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
Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Composition, distribution, and potential toxicity of organochlorine mixtures in bed sediments of streams
Regression models for explaining and predicting concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in fish from streams in the United States
Methods and Sources of Data Used to Develop Selected Water-Quality Indicators for Streams and Ground Water for the 2007 Edition of The State of the Nation's Ecosystems Report with Comparisons to the 2002 Edition
Comparison of pesticide concentrations in streams at low flow in six metropolitan areas of the United States
Response of Stream Chemistry During Base Flow to Gradients of Urbanization in Selected Locations Across the Conterminous United States, 2002-04
Pesticide toxicity index for freshwater aquatic organisms, 2nd edition
Regression model for explaining and predicting concentrations of Dieldrin in whole fish from United States streams
Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water, 1992–2001
Application of health-based screening levels to ground-water quality data in a state-scale pilot effort
Development of health-based screening levels for use in state- or local-scale water-quality assessments
National-scale, field-based evaluation of the biota - Sediment accumulation factor model
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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Organic 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 on the Gulf of Mexico between May 7 and July 7, 2010AuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Amy S. Ludtke, David K. Mueller, Jonathon C. ScottComposition, distribution, and potential toxicity of organochlorine mixtures in bed sediments of streams
Mixtures of organochlorine compounds have the potential for additive or interactive toxicity to organisms exposed in the stream. This study uses a variety of methods to identify mixtures and a modified concentration-addition approach to estimate their potential toxicity at 845 stream sites across the United States sampled between 1992 and 2001 for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphAuthorsPatrick J. Phillips, Lisa H. Nowell, Robert J. Gilliom, Naomi Nakagaki, Karen Riva-Murray, Carolyn VanAlstyneRegression models for explaining and predicting concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in fish from streams in the United States
Empirical regression models were developed for estimating concentrations of dieldrin, total chlordane, and total DDT in whole fish from U.S. streams. Models were based on pesticide concentrations measured in whole fish at 648 stream sites nationwide (1992-2001) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program. Explanatory variables included fish lipid content, estiAuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Charles G. Crawford, Robert J. Gilliom, Naomi Nakagaki, Wesley W. Stone, Gail Thelin, David M. WolockMethods and Sources of Data Used to Develop Selected Water-Quality Indicators for Streams and Ground Water for the 2007 Edition of The State of the Nation's Ecosystems Report with Comparisons to the 2002 Edition
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was one of numerous governmental, private, and academic entities that provided input to the report The State of the Nation?s Ecosystems published periodically by the Heinz Center. This report describes the sources of data and methods used by the USGS to develop selected water?quality indicators for the 2007 edition of the Heinz Center report and documents modificaAuthorsJohn T. Wilson, Nancy T. Baker, Michael J. Moran, Charles G. Crawford, Lisa H. Nowell, Patricia L. Toccalino, William G. WilberComparison of pesticide concentrations in streams at low flow in six metropolitan areas of the United States
To examine the effect of urban development on pesticide concentrations in streams under low-flow conditions, water samples were collected at stream sites along an urban land use gradient in six environmentally heterogeneous metropolitan areas of the United States. In all six metropolitan areas, total insecticide concentrations generally increased significantly as urban land cover in the basin incrAuthorsLori A. Sprague, Lisa H. NowellResponse of Stream Chemistry During Base Flow to Gradients of Urbanization in Selected Locations Across the Conterminous United States, 2002-04
During 2002-2004, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program conducted a study to determine the effects of urbanization on stream water quality and aquatic communities in six environmentally heterogeneous areas of the conterminous United States--Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Milwaukee-Green Bay, Wisconsin; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado;AuthorsLori A. Sprague, Douglas A. Harned, David W. Hall, Lisa H. Nowell, Nancy J. Bauch, Kevin D. RichardsPesticide toxicity index for freshwater aquatic organisms, 2nd edition
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is designed to assess current water-quality conditions, changes in water quality over time, and the effects of natural and human factors on water quality for the Nation's streams and ground-water resources. For streams, one of the most difficult parts of the assessment is to link chemical conditions to effects on aquatiAuthorsMark D. Munn, Robert J. Gilliom, Patrick W. Moran, Lisa H. NowellRegression model for explaining and predicting concentrations of Dieldrin in whole fish from United States streams
No abstract available.AuthorsLisa H. Nowell, Charles G. Crawford, Naomi Nakagaki, Gail P. Thelin, David M. WolockPesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water, 1992–2001
This report is one of a series of publications, The Quality of Our Nation's Waters, that describe major findings of the NAWQA Program on water-quality issues of regional and national concern. This report presents evaluations of pesticides in streams and ground water based on findings for the first decadal cycle of NAWQA. 'Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001' greatly expaAuthorsRobert J. Gilliom, Jack E. Barbash, Charles G. Crawford, Pixie A. Hamilton, Jeffrey D. Martin, Naomi Nakagaki, Lisa H. Nowell, Jonathan C. Scott, Paul E. Stackelberg, Gail P. Thelin, David M. WolockApplication of health-based screening levels to ground-water quality data in a state-scale pilot effort
A state-scale pilot effort was conducted to evaluate a Health-Based Screening Level (HBSL) approach developed for communicating findings from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program in a human-health context. Many aquifers sampled by USGS are used as drinking-water sources, and water-quality conditions historically have been assessed by comparing measured contamAuthorsPatricia L. Toccalino, Julia E. Norman, Robyn H. Phillips, Leon J. Kauffman, Paul E. Stackelberg, Lisa H. Nowell, Sandra J. Krietzman, Gloria B. PostDevelopment of health-based screening levels for use in state- or local-scale water-quality assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a need to communicate the significance of the water-quality findings of its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in a human-health context. Historically, the USGS has assessed water-quality conditions by comparing water concentration data against established drinking-water standards and guidelines. However, because drinking- water standards andAuthorsPatricia L. Toccalino, Lisa Nowell, William Wilber, John S. Zogorski, Joyce Donohue, Catherine Eiden, Sandra Krietzman, Gloria PostNational-scale, field-based evaluation of the biota - Sediment accumulation factor model
The biota - sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) model has been suggested as a simple tool to predict bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs)in fish and other aquatic biota from measured concentrations in sediment based on equilibrium partitioning between the sediment organic carbon and biotic lipid pools. Currently, evaluation of this model as a predictive tool has been limited toAuthorsCharles S. Wong, Paul D. Capel, Lisa H. NowellNon-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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