Christopher Fuller
Christopher Fuller is a Emeritus Scientist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. His research characterizes processes and mechanisms of metal sorption reactions through field studies and lab experiments to better understand the metal transport and natural attenuation in mine contaminated systems and to better understand geochemical processes affecting bioavailability of metal contaminants to aquatic organisms.
Professional societies/affiliations/committees/editorial boards
American Geophysical Union
American Chemical Society
Geochemical Society
Professional Experience
Professional Studies/Experience
2019 - current: Scientist Emeritus
2018 - 2019: Research Hydrologist (Geochemistry), Hydrological-Ecological Interactions Branch, Earth Surface Processes Division, Water Mission Area, U.S. Geological Survey
1982 - 2017: Research Hydrologist (Geochemistry), National Research Program, Western Region, U.S. Geological Survey
1976 - 1982: Research Technician, Unversity of Southern California
Education and Certifications
Education
1976: BS Chemistry, SUNY Oswego
1982: MS Geology, emphasis in Marine Geochemistry, University of Southern California
Honors and Awards
Honors, awards, recognition, elected offices
May 1996: Editors Citation for Excellence in Manuscript Review for the Soil Science Society of America Journal
May 2003. STAR award for instrumental role in developing cooperative project with BLM at the Fry Canyon permeable reactive barrier demonstration site.
November 2006 Superior Service Award
October 2007. STAR award “Chris has done an outstanding job in age dating over 90 lake sediment cores collected from Great Salt Lake in a very short time frame to accommodate a Utah Water Science Center cooperator. This work was published in Applied Geochemistry.
June 2014 Superior Service Award
Science and Products
Novel and non-traditional use of stable isotope tracers to study metal bioavailability from natural particles
Mercury-contaminated hydraulic mining debris in San Francisco Bay
Transport and sources of suspended sediment in the Mill Creek Watershed, Johnson County, Northeast Kansas, 2006-07
Structural characterization of terrestrial microbial Mn oxides from Pinal Creek, AZ
Dual-core mass-balance approach for evaluating mercury and210Pb atmospheric fallout and focusing to lakes
Estimating selenium removal by sedimentation from the Great Salt Lake, Utah
Bottom-Sediment Accumulation and Quality in Shawnee Mission Lake, Johnson County, Kansas, 2006
Wetland succession in a permafrost collapse: Interactions between fire and thermokarst
Chemical constituents in sediment in Lake Pontchartrain and in street mud and canal sediment in New Orleans, Louisiana, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005
Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the chemistry of bottom sediments in Lake Pontchartrain, La.
Dust emission from wet and dry playas in the Mojave Desert, USA
Reconstructing sediment age profiles from historical bathymetry changes in San Pablo Bay, California
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 83
Novel and non-traditional use of stable isotope tracers to study metal bioavailability from natural particles
We devised a novel tracing approach that involves enriching test organisms with a stable metal isotope of low natural abundance prior to characterizing metal bioavailability from natural inorganic particles. In addition to circumventing uncertainties associated with labeling natural particles and distinguishing background metals, the proposed "reverse labeling" technique overcomes many drawbacks iAuthorsMarie-Noële Croteau, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. FullerMercury-contaminated hydraulic mining debris in San Francisco Bay
The hydraulic gold-mining process used during the California Gold Rush and in many developing countries today contributes enormous amounts of sediment to rivers and streams. Commonly, accompanying this sediment are contaminants such as elemental mercury and cyanide used in the gold extraction process. We show that some of the mercurycontaminated sediment created by hydraulic gold mining in the SieAuthorsRobin M. Bouse, Christopher C. Fuller, Samuel N. Luoma, Michelle I. Hornberger, Bruce E. Jaffe, Richard E. SmithTransport and sources of suspended sediment in the Mill Creek Watershed, Johnson County, Northeast Kansas, 2006-07
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program, evaluated suspended-sediment transport and sources in the urbanizing, 57.4 mi2 Mill Creek watershed from February 2006 through June 2007. Sediment transport and sources were assessed spatially by continuous monitoring of streamflow and turbidity as well as sampling of suspended sediment at nine sitesAuthorsCasey J. Lee, Patrick P. Rasmussen, Andrew C. Ziegler, Christopher C. FullerStructural characterization of terrestrial microbial Mn oxides from Pinal Creek, AZ
