaho, 2011–17
Mineralization and historical mining of stibnite (antimony sulfide), tungsten, gold, silver, and mercury in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River (EFSFSR) near the former town of Stibnite in central Idaho resulted in water-quality impairments related to mercury, antimony, and arsenic. Additionally, mining-related...
Baldwin, Austin K.; Etheridge, Alexandra B.
It is raining plastic
Atmospheric deposition samples were collected using the National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) at 6 sites in the Denver-Boulder urban corridor and 2 adjacent sites in the Colorado Front Range. Weekly wet-only atmospheric deposition samples collected at these sites during winter-summer of 2017 were filtered (0...
Wetherbee, Gregory A.; Baldwin, Austin K.; Ranville, James F. Human-associated indicator bacteria and human-specific viruses in surface water: a spatial assessment with implications on fate and transport
Hydrologic, seasonal, and spatial variability of sewage contamination was studied at six locations within a watershed upstream from water reclamation facility (WRF) effluent to define relative loadings of sewage from different portions of the watershed. Fecal pollution from human sources was spatially quantified by measuring two human-associated...
Lenaker, Peter L.; Corsi, Steven R.; McLellan, Sandra L.; Borchardt, Mark A.; Olds, Hayley T.; Dila, Deborah K.; Spencer, Susan K.; Baldwin, Austin K. Patterns of host-associated fecal indicators driven by hydrology, precipitation, and land use attributes in Great Lakes watersheds
Fecal contamination from sewage and agricultural runoff is a pervasive problem in Great Lakes watersheds. Most work examining fecal pollution loads relies on discrete samples of fecal indicators and modeling land use. In this study, we made empirical measurements of human and ruminant-associated fecal indicator bacteria and combined these with...
Dila, Deborah K.; Corsi, Steven R.; Lenaker, Peter L.; Baldwin, Austin K.; Bootsma, Melinda J.; McLellan, Sandra L.
Coal-Tar-Sealant a Major Source of PAH Contamination in Milwaukee Streams
Presenting preliminary microplastics results to the White House
On Feb. 18, 2016, WI WSC scientist Austin Baldwin presented preliminary findings on microplastics in Great Lakes tributaries to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality. This study sampled the quantity and particle types of floating microplastics in 29 tributaries in 6 states.