William H. Orem, Ph.D.
William Orem (Bill), Ph.D. is a Supervisory Research Chemist (Geochemist) and Principal Investigator with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Professional Experience
Research Chemist, U.S. Geological Survey (1984-present)
Adjunct Faculty, University of Maryland, Department of Geology (1982-1992)
National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate (1982-1984)
Education and Certifications
B.S. Chemistry, Lehigh University
M.S. Oceanography, University of Delaware
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of New Hampshire
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 129
Organic geochemistry of sediments in nearshore areas of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers: I. General organic characterization
This report presents results on the general organic characteristics of sediment cores collected from the coastal zone of the Mississippi River system, including distributions of the important nutrient elements (C, N, P, and S). This was part of a larger study conducted from 2001-2005 to examine the delivery of sediment-associated contaminants to the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River system,
Authors
William H. Orem, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Peter W. Swarzenski, Harry E. Lerch, M.D. Corum, Anne L. Bates
Lateral variation in geochemistry, petrology, and palynology in the Elswick coal bed, Pike County, Kentucky
The Middle Pennsylvanian/Langsettian (Westphalian A) Elswick coal bed, correlative to the Upper Banner of Virginia, is a rare example of a mined high-sulfur (> 2%) coal in Eastern Kentucky, a region known for low-sulfur coals. To characterize lateral variation in the geochemistry, petrography, and palynology of the Elswick coal bed, three sites were sampled along a southeast-northwest transect wit
Authors
J.C. Hower, L.F. Ruppert, C.F. Eble
Sulfur Contamination in the Florida Everglades: Initial Examination of Mitigation Strategies
INTRODUCTION
Sulfate contamination of the Everglades is a serious water quality issue facing restoration of this ecosystem. Sulfate concentrations in some marsh areas are more than 60 times background concentrations, and sulfate in excess of background levels covers an estimated 60% of the freshwater Everglades (Orem et al., 1997; Stober et al., 1996 and 2001; Orem et al., 2004). The excess sul
Authors
William H. Orem
Organic compounds in produced waters from coalbed natural gas wells in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA
The organic composition of produced water samples from coalbed natural gas (CBNG) wells in the Powder River Basin, WY, sampled in 2001 and 2002 are reported as part of a larger study of the potential health and environmental effects of organic compounds derived from coal. The quality of CBNG produced waters is a potential environmental concern and disposal problem for CBNG producers, and no previo
Authors
W. H. Orem, C. A. Tatu, H.E. Lerch, C. A. Rice, T.T. Bartos, A. L. Bates, S. Tewalt, M.D. Corum
Evaluating nephrotoxicity of high-molecular-weight organic compounds in drinking water from lignite aquifers
High-molecular-weight organic compounds such as humic acids and/or fulvic acids that are naturally mobilized from lignite beds into untreated drinking-water supplies were suggested as one possible cause of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and cancer of the renal pelvis. A lab investigation was undertaken in order to assess the nephrotoxic potential of such organic compounds using an in vitro tissu
Authors
J.E. Bunnell, C. A. Tatu, H.E. Lerch, W. H. Orem, N. Pavlovic
An evaluation of a field-based method to prepare fresh water samples for analysis of sulfite and thiosulfate by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
No abstract available.
