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Christopher Conaway

Christopher Conaway is a Research Chemist in the USGS Water Mission Area Earth System Processes Division, where he conducts research to improve the understanding of environmental aspects of energy resources, climate change, carbon cycling and sequestration, water quality, and subsurface hydrology using geochemical approaches such as the use of isotopic tracers, trace elements, and radioisotopes.

Christopher (Kit) Conaway is a geochemist with the USGS Water Mission Area Earth System Processes Division. His research has focused on the sampling and analysis of produced waters from geologic carbon sequestration studies, geochemical characterization of sediment transport in the coastal zone, the environmental chemistry of mercury in coastal regions, and water quality analysis for samples from areas of mineralized rock, mining activity, and wetlands. His current work focuses principally isotope geochemistry in hydrological and biogeochemical applications.

 

Christopher completed a B.A. degree in English literature at the Ohio State University in 1993, an M.S. in geology at the Ohio State University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology and chemistry at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2003. Prior to his current position at USGS, he was a USGS Mendenhall Scholar at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, and then worked in the USGS National Research Program. 

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Picture of oil and gas development and associated activities along with wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region..

Energy Integrated Science Team

The Energy Lifecycle Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from energy resource activities including, extraction, production, transportation, storage, extraction, waste management and restoration. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Energy Integrated Science Team

The Energy Lifecycle Integrated Science Team focuses on the potential for contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from energy resource activities including, extraction, production, transportation, storage, extraction, waste management and restoration. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are...
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Amargosa Desert Research Site

Amargosa Desert Research Site

In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated zone hydrology at a site in the Amargosa Desert near Beatty, Nevada, as part of the USGS Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program. The site is near disposal trenches for civilian waste.Over the years, USGS investigations at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) have provided long-term "benchmark" information about the hydraulic...
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Nevada Water Science Center
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Amargosa Desert Research Site

In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of unsaturated zone hydrology at a site in the Amargosa Desert near Beatty, Nevada, as part of the USGS Low-Level Radioactive Waste Program. The site is near disposal trenches for civilian waste.Over the years, USGS investigations at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) have provided long-term "benchmark" information about the hydraulic...
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Geochemistry of surface sediment and sediment cores in Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, in February 2020

Geochemical data are reported for surface sediments and long sediment cores from Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, collected in early February 2020 after flood conditions on the Nooksack River. Data include total organic carbon content (TOC), carbonate content (CaCO3), ratios of stable carbon 13/12 isotopes (d13C), ratios of total carbon to total nitrogen (C:N), short-lived cosmogenic ra
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in north San Francisco Bay, Napa River, and Sonoma Creek in 2018 and 2019

Sediment grain-size distributions, stable carbon isotope ratios (d13C), total carbon to total nitrogen ratios (C:N), short-lived radionuclides (Beryllium-7, Cesium-137, and Lead-210), concentrations of 76 parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and concentrations of 33 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were measured in the northern reach of San Francisco Bay (San Pabl
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Chemical characterization of water and suspended sediment of the Snake River and Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) (ver. 2.0, November 2022)

This dataset includes laboratory analyses of surface water samples and sediment trap material collected from (1) locations upstream, downstream, and within the Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) of the Snake River, (2) tributaries of the Snake River, and (3) two reservoirs near Boise, Idaho, from 2014 to 2021. The study area spans approximately 232 river miles of the Snake River and includes: tw
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Idaho Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Microbial Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence

This data release includes all of the data presented in the peer-reviewed publication "Life at the frozen limit: Microbial Carbon Metabolism Across a Late Pleistocene Permafrost Chronosequence". We collected permafrost from a Pleistocene chronosequence (19 ka to 33 ka) to examine (1) changes in the functional genetic potential of extant microbial communities to metabolize polysaccharides, (2) shif
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Sediment Mercury Profile, Laguna de Pozuelos, Argentine Northwest

