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Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, PhD

Dr. Marvin-DiPasquale is a Research Microbiologist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.

A native of Rochester NY, Dr. Marvin-DiPasquale is Project Chief of the USGS-Earth Systems Processes Divison (ESPD) effort "“Biogeochemical Cycling at Regional Scales”. He completed a B.S. in Chemistry at SUNY StonyBrook in 1987, and a Ph.D. in 1995 from University of Maryland, Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science Program, with a focus on the microbial ecology of Chesapeake Bay sediments. He began a career at USGS (Menlo Park, CA) as a ‘National Research Council’ post-doc in 1995, and became a Project Chief in 2004. During much of his USGS tenure, his research focus has been on mercury cycling in various ecosystems, including: the San Francisco Bay watershed and associated mining areas throughout CA; FL Everglades;  Carson River, NV (mercury Superfund site); coastal Louisiana; Pategonia region of Argentina; Puget Sound, WA; USGS-NAWQA and USGS-WEBB Study Units in OR, FL, WI, SC,  NY, CO, GA, PR, and VT.

 

Education

  • State University of N.Y., Stony Brook, NY. 1985‑87. B.S., Chemistry.
  • University of Maryland, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, MD. 1987-95. Ph.D., Marine and Estuarine Environmental Sciences. Research Focus: Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry

Professional Experience

  • National Research Council Associate, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 1995-1998.
  • Research Term Appointment, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 1998-2001.
  • Microbial Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 2001-2004.
  • Project Chief, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, 2004-present.

Research Interests:  microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, estuarine and freshwater ecology, mercury and other trace metal biogoechemisty

Professional Society Memberships (past & current)

 Amer. Chem. Soc.; Amer. Geophysical Union; Amer. Soc. Limnology and Oceanography; Amer. Soc. Microbiology; Californian Estuarine Research Soc.; Estuarine Research Federation

Science and Products

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USGS Hydrologist Collects a Water-Quality Sample at Henry, Illinois

Proxies Project

The Proxies Project is a series of studies to improve our understanding of water contaminants and water quality hazards. These studies develop models and technical approaches for estimating concentrations and assessing risk associated with: - harmful algal blooms (HABs) - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - 12 elements of concern (EoC)
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Proxies Project

The Proxies Project is a series of studies to improve our understanding of water contaminants and water quality hazards. These studies develop models and technical approaches for estimating concentrations and assessing risk associated with: - harmful algal blooms (HABs) - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - 12 elements of concern (EoC)
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Satellite image of South San Francisco Bay

Remote Sensing of Mercury Pollution in South San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay has a long history of being subject to natural resources exploitation and pollution. Ongoing flux of contaminants into the bay, legacy pollution from the Gold Rush era and structural modifications still influence the natural ecosystem today. This project aims to map multiple forms (i.e. species) of mercury -- one of the major contaminants in the bay -- to help inform restoration...
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Western Geographic Science Center
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Remote Sensing of Mercury Pollution in South San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay has a long history of being subject to natural resources exploitation and pollution. Ongoing flux of contaminants into the bay, legacy pollution from the Gold Rush era and structural modifications still influence the natural ecosystem today. This project aims to map multiple forms (i.e. species) of mercury -- one of the major contaminants in the bay -- to help inform restoration...
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Conceptual model of the proposed work.

High Resolution Temporal and Spatial Mapping of Mercury and Methylmercury in Surface Waters of the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta

Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of significant concern in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and watershed (Bay-Delta). The formation, fate, and transport of methylmercury (MeHg), a particularly toxic organic form of Hg that readily bioaccumulates in wildlife, has been studied extensively throughout the system. However, there is widespread recognition of the need for more comprehensive monitoring...
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California Water Science Center
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High Resolution Temporal and Spatial Mapping of Mercury and Methylmercury in Surface Waters of the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta

Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of significant concern in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and watershed (Bay-Delta). The formation, fate, and transport of methylmercury (MeHg), a particularly toxic organic form of Hg that readily bioaccumulates in wildlife, has been studied extensively throughout the system. However, there is widespread recognition of the need for more comprehensive monitoring...
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USGS scientist collecting samples of aquatic species from the Pike River, Wis., for later analysis of mercury contamination.