Authors
Anne L. Bates, William H. Orem, Harry E. Lerch, M.D. Corum, Marisa Beck
Fertilizer-derived uranium and sulfur in rangeland soil and runoff: A case study in central Florida
Fertilizer applications to rangeland and pastures in central Florida have potential impact on the nutrient-sensitive ecosystems of Lake Okeechobee and the Northern Everglades. To investigate the effects of fertilizer applications, three soil profiles from variably managed and improved rangeland, and four samples of surface runoff from both fertilized and unfertilized pasture were collected. In add
Authors
R. A. Zielinski, W. H. Orem, K. R. Simmons, P.J. Bohlen
Historical trace element distribution in sediments from the Mississippi River delta
Five sediment cores were collected on the shelf of the inner Mississippi Bight in June 2003 for a suite of radionuclides to establish geochronologies and trace elements to examine patterns of contaminant deposition and accumulation. Core sites were chosen to reflect a matrix of variable water depths, proximity to the Mississippi River mouth as the primary source for terrigenous particles, and exte
Authors
P.W. Swarzenski, M. Baskaran, R.J. Rosenbauer, W. H. Orem
Biogeochemical transport in the Loxahatchee River estuary, Florida: The role of submarine groundwater discharge
The distributions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Ba, U, and a suite of naturally occurring radionuclides in the U/Th decay series (222Rn, 223,224,226,228Ra) were studied during high- and low-discharge conditions in the Loxahatchee River estuary, Florida to examine the role of submarine groundwater discharge in estuarine transport. The fresh water endmember of this still relatively pristine est
Authors
P.W. Swarzenski, W. H. Orem, B. F. McPherson, M. Baskaran, Y. Wan
Possible linkages between lignite aquifers, pathogenic microbes, and renal pelvic cancer in northwestern Louisiana, USA
In May and September, 2002, 14 private residential drinking water wells, one dewatering well at a lignite mine, eight surface water sites, and lignite from an active coal mine were sampled in five Parishes of northwestern Louisiana, USA. Using a geographic information system (GIS), wells were selected that were likely to draw water that had been in contact with lignite; control wells were located
Authors
J.E. Bunnell, C. A. Tatu, R.N. Bushon, D. M. Stoeckel, A.M.G. Brady, M. Beck, H.E. Lerch, B. McGee, B.C. Hanson, R. Shi, W. H. Orem
Geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Pond Creek coal bed, northern Pike and southern Martin counties, Kentucky
The geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Duckmantian-age Pond Creek coal bed were investigated in northern Pike and southern Martin counties, eastern Kentucky. The coal bed exhibits significant vertical variation in the investigated geochemical parameters, with many diagenetic overprints of the original geochemistry. Included in the range of geochemical signatures are the presence of ele
Authors
J.C. Hower, L.F. Ruppert, C.F. Eble, W.L. Clark
Arsenic-bearing pyrite and marcasite in the Fire Clay coal bed, Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation, eastern Kentucky
Arsenic concentrations determined on 11 lithotype samples from the Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Group Fire Clay coal bed, Leslie County, KY, range from 1 to 418 ppm (whole coal basis). The 11 lithotype samples, which vary in thickness from 4 to 18 cm, were sampled from a continuous 1.38 m channel sample, and were selected based on megascopic appearance (vitrain-rich versus attrital-rich). A lith
Authors
L.F. Ruppert, J.C. Hower, C.F. Eble
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 129
Organic geochemistry of sediments in nearshore areas of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers: I. General organic characterization
This report presents results on the general organic characteristics of sediment cores collected from the coastal zone of the Mississippi River system, including distributions of the important nutrient elements (C, N, P, and S). This was part of a larger study conducted from 2001-2005 to examine the delivery of sediment-associated contaminants to the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River system,
Authors
William H. Orem, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Peter W. Swarzenski, Harry E. Lerch, M.D. Corum, Anne L. Bates
Lateral variation in geochemistry, petrology, and palynology in the Elswick coal bed, Pike County, Kentucky
The Middle Pennsylvanian/Langsettian (Westphalian A) Elswick coal bed, correlative to the Upper Banner of Virginia, is a rare example of a mined high-sulfur (> 2%) coal in Eastern Kentucky, a region known for low-sulfur coals. To characterize lateral variation in the geochemistry, petrography, and palynology of the Elswick coal bed, three sites were sampled along a southeast-northwest transect wit
Authors