The data represent a shallow mercury chronology using sediment core from a playa lake system situated in a high-altitude setting in northwest Argentina. Archive samples were used from sediment core (LP07-1A) that was collected from a location (lat -22.362100, lon -66.003600) in the center of the playa-lake Laguna de Pozuelos in the dry season of 2007, when the water level was 2 to 3 cm. The sample
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Water Resources Mission Area

Permafrost Mapping in Two Wetland Systems North of the Tanana River in Interior Alaska 2014

Surface-based 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were used to investigate the distribution of permafrost at wetland sites on the alluvial plain north of the Tanana River, 20 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and September 2014. The sites contained habitat types characteristic of interior Alaska, including thermokarst bog, forested permafrost plateau, and a rich fen. These
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Water Resources Mission Area

Data for Biogeochemical and Physical Processes Controlling Mercury Methylation and Bioaccumulation in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona

This dataset includes the field measurements and laboratory analyses of surface water, seston, and sediment collected from Lake Powell, within Glen Canyon National Recreation area (GLCA), during high flow (May-June 2014) and low flow (August 2015) conditions. The study area includes 12-13 sampling sites that follow a transect spanning the entire length of the reservoir from the Colorado River infl
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Water Resources Mission Area
Filter Total Items: 20

Mechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem

Though primary sources of carbon (C) to soil are plant inputs (e.g., rhizodeposits), the role of microorganisms as mediators of soil organic carbon (SOC) retention is increasingly recognized. Yet, insufficient knowledge of sub-soil processes complicates attempts to describe microbial-driven C cycling at depth as most studies of microbial-mineral-C interactions focus on surface horizons. We leverag
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Jack McFarland, Corey Lawrence, Courtney Creamer, Marjorie S. Schulz, Christopher H. Conaway, Sara Peek, Mark Waldrop, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Monica Haw
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Volcano Hazards Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Volcano Science Center

Permafrost mapping with electrical resistivity tomography in two wetland systems north of the Tanana River, Interior Alaska

Surface-based 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys were used to characterize permafrost distribution at wetland sites on the alluvial plain north of the Tanana River, 20 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and September 2014. The sites were part of an ecologically-sensitive research area characterizing biogeochemical response of this region to warming and permafrost thaw, and
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Christopher H. Conaway, Cordell Johnson, Thomas Lorenson, Merritt R. Turetsky, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Mark Waldrop, Peter W. Swarzenski
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Water Resources Mission Area

Life at the frozen limit: Microbial carbon metabolism across a Late Pleistocene permafrost chronosequence

Permafrost is an extreme habitat yet it hosts microbial populations that remain active over millennia. Using permafrost collected from a Pleistocene chronosequence (19 to 33 ka), we hypothesized that the functional genetic potential of microbial communities in permafrost would reflect microbial strategies to metabolize permafrost soluble organic matter (OM) in situ over geologic time. We also hypo
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Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Renaud Berlemont, David C. Podgorski, Archana Srinivas, Phoebe Zito, Robert G. M. Spencer, Jack McFarland, Thomas A. Douglas, Christopher H. Conaway, Mark Waldrop, Rachel Mackelprang
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Climate Research and Development Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Chemical composition of formation water in shale and tight reservoirs: A basin-scale perspective

No abstract available.
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Yousif Kharaka, Kathleen Gans, Elisabeth Rowan, James Thordsen, Christopher H. Conaway, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A. Engle
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Spatial fingerprinting of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds in an arid unsaturated zone

Subsurface volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pose risks to human and environmental health and mediate biological processes. VOCs have both anthropogenic and biogenic origins, but the relative importance of these sources has not been explored in subsurface environments. This study synthesizes 17 years of VOC data from the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) with the goal of improving understan
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Christopher Green, Wentai Luo, Christopher H. Conaway, Karl B. Haase, Ronald J. Baker, Brian J. Andraski
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Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology

Biogeochemical and physical processes controlling mercury methylation and bioaccumulation in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona, 2014 and 2015

