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.
Science and Products
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Seasonal electrical resistivity surveys of a coastal bluff, Barter Island, North Slope Alaska 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...
Authors
Peter W. Swarzenski, Cordell Johnson, Thomas Lorenson, Christopher H. Conaway, Ann E. Gibbs, Li H. Erikson, Bruce M. Richmond, Mark P. Waldrop
Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation
This work examines the performance and limitations of a wet chemical oxidation carbon analyser interfaced with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (WCO-CRDS) in a continuous flow (CF) configuration for measuring δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (δ13C-DOC) in natural water samples. Low-chloride matrix (22.5 µg C/aliquot) may be analysed. The WCO-CRDS approach requires more total carbon (µg C...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas, Nabil Saad, James J. Thordsen, Yousif K. Kharaka
Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA
Beryllium-7 is a powerful and commonly used tracer for environmental processes such as watershed sediment provenance, soil erosion, fluvial and nearshore sediment cycling, and atmospheric fallout. However, few studies have quantified temporal or spatial variability of 7Be accumulation from atmospheric fallout, and parameters that would better define the uses and limitations of this...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Curt D. Storlazzi, Amy E. Draut, Peter W. Swarzenski
The energy-water nexus: Potential groundwater-quality degradation associated with production of shale gas The energy-water nexus: Potential groundwater-quality degradation associated with production of shale gas
Oil and natural gas have been the main sources of primary energy in the USA, providing 63% of the total energy consumption in 2011. Petroleum production, drilling operations, and improperly sealed abandoned wells have caused significant local groundwater contamination in many states, including at the USGS OSPER sites in Oklahoma. The potential for groundwater contamination is higher when...
Authors
Yousif K. Kharaka, James J. Thordsen, Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas
Mercury speciation and transport via submarine groundwater discharge at a southern California coastal lagoon system Mercury speciation and transport via submarine groundwater discharge at a southern California coastal lagoon system
We measured total mercury (HgT) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in coastal groundwater and seawater over a range of tidal conditions near Malibu Lagoon, California, and used 222Rn-derived estimates of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to assess the flux of mercury species to nearshore seawater. We infer a groundwater-seawater mixing scenario based on salinity and...
Authors
P.M. Ganguli, Christopher H. Conaway, Peter W. Swarzenski, J. A. Izbicki, A.R. Flegal
Recent paleorecords document rising mercury contamination in Lake Tanganyika Recent paleorecords document rising mercury contamination in Lake Tanganyika
Recent Lake Tanganyika Hg deposition records were derived using 14C and excess 210Pb geochronometers in sediment cores collected from two contrasting depositional environments: the Kalya Platform, located mid-lake and more removed from watershed impacts, and the Nyasanga/Kahama River delta region, located close to the lake’s shoreline north of Kigoma. At the Kalya Platform area, pre...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Peter W. Swarzenski, A.S. Cohen
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
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
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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 27
Seasonal electrical resistivity surveys of a coastal bluff, Barter Island, North Slope Alaska 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...
Authors
Peter W. Swarzenski, Cordell Johnson, Thomas Lorenson, Christopher H. Conaway, Ann E. Gibbs, Li H. Erikson, Bruce M. Richmond, Mark P. Waldrop
Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation Carbon isotope analysis of dissolved organic carbon in fresh and saline (NaCl) water via continuous flow cavity ring-down spectroscopy following wet chemical oxidation
This work examines the performance and limitations of a wet chemical oxidation carbon analyser interfaced with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (WCO-CRDS) in a continuous flow (CF) configuration for measuring δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (δ13C-DOC) in natural water samples. Low-chloride matrix (22.5 µg C/aliquot) may be analysed. The WCO-CRDS approach requires more total carbon (µg C...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas, Nabil Saad, James J. Thordsen, Yousif K. Kharaka
Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA Short-term variability of 7Be atmospheric deposition and watershed response in a Pacific coastal stream, Monterey Bay, California, USA
Beryllium-7 is a powerful and commonly used tracer for environmental processes such as watershed sediment provenance, soil erosion, fluvial and nearshore sediment cycling, and atmospheric fallout. However, few studies have quantified temporal or spatial variability of 7Be accumulation from atmospheric fallout, and parameters that would better define the uses and limitations of this...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Curt D. Storlazzi, Amy E. Draut, Peter W. Swarzenski
The energy-water nexus: Potential groundwater-quality degradation associated with production of shale gas The energy-water nexus: Potential groundwater-quality degradation associated with production of shale gas
Oil and natural gas have been the main sources of primary energy in the USA, providing 63% of the total energy consumption in 2011. Petroleum production, drilling operations, and improperly sealed abandoned wells have caused significant local groundwater contamination in many states, including at the USGS OSPER sites in Oklahoma. The potential for groundwater contamination is higher when...
Authors
Yousif K. Kharaka, James J. Thordsen, Christopher H. Conaway, Randal B. Thomas
Mercury speciation and transport via submarine groundwater discharge at a southern California coastal lagoon system Mercury speciation and transport via submarine groundwater discharge at a southern California coastal lagoon system
We measured total mercury (HgT) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in coastal groundwater and seawater over a range of tidal conditions near Malibu Lagoon, California, and used 222Rn-derived estimates of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to assess the flux of mercury species to nearshore seawater. We infer a groundwater-seawater mixing scenario based on salinity and...
Authors
P.M. Ganguli, Christopher H. Conaway, Peter W. Swarzenski, J. A. Izbicki, A.R. Flegal
Recent paleorecords document rising mercury contamination in Lake Tanganyika Recent paleorecords document rising mercury contamination in Lake Tanganyika
Recent Lake Tanganyika Hg deposition records were derived using 14C and excess 210Pb geochronometers in sediment cores collected from two contrasting depositional environments: the Kalya Platform, located mid-lake and more removed from watershed impacts, and the Nyasanga/Kahama River delta region, located close to the lake’s shoreline north of Kigoma. At the Kalya Platform area, pre...
Authors
Christopher H. Conaway, Peter W. Swarzenski, A.S. Cohen
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
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
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.