Microbial Biogeochemistry — Menlo Park, California

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with microbiologists at the Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory to develop and apply innovative methods to measure key microbial processes. These methods are used to better understand how major biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron) interact with and control the speciation and fate of metals like mercury and...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
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Microbial Biogeochemistry — Menlo Park, California

About the ResearchThe Environmental Health Program collaborates with microbiologists at the Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory to develop and apply innovative methods to measure key microbial processes. These methods are used to better understand how major biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron) interact with and control the speciation and fate of metals like mercury and...
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Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets

Mercury (Hg) is a serious environmental problem that is impacting ecological and human health on a global scale. However, local and regional processes are largely responsible for producing methylmercury, which drives ecological risk. This is particularly true in western North America where the combination of diverse landscapes, habitat types, climates, and Hg sources may disproportionally impact t
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets

Mercury (Hg) is a serious environmental problem that is impacting ecological and human health on a global scale. However, local and regional processes are largely responsible for producing methylmercury, which drives ecological risk. This is particularly true in western North America where the combination of diverse landscapes, habitat types, climates, and Hg sources may disproportionally impact t
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Filter Total Items: 19

Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico

The Permian Basin, straddling New Mexico and Texas, is one of the most productive oil and gas (OG) provinces in the United States. OG production yields large volumes of wastewater that contain elevated concentrations of major ions including salts (also referred to as brines), and trace organic and inorganic constituents. These OG wastewaters pose unknown environmental health risks, particularly in
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Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL), Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology Laboratory

Geochemical data for water, sediment, and biota in Lake Combie, California, 2017-2021

This dataset includes field measurements and laboratory analyses of surface water, bottom water (sediment-water interface), surficial (0-2 cm) sediment, pore water (0-2 cm), and biota collected in Lake Combie, California, from September 2017 through August 2021. The study area includes six sites within the reservoir where discrete samples of surface water, bottom water, sediment, and pore water we
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California Water Science Center

Mercury concentration data for soil, surface water and rice grain from six commercial rice growing fields in the Sacramento Valley of California (USA)

Mercury (Hg) is a well-known toxic element and environmental contaminant. The central valley of California has long been identified as a hotspot for Hg contamination due to the historic mining of Hg in the California coast range, and its use in the mining of gold in the Sierra Nevada, with these mountainous regions bordering the east and the west of the valley, respectively. While the whole centra
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Water Resources Mission Area

High resolution and discrete temporal and spatial water-quality measurements in support of modeling mercury and methylmercury concentrations in surface waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

The Sacramento / San Joaquin River Delta (SSJRD) is contaminated with legacy mercury (Hg) from historical mining and mineral processing activities throughout the watershed, as well as from contemporary atmospheric and industrial inputs. The current project was designed for the purpose of developing high-resolution spatial and temporal models for estimating concentrations of mercury species in surf
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Water Resources Mission Area

Concentration Data for 12 Elements of Concern Used in the Development of Surrogate Models for Estimating Elemental Concentrations in Surface Water of Three Hydrologic Basins (Delaware River, Illinois River and Upper Colorado River)

The release of metals (or metalloids) to surface water can involve both natural and anthropogenic sources. Elevated metals concentrations can pose a risk to human health, wildlife, and ecosystem health, with the modes of toxicity and extent of risk varying as a function of the specific metal, its chemical form and the matrix with which it is associated (for example, dissolved versus particulate).
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Water Resources Mission Area

Mercury speciation and other constituent data for surface water and bed sediment associated with the Hamilton Airfield Wetland Restoration, Novato, California. USA (ver. 4.0, March 2023)

The Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project (HWRP) is a joint venture between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE; San Francisco District) and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The site is located on the property of the former Hamilton Army Airfield in Novato, California, along the western edge of San Pablo Bay, which is part of northern San Francisco Bay. The initial stages of wetland rest
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Water Resources Mission Area

Geochemistry Data for Wastewater Samples Collected at a Separator Tank and from an On-Site Storage Tank at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia (ver. 2.0, May 2023)

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release is focused on the geochemistry of wastewater (including flowback and produced water) samples, co-produced with natural gas, collected from the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site. MSEEL is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River,
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory

Geochemical data including mercury for subsamples of deep cores from the Cache Creek Settling Basin, Yolo County, California

Sediment cores were collected in the Cache Creek Settling Basin (CCSB), Yolo County, California, during October 2011 at 10 locations (borehole sites) and during August 2012 at 5 other locations. Total core depths ranged from approximately 4.6 to 13.7 meters (15 to 45 feet), with penetration to about 9.1 meters (30 feet) at most locations. Detailed subsampling (3-centimeter intervals) was done at t
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Water Resources Mission Area

The Geochemistry of Mercury and Other Constituents in Redox Manipulated Sediment cores from Clear Lake, Lake County, California

Clear Lake, located within the Coast Range west of California's Central Valley, is the largest natural freshwater lake contained fully within the state and geologically is considered to be the oldest lake in North America. Clear Lake is popular for recreation and provides critical habitat to a wide variety of fish and bird species. Water quality in Clear Lake is degraded by both by mercury contami
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Water Resources Mission Area

