Theresa Presser is a Emeritus Research Chemist with the Earth System Processes Division of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area in Menlo Park, California.
Theresa Presser is a Emeritus Research Chemist with the Earth System Processes Division of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area in Menlo Park, California. Her expertise is the environmental science of selenium. Selenium is a reproductive toxin that bioaccumulates through food webs to affect top predator species. Her field studies and body of site knowledge of Se-impacted areas document and analyze the connection of anthropogenic activities (e.g., agricultural drainage, oil refining, and mining of phosphate, coal, copper, and uranium) to aquatic environments. Her research conceptualizes, quantifies, and models the variables that determine how selenium is processed from geologic sources through ecosystems. Ecosystem-scale selenium modeling, developed in collaboration with Samuel Luoma, provides a new quantitative tool to predict the ecological effects of selenium and, thus, understand the management of selenium in the environment. The model frames a site-specific occurrence of selenium; quantifies exposure of predators through dietary selenium biodynamics (i.e., species-specific physiological parameters); and connects to the base of the food web using a metric that describes the partitioning of selenium between particulate material and dissolved phases. The initial basis for the methodology used data from a set of common aquatic settings and food webs to illustrate that an environmentally safe dissolved selenium concentration will differ among ecosystems depending on the biogeochemical conditions and ecological pathways in those systems. Thus, model development narrows uncertainties for ecosystem protection through integration of a site-specific system’s ecology, biochemistry, and hydrology and inhabiting species’ life-cycle and ecotoxicology. A cooperative U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife website entitled Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Local and Global Perspectives is available at: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/linking-selenium-sources-ecosystems-local-and-global
Recent Accomplishments
Education
Professional Studies/Experience
Mentorship/Outreach
Professional societies/affiliations/committees/editorial boards
Honors, awards, recognition, elected offices
Scientific/Oral Presentations, Abstracts
Science and Products
Assessing the impacts of mining on the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir
Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Local and Global Perspectives
Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Mining
Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Irrigation
Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Refining
Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Modeling
Selenium concentrations in food webs of Lake Koocanusa in the vicinity of Libby Dam (MT) and the Elk River (BC) as the basis for applying ecosystem-scale modeling, 2008-2018
USGS Measurements of Dissolved and Suspended Particulate Material Selenium in Lake Koocanusa in the Vicinity of Libby Dam (MT), 2015-2017 (update)
USGS Measurements of Dissolved and Particulate Material Selenium in Lake Koocanusa in the vicinity of Libby Dam (MT), 2015-2016
Understanding and documenting the scientific basis of selenium ecological protection in support of site-specific guidelines development for Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
Status of selenium in south San Francisco Bay—A basis for modeling potential guidelines to meet National tissue criteria for fish and a proposed wildlife criterion for birds
Conceptual modeling framework to support development of site-specific selenium criteria for Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
Selenium in ecosystems within the mountaintop coal mining and valley-fill region of southern West Virginia-assessment and ecosystem-scale modeling
Decision analysis framing study: In-valley drainage management strategies for the western San Joaquin Valley, California
Appendix A: Selected case studies of ecosystem contamination by selenium
Bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of selenium
Ecological assessment of selenium in the aquatic environment
Executive summary
What you need to know about selenium
A methodology for ecosystem-scale modeling of selenium
Emerging opportunities in management of selenium contamination
Science and Products
- Science
Assessing the impacts of mining on the Transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir
Lead Researcher: Travis Schmidt Project Manager: Melissa Schaar Water-Quality Field Lead: Chad ReeseLinking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Local and Global Perspectives
The sources, biogeochemistry, and ecotoxicology of selenium (Se) combine to produce a widespread potential for ecological risk such as deformities in birds and fish. Linking the understanding of source characteristics to a mechanistic, biodynamic dietary model of Se exposure on an ecosystem-scale improves the prediction of Se effects and its potential remediation.Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Mining
Environmental sources of selenium (Se) such as from organic-enriched sedimentary deposits are geologic in nature and thus can occur on regional scales. A constructed map of the global distribution of Se source rocks informs potential areas of reconnaissance for modeling of Se risk including the phosphate deposits of southeastern Idaho and the coals of Appalachia.Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Irrigation
Adverse effects of selenium (Se) on fish and waterfowl in wetlands receiving agricultural drainage occurred in the 1980s in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The identified mechanisms of Se enrichment helped resolve Se toxicity problems associated with irrigated agriculture in the arid West. Bioaccumulation of Se in ancient marine sediments is postulated as a primary pathway in source rocks.Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Refining
The San Francisco Bay-Delta receives selenium (Se) internally from oil refineries and externally through riverine agricultural discharges. Predator species considered at risk from Se consume the estuary’s dominant bivalve, C. amurensis, an efficient bioaccumulator of Se. Modeling predicts site-specific ecological risk and derives a range of protective Se concentrations for use by decision-makers.Linking Selenium Sources to Ecosystems: Modeling
Selenium (Se) as a contaminant of ecosystems is bioaccumulative and causes reproductive effects in fish and wildlife. Ecosystem-scale Se modeling predicts Se bioaccumulation based on dietary biodynamics within site-specific food webs. The model can be used to forecast Se toxicity under different management or regulatory proposals or to translate a tissue guideline to a dissolved guideline. - Data
Selenium concentrations in food webs of Lake Koocanusa in the vicinity of Libby Dam (MT) and the Elk River (BC) as the basis for applying ecosystem-scale modeling, 2008-2018
