Deborah Stoliker is a Bureau Approving Official in the Office of Science Quality and Integrity.
Deborah began her career at USGS in 2003 as a hydrologist with the National Research Program - Western Branch (NRP-WB), part of the Water Mission Area (WMA). Deborah served as the Assistant Branch Chief of NRP-WB beginning in 2015 and, upon on the reorganization of the Water Mission Area in 2017, as the Deputy Director of the Earth System Processes Division - the single focal point for disciplinary and interdiscplinary process studies, research and development in WMA. In 2020, Deborah joined the Office of Science Quality and Integrity as a Bureau Approving Official, where she reviews and approves research and interpretative products for release to the public or other Federal agencies on behalf of the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Deborah's research interests focus on understanding biogeochemical processes occurring at the mineral-water interface controlling fate and transport of contaminants in the environment. She holds a master's degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Science and Products
Biogeochemical data of water, sediments, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates collected from springs in and near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (ver. 4.0, October 2022)
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying uranium and associated trace element bioaccumulation in aquatic invertebrates across a gradient of dissolved uranium concentrations in spring outflow pools and creeks in the Grand Canyon and adjacent watershed. This data release makes available data from sampling campaigns in April 2016, April 2017, and in April 2019. Data collected include: (1) major ion, tr
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inor
Natural gradient, lakebed tracer tests using nitrite in a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in Ashumet Pond, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inor
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
Groundwater discharge delivering anthropogenic N from surrounding watersheds can impact lake nutrient budgets. However, upgradient groundwater processes and changing dynamics in N biogeochemistry at the groundwater-lake interface are complex and difficult to resolve. In this study, hydrograph variations in a groundwater flow-through lake altered discharge patterns of a wastewater-derived, groun
Environmental signatures and effects of an oil and gas wastewater spill in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Wastewaters from oil and gas development pose largely unknown risks to environmental resources. In January 2015, 11.4 M L (million liters) of wastewater (300 g/L TDS) from oil production in the Williston Basin was reported to have leaked from a pipeline, spilling into Blacktail Creek, North Dakota. Geochemical and biological samples were collected in February and June 2015 to identify geochemical
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
Evaluating chemical extraction techniques for the determination of uranium oxidation state in reduced aquifer sediments
Extraction techniques utilizing high pH and (bi)carbonate concentrations were evaluated for their efficacy in determining the oxidation state of uranium (U) in reduced sediments collected from Rifle, CO. Differences in dissolved concentrations between oxic and anoxic extractions have been proposed as a means to quantify the U(VI) and U(IV) content of sediments. An additional step was added to anox
Characterizing particle-scale equilibrium adsorption and kinetics of uranium(VI) desorption from U-contaminated sediments
Rates of U(VI) release from individual dry-sieved size fractions of a field-aggregated, field-contaminated composite sediment from the seasonally saturated lower vadose zone of the Hanford 300-Area were examined in flow-through reactors to maintain quasi-constant chemical conditions. The principal source of variability in equilibrium U(VI) adsorption properties of the various size fractions was th
Transient groundwater chemistry near a river: Effects on U(VI) transport in laboratory column experiments
In the 300 Area of a U(VI)-contaminated aquifer at Hanford, Washington, USA, inorganic carbon and major cations, which have large impacts on U(VI) transport, change on an hourly and seasonal basis near the Columbia River. Batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate the factors controlling U(VI) adsorption/desorption by changing chemical conditions over time. Low alkalinity and low C
Characterization of the intragranular water regime within subsurface sediments: pore volume, surface area, and mass transfer limitations
Although "intragranular" pore space within grain aggregates, grain fractures, and mineral surface coatings may contain a relatively small fraction of the total porosity within a porous medium, it often contains a significant fraction of the reactive surface area, and can thus strongly affect the transport of sorbing solutes. In this work, we demonstrate a batch experiment procedure using tritiated
Quantifying differences in the impact of variable chemistry on equilibrium uranium(VI) adsorption properties of aquifer sediments
Uranium adsorption-desorption on sediment samples collected from the Hanford 300-Area, Richland, WA varied extensively over a range of field-relevant chemical conditions, complicating assessment of possible differences in equilibrium adsorption properties. Adsorption equilibrium was achieved in 500-1000 h although dissolved uranium concentrations increased over thousands of hours owing to changes
Uranium(VI) release from contaminated vadose zone sediments: Estimation of potential contributions from dissolution and desorption
A key difficulty in developing accurate, science-based conceptual models for remediation of contaminated field sites is the proper accounting of multiple coupled geochemical and hydrologic processes. An example of such a difficulty is the separation of desorption and dissolution processes in releasing contaminants from sediments to groundwaters; very few studies are found in the literature that at
Non-USGS Publications**
Bond, D.L., Fendorf, S., 2003, Kinetic and structural constraints of chromate reduction by green rusts, Environmental Science and Technology, v. 37, p. 2750-2757, DOI:10.1021/es026341p
Bond, D.L., Clark, D.L., Donohoe, R.J., Gordon, J.C., Gordon, P.L., Keogh, D.W., Scott, B.L., Tait, C.D., Watkin, J.G., 2001, A model of trivalent actinides in media containing high carbonate concentrations - structural characterization of the lanthanide tetracarbonate [Co(NH3)6][Na(u-H2O)(H2O)4]2[Ho(CO3)4].4H2O, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, v. 11, p. 2921-2926. DOI: 10.1002/1099-0682(200111)2001:11%3C2921::AID-EJIC2921%3E3.0.CO;2-2