The microbial catalysis of Mn(II) oxidation is believed to be a dominant source of abundant sorption- and redox-active Mn oxides in marine, freshwater, and subsurface aquatic environments. In spite of their importance, environmental oxides of known biogenic origin have generally not been characterized in detail from a structural perspective. Hyporheic zone Mn oxide grain coatings at Pinal Creek, AAuthorsJ.R. Bargar, C. C. Fuller, M.A. Marcus, A.J. Brearley, M. Perez De la Rosa, S.M. Webb, W.A. CaldwellDual-core mass-balance approach for evaluating mercury and210Pb atmospheric fallout and focusing to lakes
Determining atmospheric deposition rates of mercury and other contaminants using lake sediment cores requires a quantitative understanding of sediment focusing. Here we present a novel approach that solves mass-balance equations for two cores algebraically to estimate contaminant contributions to sediment from direct atmospheric fallout and from watershed and in-lake focusing. The model is appliedAuthorsP. C. Van Metre, C. C. FullerEstimating selenium removal by sedimentation from the Great Salt Lake, Utah
The mass of Se deposited annually to sediment in the Great Salt Lake (GSL) was estimated to determine the significance of sedimentation as a permanent Se removal mechanism. Lake sediment cores were used to qualitatively delineate sedimentation regions (very high to very low), estimate mass accumulation rates (MARs) and determine sediment Se concentrations. Sedimentation regions were defined by comAuthorsW. Oliver, C. Fuller, D. L. Naftz, W.P. Johnson, X. DiazBottom-Sediment Accumulation and Quality in Shawnee Mission Lake, Johnson County, Kansas, 2006
Shawnee Mission Lake is an artificial impoundment central to Shawnee Mission Park, the largest public park in Johnson County, Kansas. The Shawnee Mission Lake watershed has remained relatively undeveloped since the completion of the dam in 1962. However, recent (1990?2006) urban development has been a cause for concern regarding the quantity and quality of sediment entering the reservoir. The U.S.AuthorsCasey J. Lee, Kyle E. Juracek, Christopher C. FullerWetland succession in a permafrost collapse: Interactions between fire and thermokarst
To determine the influence of fire and thermokarst in a boreal landscape, we investigated peat cores within and adjacent to a permafrost collapse feature on the Tanana River Floodplain of Interior Alaska. Radioisotope dating, diatom assemblages, plant macrofossils, charcoal fragments, and carbon and nitrogen content of the peat profile indicate ???600 years of vegetation succession with a transitiAuthorsI. H. Myers-Smith, J. W. Harden, M. Wilmking, C. C. Fuller, A. D. McGuire, F. S. ChapinChemical constituents in sediment in Lake Pontchartrain and in street mud and canal sediment in New Orleans, Louisiana, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005
Samples of street mud, suspended and bottom sediment in canals discharging to Lake Ponchartrain, and suspended and bottom sediment in the lake were collected and analyzed for chemical constituents to help evaluate the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent unwatering of New Orleans, Louisiana. The approach used for sampling and analysis of chemical data for the study is presenteAuthorsPeter C. Van Metre, Jennifer T. Wilson, Arthur J. Horowitz, Stanley C. Skrobialowski, William T. Foreman, Christopher C. Fuller, Mark R. Burkhardt, Kent A. Elrick, Barbara Mahler, James J. Smith, Steven D. ZauggEffects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the chemistry of bottom sediments in Lake Pontchartrain, La.
Concerns about the effect of pumping contaminated flood waters into Lake Pontchartrain following the hurricanes of 2005 prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to sample street mud, canal-suspended sediment, and bottom sediment in Lake Pontchartain. The samples were analyzed for a wide variety of potential inorganic and organic contaminants. Results indicate that contamination of lake sedimentAuthorsPeter C. Van Metre, Arthur J. Horowitz, Barbara Mahler, William T. Foreman, Christopher C. Fuller, Mark R. Burkhardt, Kent A. Elrick, Edward T. Furlong, Stanley C. Skrobialowski, James J. Smith, Jennifer T. Wilson, Stephen D. ZauggDust emission from wet and dry playas in the Mojave Desert, USA
The interactions between playa hydrology and playa-surface sediments are important factors that control the type and amount of dust emitted from playas as a result of wind erosion. The production of evaporite minerals during evaporative loss of near-surface ground water results in both the creation and maintenance of several centimeters or more of loose sediment on and near the surfaces of wet plaAuthorsRichard L. Reynolds, James C. Yount, Marith C. Reheis, Harland L. Goldstein, Pat F. Chavez, Robert E. Fulton, John W. Whitney, Christopher C. Fuller, Richard M. ForesterReconstructing sediment age profiles from historical bathymetry changes in San Pablo Bay, California
Sediment age profiles reconstructed from a sequence of historical bathymetry changes are used to investigate the subsurface distribution of historical sediments in a subembayment of the San Francisco Estuary. Profiles are created in a grid-based GIS modeling program that stratifies historical deposition into temporal horizons. The model's reconstructions are supported by comparisons to profiles ofAuthorsShawn A. Higgins, Bruce E. Jaffe, Christopher C. Fuller