Shallow Sediment Geochemistry in a Mercury-Contaminated Multi-Habitat Floodplain: Cache Creek Settling Basin, Yolo County, California (version 2.0, August 2021)

The Cache Creek Settling Basin (CCSB) is a 13.3 km2 leveed basin located at the terminal drainage of the Cache Creek watershed, immediately NE of the town of Woodland (Yolo County), California and approximately 18 km NW of Sacramento, California. The basin was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (completed in 1937 and modified in 1993) for the purpose of trapping suspended sediment tra
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Water Resources Mission Area

Mercury speciation and other constituent data for surface water and bed sediment associated with the Hamilton Airfield Wetland Restoration, Novato, California. USA (ver. 2.0, May 2021)

The Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project (HWRP) is a joint venture between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE; San Francisco District) and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The site is located on the property of the former Hamilton Army Airfield in Novato, California, along the western edge of San Pablo Bay, which is part of northern San Francisco Bay. The initial stages of wetland rest
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Water Resources Mission Area

Chemical characterization of water and suspended sediment of the Snake River and Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) (ver. 3.0, November 2023)

This dataset includes laboratory analyses of surface water samples and sediment trap material collected from (1) locations upstream, downstream, and within the Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho, Oregon) of the Snake River, (2) tributaries of the Snake River, and (3) two reservoirs near Boise, Idaho, from 2014 to 2021. The study area spans approximately 232 river miles of the Snake River and includes: tw
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Idaho Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory
Image: Collecting Rice Sample
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Collecting Rice Sample
Image: Wildlife and Agricultural Wetlands
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Wildlife and Agricultural Wetlands
Filter Total Items: 81

Linking meso-scale spatial variation in methylmercury production to bioaccumulation in tidal marsh food webs

Differences in sediment biogeochemistry among tidal marsh features with different hydrological and geomorphological characteristics, including marsh interiors, marsh edges, first-order channels, and third-order channels, can result in spatial variation in MeHg production and availability. To better understand the link between MeHg production in sediments and bioaccumulation in primary and secondar
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Laurie Anne Hall, Isa Woo, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, John Y. Takekawa, David P. Krabbenhoft, Donald Yee, Letitia Grenier, Susan E. W. De La Cruz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Successful hindcast of 7 years of mud morphodynamics influenced by salt pond restoration in south San Francisco Bay

Alviso Slough in South San Francisco Bay has been experiencing restoration of adjacent former salt-production ponds into muted tidal ponds, tidal ponds, and salt marsh. As a result, tidal prism through Alviso Slough has increased and mercury-contaminated sediment has been remobilized. We developed a 2D, high-resolution, process-based model (Delft3D FM-wave) to hindcast observed morpho-dynamic deve
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Mick Van der Wegen, Johan Reyns, Bruce E. Jaffe, Amy C. Foxgrover, Fernanda Achete, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Theresa A. Fregoso, Judy Nam, Jessica Lovering
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

South San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project—A synthesis of Phase-1 mercury studies

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) encompasses over 6,000 hectares of former salt production ponds along the south edge of the San Francisco Bay and represents the largest wetland restoration effort on the west coast of North America. A series of studies associated with Phase 1 (2010–2018) restoration activities that are focused on a historically mercury contaminated slough and s
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Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, Darell Slotton, Josh T. Ackerman, Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, Bruce E. Jaffe, Amy C. Foxgrover, Fernanda Achete, Mick van der Wegen
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

The relative importance of mercury methylation and demethylation in rice paddy soil varies depending on the presence of rice plants

Neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) accumulates in rice grain from paddy soil, where its concentration is controlled by microbial mercury methylation and demethylation. Both up- and down-regulation of methylation is known to occur in the presence of rice plants in comparison to non-vegetated paddy soils; the influence of rice plant presence/absence on demethylation is unknown. To assess the concurrent
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R. J. Strickman, S. M. Larson, H. Huang, Evangelos Kakouros, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, C. P. J. Mitchell, R. B. Neumann
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Water Resources Mission Area

Resolving a paradox—high mercury deposition, but low bioaccumulation in northeastern Puerto Rico

At a “clean air” trade winds site in northeastern Puerto Rico, we found an apparent paradox: atmospheric total mercury (THg) deposition was highest of any site in the USA Mercury Deposition Network, but assimilation into the local food web was quite low. Avian blood THg concentrations (n = 31, from eight species in five foraging guilds) ranged widely from 0.2 to 32 ng g−1 (median of 4.3 ng g−1). W
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James B. Shanley, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Oksana P. Lane, Wayne J. Arendt, Steven J. Hall, William H. McDowell
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Disentangling the effects of habitat biogeochemistry, food web structure, and diet composition on mercury bioaccumulation in a wetland bird