Bond, D.L., Clark, D.L., Donohoe, R.J., Gordon, J.C., Gordon, P.L., Keogh, D.W., Scott, B.L., Tait, C.D., Watkin, J.G., 2000, A new structural class of lanthanide carbonates: Synthesis, properties, and x-ray structure of the one-dimensional chain complex [Co(NH3)6]6[K2(H2O)10][Nd2(CO3)8]2.2H2O, Inorganic Chemistry, v. 39, p. 3934-3937. DOI: 10.1021/ic0001255
**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
- Data
Biogeochemical data of water, sediments, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates collected from springs in and near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (ver. 4.0, October 2022)
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying uranium and associated trace element bioaccumulation in aquatic invertebrates across a gradient of dissolved uranium concentrations in spring outflow pools and creeks in the Grand Canyon and adjacent watershed. This data release makes available data from sampling campaigns in April 2016, April 2017, and in April 2019. Data collected include: (1) major ion, trSeasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inorNatural gradient, lakebed tracer tests using nitrite in a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in Ashumet Pond, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program at Cape Cod has been investigating the fate and transport of a treated-wastewater, groundwater contaminant plume. A portion of the contaminated groundwater discharges into Ashumet Pond, a kettle hole, freshwater lake. A study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2015 to document transport, transformation, and discharge of dissolved inor - Publications
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
Groundwater discharge delivering anthropogenic N from surrounding watersheds can impact lake nutrient budgets. However, upgradient groundwater processes and changing dynamics in N biogeochemistry at the groundwater-lake interface are complex and difficult to resolve. In this study, hydrograph variations in a groundwater flow-through lake altered discharge patterns of a wastewater-derived, grounEnvironmental signatures and effects of an oil and gas wastewater spill in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Wastewaters from oil and gas development pose largely unknown risks to environmental resources. In January 2015, 11.4 M L (million liters) of wastewater (300 g/L TDS) from oil production in the Williston Basin was reported to have leaked from a pipeline, spilling into Blacktail Creek, North Dakota. Geochemical and biological samples were collected in February and June 2015 to identify geochemicalHydrologic 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, seepageEvaluating chemical extraction techniques for the determination of uranium oxidation state in reduced aquifer sediments
Extraction techniques utilizing high pH and (bi)carbonate concentrations were evaluated for their efficacy in determining the oxidation state of uranium (U) in reduced sediments collected from Rifle, CO. Differences in dissolved concentrations between oxic and anoxic extractions have been proposed as a means to quantify the U(VI) and U(IV) content of sediments. An additional step was added to anoxCharacterizing particle-scale equilibrium adsorption and kinetics of uranium(VI) desorption from U-contaminated sediments
Rates of U(VI) release from individual dry-sieved size fractions of a field-aggregated, field-contaminated composite sediment from the seasonally saturated lower vadose zone of the Hanford 300-Area were examined in flow-through reactors to maintain quasi-constant chemical conditions. The principal source of variability in equilibrium U(VI) adsorption properties of the various size fractions was thTransient groundwater chemistry near a river: Effects on U(VI) transport in laboratory column experiments
In the 300 Area of a U(VI)-contaminated aquifer at Hanford, Washington, USA, inorganic carbon and major cations, which have large impacts on U(VI) transport, change on an hourly and seasonal basis near the Columbia River. Batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate the factors controlling U(VI) adsorption/desorption by changing chemical conditions over time. Low alkalinity and low CCharacterization of the intragranular water regime within subsurface sediments: pore volume, surface area, and mass transfer limitations
Although "intragranular" pore space within grain aggregates, grain fractures, and mineral surface coatings may contain a relatively small fraction of the total porosity within a porous medium, it often contains a significant fraction of the reactive surface area, and can thus strongly affect the transport of sorbing solutes. In this work, we demonstrate a batch experiment procedure using tritiatedQuantifying differences in the impact of variable chemistry on equilibrium uranium(VI) adsorption properties of aquifer sediments
Uranium adsorption-desorption on sediment samples collected from the Hanford 300-Area, Richland, WA varied extensively over a range of field-relevant chemical conditions, complicating assessment of possible differences in equilibrium adsorption properties. Adsorption equilibrium was achieved in 500-1000 h although dissolved uranium concentrations increased over thousands of hours owing to changesUranium(VI) release from contaminated vadose zone sediments: Estimation of potential contributions from dissolution and desorption
A key difficulty in developing accurate, science-based conceptual models for remediation of contaminated field sites is the proper accounting of multiple coupled geochemical and hydrologic processes. An example of such a difficulty is the separation of desorption and dissolution processes in releasing contaminants from sediments to groundwaters; very few studies are found in the literature that atNon-USGS Publications**
Bond, D.L., Fendorf, S., 2003, Kinetic and structural constraints of chromate reduction by green rusts, Environmental Science and Technology, v. 37, p. 2750-2757, DOI:10.1021/es026341pBond, D.L., Clark, D.L., Donohoe, R.J., Gordon, J.C., Gordon, P.L., Keogh, D.W., Scott, B.L., Tait, C.D., Watkin, J.G., 2001, A model of trivalent actinides in media containing high carbonate concentrations - structural characterization of the lanthanide tetracarbonate [Co(NH3)6][Na(u-H2O)(H2O)4]2[Ho(CO3)4].4H2O, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, v. 11, p. 2921-2926. DOI: 10.1002/1099-0682(200111)2001:11%3C2921::AID-EJIC2921%3E3.0.CO;2-2Bond, D.L., Clark, D.L., Donohoe, R.J., Gordon, J.C., Gordon, P.L., Keogh, D.W., Scott, B.L., Tait, C.D., Watkin, J.G., 2000, A new structural class of lanthanide carbonates: Synthesis, properties, and x-ray structure of the one-dimensional chain complex [Co(NH3)6]6[K2(H2O)10][Nd2(CO3)8]2.2H2O, Inorganic Chemistry, v. 39, p. 3934-3937. DOI: 10.1021/ic0001255**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.