R. Blaine McCleskey
Blaine McCleskey is a Research Chemist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Blaine McCleskey started his career with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1997 as a chemist in the National Research Program. In 2010, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado where he developed a method to calculate the electrical conductivity of natural waters from its chemical composition. He is currently involved in several research projects in Yellowstone National Park, a wildfire affected watershed, and acid mine drainage sites.
Education
B.S. - Biochemistry, College of Charleston, SC, 1995
M.S. - Environmental Studies (Science track), University of Charleston, SC, 1997
Ph.D. - Environmental Engineering (Hydrologic Sciences Program), University of Colorado, 2010
Blaine McCleskey also runs and maintains the USGS Redox Chemistry Laboratory, where analytical methods for determining the redox distributions of iron, arsenic, chromium, and antimony have been developed (see puplished methods below). In addition, the lab supports many USGS projects by providing iron, arsenic, chromium, antimony, and selenium redox determinations. The lab is equipped with an ICP-AES, IC, GFAAS, HGAAS, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, and an autotitrator and we are capable of determining most inorganic constituents and specialize in difficult matrices (acid mine waters, geothermal waters, and saline waters).
Science and Products
Inorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
Concentrations of organic and inorganic constituents in tapwater samples from California in 2020-21 (ver. 3.1, March 2024)
Isotopic Examination of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation Rates in Yellowstone National Park Thermal Features
Yellowstone Thermal Feature Mercury and Methylmercury Characterization
Temporal Viral Viability Data from Avian Influenza A Viruses Maintained in Alaska Wetlands Under Experimental and Environmental Conditions
Streamflow and water chemistry in the Tenaya Lake Basin, Yosemite National Park, California
Groundwater chemistry in the Lower East Rift Zone and summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i
Chemistry of water, stream sediment, wildfire ash, soil, dust, and mine waste for Fourmile Creek Watershed, Colorado, 2010-2019
Specific conductance data for selected rivers and creeks in Yellowstone National Park, beginning in 2010 (version 2.0, May 2020)
Water chemistry data for selected hot springs and rivers in Southwest Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Occurrence and Concentrations of Trace Elements in Discrete Tapwater Samples Collected in Chicago, Illinois and East Chicago, Indiana, 2017
Water, Soil, Rock, and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2015-2017
The structure and volume of large geysers in Yellowstone National Park, USA and the mineralogy and chemistry of their silica sinter deposits
Evidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
The systematics of chlorine, lithium, and boron and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B in the hydrothermal system of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Public and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
Sources, fate, and flux of riverine solutes in the Southwest Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
Wildfire-driven changes in hydrology mobilize arsenic and metals from legacy mine waste
Hydrothermal activity in the southwest Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Mixed organic and inorganic tapwater exposures and potential effects in greater Chicago area, USA
Sources, fate, and flux of geothermal solutes in the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Concentrations of lead and other inorganic constituents in samples of raw intake and treated drinking water from the municipal water filtration plant and residential tapwater in Chicago, Illinois, and East Chicago, Indiana, July–December 2017
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 27
Inorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
This data set reports results for inorganic constituents analyzed at the Redox Chemistry Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, for the 2019 tapwater study conducted in North Dakota and South Dakota, USA. This project is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Program.Concentrations of organic and inorganic constituents in tapwater samples from California in 2020-21 (ver. 3.1, March 2024)
This dataset contains the trace elements, cations, anions, disinfection by-products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceutical and pesticide concentration results for the tapwater study conducted in California, November, 2020 through May, 2021. Trace elements, cations and anions were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey Redox Chemistry Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. The disinfIsotopic Examination of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation Rates in Yellowstone National Park Thermal Features
Data in this data release were obtained for water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. Isotope-spiked incubations were carried out to determine methylation and demethylation potential for Frying Pan spring, Crystal Sister East, Crystal Sister West, and TurbuleYellowstone Thermal Feature Mercury and Methylmercury Characterization
Data in this data release were obtained from water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park (YNP) Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017, 2019, and 2020 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. These samples were used to assess mercury cycling within YNP. Water samples were analyzed for total mercury and methylmercury, the bioaccumulated formTemporal Viral Viability Data from Avian Influenza A Viruses Maintained in Alaska Wetlands Under Experimental and Environmental Conditions
