Lisa Nowell
Lisa Nowell is a Research Chemist with the USGS National Water Quality Program (NWQP), National Water Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA).
Since 2013, I have been part of the Regional Stream-Quality Assessment (RSQA) team, which is a multidisciplinary team conducting a series of multistressor studies of wadable streams in the Midwest, Southeast, Pacific Northwest, Northeast, and Central Coastal California regions. My primary focus is to track, interpret and model the occurrence of pesticides in stream water and sediment at the regional scale; and to interpret data on sediment toxicity and ecological condition in relation to chemical stressors. I have participated in the design and implementation of NAWQA since 1991, when I first joined the USGS as a member of NAWQA’s Pesticide National Synthesis team. Since that time, I have conducted national and regional-scale assessments of pesticides in water, sediment, and aquatic biota, and with my colleagues have developed tools (such as sediment benchmarks, aquatic-life benchmarks, the Pesticide Toxicity Index, and Health-Based Screening Levels) for interpreting the biological significance of pesticides in water and sediment. I also evaluated contaminants in water and sediment on the Gulf Coast before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and I co-authored a book on pesticides in stream sediment and aquatic biota.
Before coming to the USGS, I worked for the Food and Drug Administration; was an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow in environmental science and engineering at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and conducted post-doctoral research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) in Switzerland. I am an active member of the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), American Chemical Society, and American Geophysical Union. I currently serve on the Meetings Committee and 2018 Program Committee of SETAC North America, and I am an Associate Editor of the journal, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal.
Science and Products
Design and methods of the Midwest Stream Quality Assessment (MSQA), 2013
Complex mixtures of Pesticides in Midwest U.S. streams indicated by POCIS time-integrating samplers
Similarities and differences in occurrence and temporal fluctuations in glyphosate and atrazine in small Midwestern streams (USA) during the 2013 growing season
Prediction of pesticide toxicity in Midwest streams
Development and application of freshwater sediment-toxicity benchmarks for currently used pesticides
Pesticide Toxicity Index: a tool for assessing potential toxicity of pesticide mixtures to freshwater aquatic organisms
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part I: distribution in relation to urbanization
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part II—sediment toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
Occurrence and potential sources of pyrethroid insecticides in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas
Prioritizing pesticide compounds for analytical methods development
Contaminants in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas: Data summary of a National Pilot Study
Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Non-USGS Publications**
**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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Design and methods of the Midwest Stream Quality Assessment (MSQA), 2013
During 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA), in collaboration with the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA), and the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs assessed stream quality across the Midwestern United States. This Midwest Stream Quality AssessmAuthorsJessica D. Garrett, Jeffrey W. Frey, Peter C. Van Metre, Celeste A. Journey, Naomi Nakagaki, Daniel T. Button, Lisa H. NowellComplex mixtures of Pesticides in Midwest U.S. streams indicated by POCIS time-integrating samplers
The Midwest United States is an intensely agricultural region where pesticides in streams pose risks to aquatic biota, but temporal variability in pesticide concentrations makes characterization of their exposure to organisms challenging. To compensate for the effects of temporal variability, we deployed polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) in 100 small streams across the Midwest foAuthorsPeter C. Van Metre, David Alvarez, Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Patrick W. MoranSimilarities and differences in occurrence and temporal fluctuations in glyphosate and atrazine in small Midwestern streams (USA) during the 2013 growing season
Glyphosate and atrazine are the most intensively used herbicides in the United States. Although there is abundant spatial and temporal information on atrazine occurrence at regional scales, there are far fewer data for glyphosate, and studies that compare the two herbicides are rare. We investigated temporal patterns in glyphosate and atrazine concentrations measured weekly during the 2013 growingAuthorsBarbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre, Thomas E. Burley, Keith A. Loftin, Michael T. Meyer, Lisa H. NowellPrediction of pesticide toxicity in Midwest streams
The occurrence of pesticide mixtures is common in stream waters of the United States, and the impact of multiple compounds on aquatic organisms is not well understood. Watershed Regressions for Pesticides (WARP) models were developed to predict Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) values in unmonitored streams in the Midwest and are referred to as WARP-PTI models. The PTI is a tool for assessing the relAuthorsMegan E. Shoda, Wesley W. Stone, Lisa H. NowellDevelopment and application of freshwater sediment-toxicity benchmarks for currently used pesticides