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a globally pervasive contaminant with known toxicity to humans and wildlife. Several sources of variation can lead to spatial differences in MeHg bioaccumulation within a species including: biogeochemical processes that influence MeHg production and availability within an organism’s home range; trophic positions of consumers and MeHg biomagnification efficiency in food webs
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Laurie Anne Hall, Isa Woo, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Danika C Tsao, David P. Krabbenhoft, John Y. Takekawa, Susan E. W. De La Cruz
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Mercury Research Laboratory

Wetland management strategy to reduce mercury export in water and bioaccumulation in fish

Wetland environments provide numerous ecosystem services but also facilitate methylmercury (MeHg) production and bioaccumulation. We developed a wetland‐management technique to reduce MeHg concentrations in wetland fish and water. We physically modified seasonal wetlands by constructing open‐ and deep‐water treatment cells at the downstream end of seasonal wetlands to promote naturally occurring M
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Joshua T. Ackerman, Jacob Fleck, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark P. Herzog, Harry L. McQuillen
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), California Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Biogeochemical and physical processes controlling mercury methylation and bioaccumulation in Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona, 2014 and 2015

Mercury monitoring results from about 300 Morone saxatilis (striped bass) muscle tissue samples collected by the State of Utah from Lake Powell resulted in a Utah/Arizona fish consumption advisory issued in 2012 for approximately the lower 100 kilometers of the reservoir. Chemical, physical, and biological data were collected during two synoptic sampling cruises on Lake Powell during May/June 2014
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David L. Naftz, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, David P. Krabbenhoft, George Aiken, Eric S. Boyd, Christopher H. Conaway, Jacob M. Ogorek, Gregory M. Anderson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Slough evolution and legacy mercury remobilization induced by wetland restoration in South San Francisco Bay

Coastal wetlands have a long history of degradation and destruction due to human development. Now recognized as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, substantial efforts are being made to restore this critical habitat. While wetland restoration efforts are generally viewed as beneficial in terms of providing wildlife habitat and flood control, they are often accompanied by dramatic p
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Amy C. Foxgrover, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Bruce E. Jaffe, Theresa A. Fregoso
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Human-induced and natural carbon storage in floodplains of the Central Valley of California

Active floodplains can putatively store large amounts of organic carbon (SOC) in subsoils originating from catchment erosion processes with subsequent floodplain deposition. Our study focussed on the assessment of SOC pools associated with alluvial floodplain soils that are affected by human-induced changes in floodplain deposition and in situ SOC mineralisation due to land use change and drainage
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Kristin Steger, Peter Fiener, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Joshua H. Viers, David R. Smart
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Water Resources Mission Area

Geochemical data for water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue from the Sierra Nevada Mercury Impairment Project, 2011–12

This report presents geochemical data for surface water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue samples collected during low-flow conditions in 20 to 24 Sierra Nevada streams during 2011 and 2012. The dataset is part of a larger study designed to assess the factors that control mercury concentrations in fish tissue and to develop a model that predicts mercury concentration in the tissue of selected f
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Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Charles N. Alpers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Jennifer L. Agee, Evangelos Kakouros, Michelle R. Arias, Le H. Kieu, David A. Roth, Darrell G. Slotton, Jacob A. Fleck
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Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Mercury methylation and bioaccumulation in Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington

The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the transformation of mercury to bioavailable methylmercury in Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, and assessed the effect of the transformation processes on the mercury burden in marine organisms and sediment. In August 2008, samples of sediment, water, and biota from six sites in Sinclair Inlet and three bays representative of Puget Sound embayments we
Authors
A.J. Paulson, M.C. Marvin-DiPasquale, P.W. Moran, J.F. DeWild, A.R. Stewart, J. Toft, J.L. Agee, E. Kakouros, Le H. Kieu, B. Carter, R.W. Sheibley, J. Cordell, David P. Krabbenhoft
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Water Resources Mission Area, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Mercury Research Laboratory

Concentration data for 12 elements of concern in surface water of three hydrologic basins (Delaware River, Illinois River and Upper Colorado River) – A data visualization tool

This data visualization and exploration tool was designed as part of the USGS WMA Proxies Project. It provides surface water concentration data associated with 12 elements of concern (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, Se, U, Zn) in a geospatial framework spanning three hydrologic basins (Delaware River, Illinois River, and the Upper Colorado River).

 

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Water Resources Mission Area
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Reducing Mercury Loads in The Cosumnes River

The Cosumnes River watershed has seasonal, non-point source hotspots for total mercury and methylmercury production, which discharge to the Sacramento...

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