Larry B Barber, II
Dr. Larry Barber is a Research Geologist with the USGS Water Resources Mission Area and Integrated Water Chemistry Assessment Laboratory.
I joined the USGS NRP as a student appointments in 1982. Since then, my research has involved long-term interdisciplinary research projects that characterize environmental sources of organic and inorganic contaminants, quantify the biogeochemical processes that control their fate, and assess their potential effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Particular emphasis is focused on the interactions between chemistry, hydrology, and biology. A major area of expertise is the analysis of emerging contaminants by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, which provides a foundation for assessing their occurrence, exposure pathways, and impacts.
Current research focuses on biologically-active contaminants and receiving water (surface water and groundwater) attenuation capacity. Compounds being investigated include endocrine disrupting chemicals, neuro-active pharmaceuticals, and antimicrobials. We develop state-of-the-science approaches to landscape-based, watershed-scale (second-order streams to continental rivers) evaluation of chemical loading and fate combined with the field-based biological assays, to establish a holistic understanding of contaminant behavior and impacts. This interdisciplinary research involves teams of scientists to allow comprehensive evaluation of critical water resource issues.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of Colorado, Department of Geological Science, Boulder, CO, 1990
M.Sc., University of Colorado, Department of Geological Science, Boulder, CO, 1985
B.Sc., University of Arkansas, Department of Geology, Fayetteville, AR, 1980
Science and Products
Sewage contamination in the upper Mississippi River as measured by the fecal sterol, coprostanol
Organic compounds downstream from a treated-wastewater discharge near Dallas, Texas, March 1987
Sorption of chlorobenzenes to cape cod aquifer sediments
Fate of alkylbenzenesulfonates and dialkyltetralinsulfonates in sewage contaminated ground water
Associations of free-living bacteria and dissolved organic compounds in a plume of contaminated groundwater
Geochemical heterogeneity in a sand and gravel aquifer: Effect of sediment mineralogy and particle size on the sorption of chlorobenzenes
Comparison of purge and trap GC/MS and purgeable organic chloride analysis for monitoring volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons
Identification of persistent anionic surfactant-derived chemicals in sewage effluent and groundwater
U.S .Geological Survey toxic substance hydrology program: Proceedings of the technical meeting, Monterey, California, March 11-15, 1991
Reconnaissance study of water and bottom material quality in the lower Calcasieu River, southwestern Louisiana, May 29-30, 1985
Science and Products
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Sewage contamination in the upper Mississippi River as measured by the fecal sterol, coprostanol
The molecular sewage indicator, coprostanol, was measured in bed sediments of the Mississippi River for the purpose of determining sewage contamination. Coprostanol is a non-ionic, non-polar, organic molecule that associates with sediments in surface waters, and concentrations of coprostanol in bed sediments provide an indication of long-term sewage loads. Because coprostanol concentrations are deAuthorsJ.H. Writer, J. A. Leenheer, L. B. Barber, G.L. Amy, S.C. ChapraOrganic compounds downstream from a treated-wastewater discharge near Dallas, Texas, March 1987
Water and streambed-sediment samples were collected on March 9 and 10,1987 from one site upstream and three sites downstream of the discharge from a municipal wastewater-treatment plant on Rowlett Creek near Dallas, Texas. To extract and separate organic compounds, purgeand-trap, closed-loop stripping, and pH-adjusted solvent extraction methods were used for water samples; and a Soxhlet-solvent exAuthorsP.M. Buszka, L.B. Barber, M.P. Schroeder, L.D. BeckerSorption of chlorobenzenes to cape cod aquifer sediments
Sorption of tetra- and pentachlorobenzene by sediment from a glacial outwash aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, was evaluated. Particle size and mineralogical fractions (separated based on paramagnetic susceptibility) were characterized with respect to sediment organic carbon (SOC), mineralogy, surface area, metal oxide coatings, and spatial variability. SOC increases by a factor of 10 as particle size decrAuthorsL.B. BarberFate of alkylbenzenesulfonates and dialkyltetralinsulfonates in sewage contaminated ground water
No abstract available.AuthorsJennifer A. Field, Larry B. Barber, E. Michael Thurman, Billy L. Moore, David L. Lawrence, David A. PeakeAssociations of free-living bacteria and dissolved organic compounds in a plume of contaminated groundwater
Associations of free-living bacteria (FLB) and dissolved organic contaminants in a 4-km-long plume of sewage-contaminated groundwater were investigated. Abundance of FLB in the core of the plume (as delineated by maximum specific conductance) steadily decreased in the direction of flow from a point 0.25 km downgradient from the source to the toe of the plume. At 0.25 km downgradient, FLB comprisedAuthorsR.W. Harvey, L.B. BarberGeochemical heterogeneity in a sand and gravel aquifer: Effect of sediment mineralogy and particle size on the sorption of chlorobenzenes
The effect of particle size, mineralogy and sediment organic carbon (SOC) on sorption of tetrachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene was evaluated using batch-isotherm experiments on sediment particle-size and mineralogical fractions from a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Concentration of SOC and sorption of chlorobenzenes increase with decreasing particle size. For a given particlAuthorsLarry B. Barber, E. Michael Thurman, Donald D. RunnellsComparison of purge and trap GC/MS and purgeable organic chloride analysis for monitoring volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons
A combined field and laboratory study was conducted to compare purge and trap gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PT‐GC/MS) and purgeable organic chloride (POC1) analysis for measuring volatile chlorinated hydro‐carbons (VCH) in ground water. Distilled‐water spike and recovery experiments using 10 VCH indicate that at concentrations greater than 1 /ig/1 recovery is more than 80 percent for bothAuthorsLarry B. Barber, E. Michael Thurman, Yoshi Takahashi, Mary C. NoriegaIdentification of persistent anionic surfactant-derived chemicals in sewage effluent and groundwater
Preparative isolation and fractionation procedures coupled with spectrometric analyses were used to identify surfactant-derived contaminants in sewage effluent and sewage-contaminated groundwater from a site located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Anionic surfactants and their biodegradation intermediates were isolated from field samples by ion exchange and fractionated by solvent extraction and adsorAuthorsJennifer A. Field, Jerry A. Leenheer, Kevin A. Thorn, Larry B. Barber, Colleen Rostad, Donald L. Macalady, Stephen R. DanielU.S .Geological Survey toxic substance hydrology program: Proceedings of the technical meeting, Monterey, California, March 11-15, 1991
No abstract available.AuthorsD. A. AronsonByWater Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater LaboratoryReconnaissance study of water and bottom material quality in the lower Calcasieu River, southwestern Louisiana, May 29-30, 1985
No abstract available.AuthorsC. R. Demas - News
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