Mercury monitoring results from about 300 Morone saxatilis (striped bass) muscle tissue samples collected by the State of Utah from Lake Powell resulted in a Utah/Arizona fish consumption advisory issued in 2012 for approximately the lower 100 kilometers of the reservoir. Chemical, physical, and biological data were collected during two synoptic sampling cruises on Lake Powell during May/June 2014
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David L. Naftz, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, David P. Krabbenhoft, George Aiken, Eric S. Boyd, Christopher H. Conaway, Jacob M. Ogorek, Gregory M. Anderson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Unsaturated zone CO2, CH4, and δ13C-CO2 at an arid region low-level radioactive waste disposal site

Elevated tritium, radiocarbon, Hg, and volatile organic compounds associated with low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) have stimulated research on factors and processes that affect contaminant gas distribution and transport. Consequently, we examined the sources, mixing, and biogeochemistry of CO2 and CH4, two additional important species in the unsat
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Christopher H. Conaway, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Randall B. Thomas, Christopher Green, R.J. Baker, James J. Thordsen, David A. Stonestrom, Brian J. Andraski
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Water Resources Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology

A regime shift in sediment export from a coastal watershed during a record wet winter, California: Implications for landscape response to hydroclimatic extremes

Small, steep watersheds are prolific sediment sources from which sediment flux is highly sensitive to climatic changes. Storm intensity and frequency are widely expected to increase during the 21st century, and so assessing the response of small, steep watersheds to extreme rainfall is essential to understanding landscape response to climate change. During record winter rainfall in 2016–2017, the
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Amy E. East, Andrew W. Stevens, Andrew C. Ritchie, Patrick L. Barnard, Pamela L. Campbell‐Swarzenski, Brian D. Collins, Christopher H. Conaway
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Organic Geochemistry Laboratory

Microbial survival strategies in ancient permafrost: insights from metagenomics

In permafrost (perennially frozen ground) microbes survive oligotrophic conditions, sub-zero temperatures, low water availability and high salinity over millennia. Viable life exists in permafrost tens of thousands of years old but we know little about the metabolic and physiological adaptations to the challenges presented by life in frozen ground over geologic time. In this study we asked whether
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Rachel Mackelprang, Alexander Burkert, Monica Haw, Tara Mahendrarajah, Christopher H. Conaway, Thomas A. Douglas, Mark P. Waldrop
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Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Comparison of geochemical data obtained using four brine sampling methods at the SECARB Phase III Anthropogenic Test CO2 injection site, Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama

The chemical composition of formation water and associated gases from the lower Cretaceous Paluxy Formation was determined using four different sampling methods at a characterization well in the Citronelle Oil Field, Alabama, as part of the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) Phase III Anthropogenic Test, which is an integrated carbon capture and storage project. In this s
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Christopher Conaway, James J. Thordsen, Michael A. Manning, Paul J. Cook, Robert C. Trautz, Burt Thomas, Yousif K. Kharaka
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Water Resources Mission Area

Hydrologic controls on nitrogen cycling processes and functional gene abundance in sediments of a groundwater flow-through lake

The fate and transport of inorganic nitrogen (N) is a critically important issue for human and aquatic ecosystem health because discharging N-contaminated groundwater can foul drinking water and cause algal blooms. Factors controlling N-processing were examined in sediments at three sites with contrasting hydrologic regimes at a lake on Cape Cod, MA. These factors included water chemistry, seepage
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Deborah L. Stoliker, Deborah A. Repert, Richard L. Smith, Bongkeun Song, Denis R. LeBlanc, Timothy D. McCobb, Christopher Conaway, Sung Pil Hyun, Dong-Chan Koh, Hee Sun Moon, Douglas B. Kent
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, New England Water Science Center

Seasonal electrical resistivity surveys of a coastal bluff, Barter Island, North Slope Alaska