This Data Release presents multi-agency data for selenium concentrations in ecosystem media that includes water column, suspended particulate material, zooplankton, invertebrates, and fish. Because the data are compiled from multiple sources, the significant figures used to report contaminant concentrations and other metrics may not be internally consistent. These data will serve as the basis forUSGS Measurements of Dissolved and Suspended Particulate Material Selenium in Lake Koocanusa in the Vicinity of Libby Dam (MT), 2015-2017 (update)
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying Lake Koocanusa, a border reservoir between British Columbia in Canada and Montana, in collaboration with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 8). This work is part of a multi-agency project to apply an ecosystem-scale selenium modeling methodology (Presser and Luoma, 2010) to the lake to supportUSGS Measurements of Dissolved and Particulate Material Selenium in Lake Koocanusa in the vicinity of Libby Dam (MT), 2015-2016
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying Lake Koocanusa, a border reservoir between British Columbia in Canada and Montana, in collaboration with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 8). This work is part of a multi-agency project to apply an ecosystem-scale selenium modeling methodology (Presser and Luoma, 2010) to the lake to support - Publications
Filter Total Items: 31
Understanding and documenting the scientific basis of selenium ecological protection in support of site-specific guidelines development for Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
Modeling of ecosystems is a part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s protocol for developing site-specific selenium guidelines for protection of aquatic life. Selenium as an environmental contaminant is known to bioaccumulate and cause reproductive effects in fish and wildlife. Here we apply a modeling methodology—ecosystem-scale selenium modeling—to understand and document the scientifiAuthorsTheresa S. Presser, David L. NaftzStatus of selenium in south San Francisco Bay—A basis for modeling potential guidelines to meet National tissue criteria for fish and a proposed wildlife criterion for birds
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed Aquatic Life and AquaticDependent Wildlife Criteria for Selenium (Se) in California’s San Francisco Bay and Delta (Bay-Delta) in June 2016. Here we apply the same modeling methodology—Ecosystem-Scale Selenium Modeling— to an assessment of conditions and documentation of food webs of south San Francisco Bay (South Bay) as an exploratory framewAuthorsSamuel N. Luoma, Theresa S. PresserConceptual modeling framework to support development of site-specific selenium criteria for Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
The U.S. Geological Survey, working with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Strategy, has developed a conceptual modeling framework that can be used to provide structured and scientifically based input to the Lake Koocanusa Monitoring and Research Working Group as they consider potential site-specific selenium criAuthorsKaren E. Jenni, David L. Naftz, Theresa S. PresserSelenium in ecosystems within the mountaintop coal mining and valley-fill region of southern West Virginia-assessment and ecosystem-scale modeling
Coal and associated waste rock are among environmental selenium (Se) sources that have the potential to affect reproduction in fish and aquatic birds. Ecosystems of southern West Virginia that are affected by drainage from mountaintop coal mines and valleys filled with waste rock in the Coal, Gauley, and Lower Guyandotte watersheds were assessed during 2010 and 2011. Sampling data from earlier stuAuthorsTheresa S. PresserDecision analysis framing study: In-valley drainage management strategies for the western San Joaquin Valley, California
Constraints on drainage management in the western San Joaquin Valley and implications of proposed approaches to management were recently evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS found that a significant amount of data for relevant technical issues was available and that a structured, analytical decision support tool could help optimize combinations of specific in-valley drainage maAuthorsTheresa S. Presser, Karen E. Jenni, Timothy Nieman, James ColemanAppendix A: Selected case studies of ecosystem contamination by selenium
No abstract available.AuthorsTerry F. Young, Keith Finley, William J. Adams, John M. Besser, William A. Hopkins, Dianne Jolley, Eugenia McNaughton, Theresa S. Presser, D. Patrick Shaw, J. M. UnrineBioaccumulation and trophic transfer of selenium
No abstract available.AuthorsA. Robin Stewart, M. Grosell, David B. Buchwalter, Nicholas S. Fisher, S. N. Luoma, T. Matthews, P. Orr, W.-X. WangEcological assessment of selenium in the aquatic environment
Based on the work and contributions of 46 scientists, managers, and policymakers, Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment documents the state of the science and explores how to use this information when assessing and managing the environmental effects of Se. A focused discussion on the fate and effects of Se in aquatic ecosystem.Executive summary
This book on Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment synthesizes and advances the state-of-the-science regarding this unique metalloid and identies critical knowledge gaps. Assessment methods appropriate for other metals and metalloids are not always appropriate for selenium (Se). Selenium requires site-specific risk assessments to a much greater extent than do many other contAuthorsPeter M. Chapman, William J. Adams, Marjorie L. Brooks, Charles G. Delos, Samuel N. Luoma, William A. Maher, Harry M. Ohlendorf, Theresa S. Presser, D. Patrick ShawWhat you need to know about selenium
No abstract available.AuthorsT. Young, K. Finley, William J. Adams, John M. Besser, W. A. Hopkins, D.B. Jolley, J. Martin-McNaughton, Theresa S. Presser, D.P. Shaw, J. M. UnrineA methodology for ecosystem-scale modeling of selenium
The main route of exposure for selenium (Se) is dietary, yet regulations lack biologically based protocols for evaluations of risk. We propose here an ecosystem-scale model that conceptualizes and quantifies the variables that determinehow Se is processed from water through diet to predators. This approach uses biogeochemical and physiological factors from laboratory and field studies and considerAuthorsTheresa S. Presser, Samuel N. LuomaEmerging opportunities in management of selenium contamination
The metalloid selenium (Se) has the diverse reactivity characteristic of the chalcogens in addition to organometallic behavior. Laboratory measurements indicate that Se is an acute reproductive toxicant, which makes it a concern for the environment. Yet to date, a lack of understanding on how Se species distribute through food webs—bioaccumulation not seeming to conform to dissolved concentrationsAuthorsSamuel N. Luoma, Theresa S. Presser