Data sets containing: (1) sample collection and influenza A virus (IAV) screening information for wild ducks, (2) water temperature data from four wetlands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, USA (3) water quality measurement from four wetlands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, USA, (4) genetic sequence data for IAVs recovered from replicate samples of wildStreamflow and water chemistry in the Tenaya Lake Basin, Yosemite National Park, California
The Tenaya Lake Water Budget Study seeks to quantify and understand the water balance within the principal snow accumulation and runoff yielding zone in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Study operates stage sensors and data loggers to record Tenaya Lake inflows, water surface elevation, and outflow, with continuous annual data collection for the 21 square-kilometer watershed located in the alpineGroundwater chemistry in the Lower East Rift Zone and summit of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i
Chemical and isotopic analyses are reported for water samples collected from water supply wells, a geothermal well in the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) power plant, a hot spring in the Puna District, a research well on the summit of Kilauea Volcano (informally called "NSF Well", or "Keller Well "), and a water catchment in the headquarters area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i. These waChemistry of water, stream sediment, wildfire ash, soil, dust, and mine waste for Fourmile Creek Watershed, Colorado, 2010-2019
In response to the 2010 Fourmile Canyon fire near Boulder, Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey collected data to support investigations into the magnitude and critical drivers of water-quality impairment after wildfire. We analyzed chemistry of stream water, sediment, wildfire ash, soil, dust, and mine waste for metals and other parameters in order to evaluate the effects of legacy mining and wilSpecific conductance data for selected rivers and creeks in Yellowstone National Park, beginning in 2010 (version 2.0, May 2020)
Monitoring the chloride (Cl) flux in the major rivers draining Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provides a holistic view of the thermal output from the underlying magma reservoir, and abrupt fluctuations in the Cl flux may signify changes in hydrothermal activity. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) have collaborated on Cl flux monitoring of the major rivers sinceWater chemistry data for selected hot springs and rivers in Southwest Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Water analyses are reported for 66 samples collected from numerous thermal and non-thermal (rivers and streams) features in the southwestern areas of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) during 2009, 2017, and 2018. Water samples were collected from sources near Boundary Creek, Bechler River, Falls River, Mountain Ash Creek, Upper Snake River, Spirea Creek, and Lewis Lake. These water samples were collOccurrence and Concentrations of Trace Elements in Discrete Tapwater Samples Collected in Chicago, Illinois and East Chicago, Indiana, 2017
This dataset contains the trace element concentration results for samples collected from tapwater sites in East Chicago, Indiana, August-September, 2017, and Chicago, Illinois, July-December, 2017. Samples were collected one time, from 45 private residences and associated drinking water plants and source water locations. Water-quality samples were analyzed at two U.S. Geological Survey laboratorieWater, Soil, Rock, and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2015-2017
Water and sediment samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at or near baseflow conditions from 2015-2017 in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed near Yellow Pine, Valley County, Idaho. Soil, rock and tailings samples were collected in June 2015. Sampling focused on Cinnabar Creek, which flows through the Cinnabar - Multimedia
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The structure and volume of large geysers in Yellowstone National Park, USA and the mineralogy and chemistry of their silica sinter deposits
Siliceous sinter is formed by biogenic and abiogenic opal deposition around hot springs and geysers. Using Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry we generated three-dimensional models of Giant and Castle Geysers from the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. We use these models to calculate an approximate mass of sinter for each (~2 and ~ 5 kton, respectively) and estimate a range of plauAuthorsDakota Churchill, Michael Manga, Shaul Hurwitz, Sara Peek, David Damby, Richard Conrey, John R. Wood, R. Blaine McCleskey, William E. Keller, Behnaz Hosseini, Jefferson D.G. HungerfordEvidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) deposited by wild birds into the environment may lead to sporadic mortality events and economically costly outbreaks among domestic birds. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the persistence of infectious IAVs within the environment following deposition. In this investigation, we assessed the persistence of 12 IAVs that were present in the cloaca and/orAuthorsAndrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Vijay P. Patil, Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Repert, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. PoulsonPilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbioloAuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Ingrid Y. Padilla, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Justin M. Conley, Nicola Evans, Carrie E Givens, James L. Gray, L. Earl Gray, Phillip C. Hartig, Michelle Hladik, Christopher P. Higgins, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Rachael F. Lane, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. WilsonThe systematics of chlorine, lithium, and boron and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B in the hydrothermal system of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Chlorine, lithium, and boron are trace elements in rhyolite but are enriched in groundwater flowing through rhyolite because they tend to partition into the fluid phase during high‐temperature fluid‐rock reactions. We present a large data set of major element and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B compositions of thermal water and rhyolite from Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF). The Cl/B, Cl/Li, δ37ClAuthorsJeffrey T. Cullen, Shaul Hurwitz, Jaime D. Barnes, John C Lassiter, Sarah Penniston-Dorland, Anette Meixner, Frederike Wilckens, Simone A Kasemann, R. Blaine McCleskeyPublic and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