Select coastal regions of the North Slope of Alaska are experiencing high erosion rates that can be attributed in part to recent warming trends and associated increased storm intensity and frequency. The upper sediment column of the coastal North Slope of Alaska can be described as continuous permafrost underlying a thin (typically less than 1–2 m) active layer that responds variably to seasonal t
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Peter W. Swarzenski, Cordell Johnson, Thomas Lorenson, Christopher H. Conaway, Ann E. Gibbs, Li H. Erikson, Bruce M. Richmond, Mark P. Waldrop
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Flegal, A.R., Gallon, C., Ganguli, P.M., and Conaway, C.H. (2013) All the Lead in China. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 43: 1869–1944
Gallon, C, Ranville, M.A., Conaway, C.H., Landing, W., Buck, C., Morton, P., and Flegal, A.R. (2011) Asian industrial lead inputs to the North Pacific evidenced by lead concentrations and isotopic compositions in surface waters and aerosols. Environmental Science & Technology 45(23):9874–9882
Conaway, C.H., Black, F.J., Weiss-Penzias, P., Gault-Ringold, M., and Flegal, A.R. (2010) Mercury speciation in Pacific coastal rainwater, Monterey Bay, California. Atmospheric Environment 44(14): 1788–1797
Black, F.J., Conaway, C.H., and Flegal, A.R. (2009) Stability of dimethyl mercury in seawater and its conversion to monomethyl mercury. Environmental Science & Technology 43(11): 4056–4062
Conaway, C.H., Black, F.J., Gault-Ringold, M., Pennington, J.T., Chavez, F.P., and Flegal, A.R. (2009) Dimethylmercury in coastal upwelling waters, Monterey Bay, California. Environmental Science & Technology 43(5): 1305–1309
N. David, L.J. McKee, F.J. Black, A.R. Flegal, C.H. Conaway, D.H. Schoellhamer, N.K. Ganju
2009, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (28) 2091–2100
Conaway, C.H., Black, F.J., Grieb, T.M, Roy, S., and Flegal, A.R. (2008) Mercury in the San Francisco Estuary. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 194: 29–54
Conaway, C.H., Ross, J.R.M., Looker, R., Mason, R.P., and Flegal, A.R. (2007) Decadal mercury trends in San Francisco Estuary sediments. Environmental Research 105(1): 53–66
Conaway, C.H., Pride D.E., Faure, G., and Tettenhorst, R.T. (2005) Mineralogical and geochemical investigation of sediment in the Snake River arm of the Dillon Reservoir, Summit County, Colorado. Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 10: 235–242
Conaway, C.H., Mason, R.P., Steding, D.J., and Flegal, A.R. (2005) Estimate of mercury emission from gasoline and diesel fuel consumption, San Francisco Bay area, California. Atmospheric Environment 39(1): 101–105
Flegal, A.R., Conaway, C.H., Scelfo, G.M., Hibdon, S., Sañudo-Wilhelmy, S.A. (2005) Factors influencing measurements of decadal variations in metal contamination in San Francisco Bay, California. Ecotoxicolgy 14(6): 645–660
Conaway, C.H., Watson, E. Flanders, J.R., and Flegal, A.R. (2004) Mercury deposition in a tidal marsh of south San Francisco Bay downstream of the historic New Almaden mining district, California. Marine Chemistry 90(1–4): 175–184
Conaway, C.H., Squire, S., Mason, R.P., and Flegal, A.R. (2003) Mercury speciation in the San Francisco Bay estuary. Marine Chemistry 80: 199–225
M.A. Thomas, C.H. Conaway, D.J. Steding, M. Marvin-DiPasquale, K. E. Abu-Saba, A.R. Flegal
2002, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (2) 211–217

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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Mercury Concentrations in Lake Powell Higher in Side Canyons

Mercury concentrations within Lake Powell are highest in side canyons within the lower portion of the reservoir, according to a new U.S. Geological...

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Groundwater Sampling Method Key to Monitoring Success of Carbon Sequestration

TECHNICAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Monitoring, verification and accounting are key parts to demonstrating the feasibility or success of integrated carbon capture...

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Nitrogen in Lakes Connected to Groundwater

A recent scientific study shows new, important information about how groundwater cannot only contribute nutrients such as nitrogen to lakes, but can...

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