Sediment-toxicity benchmarks are needed to interpret the biological significance of currently used pesticides detected in whole sediments. Two types of freshwater sediment benchmarks for pesticides were developed using spiked-sediment bioassay (SSB) data from the literature. These benchmarks can be used to interpret sediment-toxicity data or to assess the potential toxicity of pesticides in wholeAuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Julia E. Norman, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Patrick W. MoranPesticide Toxicity Index: a tool for assessing potential toxicity of pesticide mixtures to freshwater aquatic organisms
Pesticide mixtures are common in streams with agricultural or urban influence in the watershed. The Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) is a screening tool to assess potential aquatic toxicity of complex pesticide mixtures by combining measures of pesticide exposure and acute toxicity in an additive toxic-unit model. The PTI is determined separately for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates. ThiAuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Julia E. Norman, Patrick W. Moran, Jeffrey D. Martin, Wesley W. StoneContaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part I: distribution in relation to urbanization
Organic contaminants and trace elements were measured in bed sediments collected from streams in seven metropolitan study areas across the United States to assess concentrations in relation to urbanization. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, the pyrethroid insecticide bifenthrin, and several trace elements were significantly related to urbanizatAuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Patrick W. Moran, Robert J. Gilliom, Daniel L. Calhoun, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Nile E. Kemble, Kathryn Kuivila, Patrick J. PhillipsContaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part II—sediment toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
Relationships between sediment toxicity and sediment chemistry were evaluated for 98 samples collected from seven metropolitan study areas across the United States. Sediment-toxicity tests were conducted with the amphipod Hyalella azteca (28 day exposures) and with the midge Chironomus dilutus (10 day exposures). Overall, 33 % of the samples were toxic to amphipods and 12 % of the samples were toAuthorsNile E. Kemble, Douglas K. Hardesty, Christopher G. Ingersoll, James L. Kunz, Paul K. Sibley, Daniel L. Calhoun, Robert J. Gilliom, Kathryn Kuivila, Lisa H. Nowell, Patrick W. MoranOccurrence and potential sources of pyrethroid insecticides in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas
A nationally consistent approach was used to assess the occurrence and potential sources of pyrethroid insecticides in stream bed sediments from seven metropolitan areas across the United States. One or more pyrethroids were detected in almost half of the samples, with bifenthrin detected the most frequently (41%) and in each metropolitan area. Cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, permethrin, and resmethrinAuthorsKathryn Kuivila, Michelle Hladik, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Nile E. Kemble, Patrick W. Moran, Daniel L. Calhoun, Lisa H. Nowell, Robert J. GilliomPrioritizing pesticide compounds for analytical methods development
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a periodic need to re-evaluate pesticide compounds in terms of priorities for inclusion in monitoring and studies and, thus, must also assess the current analytical capabilities for pesticide detection. To meet this need, a strategy has been developed to prioritize pesticides and degradates for analytical methods development. Screening procedures were developeAuthorsJulia E. Norman, Kathryn Kuivila, Lisa H. NowellContaminants in stream sediments from seven U.S. metropolitan areas: Data summary of a National Pilot Study
This report presents data collected as a part of a synoptic survey of stream sediment contaminants, associated watershed characteristics and invertebrate responses in laboratory sediment toxicity tests from 98 streams (sites) in seven metropolitan study areas across the continental United States. The report presents methods, data, and sediment-quality guidelines, including the derivation of a newAuthorsPatrick W. Moran, Dan L. Calhoun, Lisa H. Nowell, Nile E. Kemble, Chris G. Ingersoll, Michelle Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, James A. Falcone, Robert J. GilliomOrganic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Beach water and sediment samples were collected along the Gulf of Mexico coast to assess differences in contaminant concentrations before and after landfall of Macondo-1 well oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the sinking of the British Petroleum Corporation's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Samples were collected at 70 coastal sites between May 7 and July 7, 2010, to document baselineAuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Amy S. Ludtke, David K. Mueller, Jonathon C. ScottNon-USGS Publications**
Nowell, Lisa H., Hoigné, Jürg , 1992. Photolysis of chlorine at sunlight and ultraviolet wavelengths: I. Degradation rates. Water Research, v. 26, no. 5, p. 593-598Nowell, Lisa H., Hoigné, Jürg , 1992. Photolysis of chlorine at sunlight and ultraviolet wavelengths: II. Hydroxyl radical production. Water Research, v. 26, no. 5, p. 599-605**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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