BackgroundHumans are primary drivers of environmental contamination worldwide, including in drinking-water resources. In the United States (US), federal and state agencies regulate and monitor public-supply drinking water while private-supply monitoring is rare; the current lack of directly comparable information on contaminant-mixture exposures and risks between private- and public-supplies underAuthorsPaul M. Bradley, Denis R. LeBlanc, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Mary C. Cardon, Jimmy Clark, Justin M. Conley, Nicola Evans, Carrie E Givens, James L. Gray, L. Earl Gray, Phillip C. Hartig, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. WilsonByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality LaboratorySources, fate, and flux of riverine solutes in the Southwest Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
Since the 1970s, temporal variations of hydrothermal discharge and thermal output from the numerous hydrothermal features in the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) have been studied by measuring the chloride flux in the major rivers. In this study, the sources, fate, and flux of solutes in the Fall River and its major tributaries, in southwest Yellowstone National Park, were determined. TheAuthorsR. Blaine McCleskey, Shaul Hurwitz, Erin B White, David A. Roth, David Susong, Jefferson Hungerford, Lonnie A. OlsonWildfire-driven changes in hydrology mobilize arsenic and metals from legacy mine waste
Wildfires burning in watersheds that have been mined and since revegetated pose unique risks to downstream water supplies. A wildfire near Boulder, Colorado that burned a forested watershed recovering from mining disturbance that occurred 80-160 years ago allowed us to 1) assess arsenic and metal contamination in streams draining the burned area for a five-year period after the wildfire and 2) detAuthorsSheila F. Murphy, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Martin, JoAnn Holloway, Jeffrey H. WriterHydrothermal activity in the southwest Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
In the past two decades, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service have studied hydrothermal activity across the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) to improve the understanding of the magmatic-hydrothermal system and to provide a baseline for detecting future anomalous activity. In 2017 and 2018 we sampled water and gas over a large area in the southwest YPVF and used LandsatAuthorsShaul Hurwitz, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah Bergfeld, Sara Peek, David Susong, David A. Roth, Jefferson Hungerford, Erin B White, Lauren Harrison, Behnaz Hosseini, R. Greg Vaughan, Andrew G. Hunt, James B. PacesMixed organic and inorganic tapwater exposures and potential effects in greater Chicago area, USA
Safe drinking water at the point of use (tapwater, TW) is a public-health priority. TW exposures and potential human-health concerns of 540 organics and 35 inorganics were assessed in 45 Chicago area United States (US) homes in 2017. No US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level(s) (MCL) were exceeded in any residential or water treatment plant (WTP) pre-distribAuthorsPaul Bradley, Maria Argos, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Joshua M. Allen, Julie E. Dietze, Michael J. Devito, Ariel Donovan, Nicola Evans, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle Hladik, Luke Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Rachael F. Lane, Zachary Laughrey, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Elizabeth K Medlock Kakaley, Michael T. Meyer, Andrea Holthouse-Putz, Susan D Richardson, Alan Stark, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Abderrahman ZehraouiSources, fate, and flux of geothermal solutes in the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers, Yellowstone National Park, WY
The total discharge and thermal output from the numerous hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) can be estimated from the chloride (Cl) flux in the Madison, Yellowstone, Falls, and Snake Rivers. Monitoring the Cl flux in these four major rivers provides a holistic view of the hydrothermal output from YNP and changes in the Cl flux may indicate changes in geothermal or magmatic acAuthorsR. Blaine McCleskey, David A. Roth, D. Mahony, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Stacy KinseyConcentrations of lead and other inorganic constituents in samples of raw intake and treated drinking water from the municipal water filtration plant and residential tapwater in Chicago, Illinois, and East Chicago, Indiana, July–December 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area (EHMA) is providing comprehensive science on sources, movement, and transformation of contaminants and pathogens in watershed and aquifer drinking-water supplies and in built water and wastewater infrastructure (referred to as the USGS Water and Wastewater Infrastructure project) in the Greater Chicago Area and elsewhere in the UnAuthorsKristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Michael J. Focazio, Maria Argos, Mary E. Hollingsworth, R. Blaine McCleskey, Andrea R. Putz, Alan Stark, Christopher P. Weis, Abderrahman Zehraoui, Paul M. BradleyMethods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area, initiated the Tapwater Exposure Study as part of an infrastructure project to assess human exposure to potential threats from complex mixtures of contaminants. In the pilot phase (2016), samples were collected from 11 States throughout the United States, and in the second phase (2017), the study focused on the Greater ChAuthorsKristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Maria Argos, Juliane B. Brown, Michael J. Devito, Julie E. Dietze, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Paul M. Bradley - News