J.C. Hower, L.F. Ruppert, C.F. Eble
Sulfur Contamination in the Florida Everglades: Initial Examination of Mitigation Strategies
INTRODUCTION
Sulfate contamination of the Everglades is a serious water quality issue facing restoration of this ecosystem. Sulfate concentrations in some marsh areas are more than 60 times background concentrations, and sulfate in excess of background levels covers an estimated 60% of the freshwater Everglades (Orem et al., 1997; Stober et al., 1996 and 2001; Orem et al., 2004). The excess sul
Authors
William H. Orem
Organic compounds in produced waters from coalbed natural gas wells in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA
The organic composition of produced water samples from coalbed natural gas (CBNG) wells in the Powder River Basin, WY, sampled in 2001 and 2002 are reported as part of a larger study of the potential health and environmental effects of organic compounds derived from coal. The quality of CBNG produced waters is a potential environmental concern and disposal problem for CBNG producers, and no previo
Authors
W. H. Orem, C. A. Tatu, H.E. Lerch, C. A. Rice, T.T. Bartos, A. L. Bates, S. Tewalt, M.D. Corum
Evaluating nephrotoxicity of high-molecular-weight organic compounds in drinking water from lignite aquifers
High-molecular-weight organic compounds such as humic acids and/or fulvic acids that are naturally mobilized from lignite beds into untreated drinking-water supplies were suggested as one possible cause of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and cancer of the renal pelvis. A lab investigation was undertaken in order to assess the nephrotoxic potential of such organic compounds using an in vitro tissu
Authors
J.E. Bunnell, C. A. Tatu, H.E. Lerch, W. H. Orem, N. Pavlovic
An evaluation of a field-based method to prepare fresh water samples for analysis of sulfite and thiosulfate by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
No abstract available.
Authors
Anne L. Bates, William H. Orem, Harry E. Lerch, M.D. Corum, Marisa Beck
Fertilizer-derived uranium and sulfur in rangeland soil and runoff: A case study in central Florida
Fertilizer applications to rangeland and pastures in central Florida have potential impact on the nutrient-sensitive ecosystems of Lake Okeechobee and the Northern Everglades. To investigate the effects of fertilizer applications, three soil profiles from variably managed and improved rangeland, and four samples of surface runoff from both fertilized and unfertilized pasture were collected. In add
Authors
R. A. Zielinski, W. H. Orem, K. R. Simmons, P.J. Bohlen
Historical trace element distribution in sediments from the Mississippi River delta
Five sediment cores were collected on the shelf of the inner Mississippi Bight in June 2003 for a suite of radionuclides to establish geochronologies and trace elements to examine patterns of contaminant deposition and accumulation. Core sites were chosen to reflect a matrix of variable water depths, proximity to the Mississippi River mouth as the primary source for terrigenous particles, and exte
Authors
P.W. Swarzenski, M. Baskaran, R.J. Rosenbauer, W. H. Orem
Biogeochemical transport in the Loxahatchee River estuary, Florida: The role of submarine groundwater discharge
The distributions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Ba, U, and a suite of naturally occurring radionuclides in the U/Th decay series (222Rn, 223,224,226,228Ra) were studied during high- and low-discharge conditions in the Loxahatchee River estuary, Florida to examine the role of submarine groundwater discharge in estuarine transport. The fresh water endmember of this still relatively pristine est
Authors
P.W. Swarzenski, W. H. Orem, B. F. McPherson, M. Baskaran, Y. Wan
Possible linkages between lignite aquifers, pathogenic microbes, and renal pelvic cancer in northwestern Louisiana, USA
In May and September, 2002, 14 private residential drinking water wells, one dewatering well at a lignite mine, eight surface water sites, and lignite from an active coal mine were sampled in five Parishes of northwestern Louisiana, USA. Using a geographic information system (GIS), wells were selected that were likely to draw water that had been in contact with lignite; control wells were located
Authors
J.E. Bunnell, C. A. Tatu, R.N. Bushon, D. M. Stoeckel, A.M.G. Brady, M. Beck, H.E. Lerch, B. McGee, B.C. Hanson, R. Shi, W. H. Orem
Geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Pond Creek coal bed, northern Pike and southern Martin counties, Kentucky
The geochemistry, petrology, and palynology of the Duckmantian-age Pond Creek coal bed were investigated in northern Pike and southern Martin counties, eastern Kentucky. The coal bed exhibits significant vertical variation in the investigated geochemical parameters, with many diagenetic overprints of the original geochemistry. Included in the range of geochemical signatures are the presence of ele
Authors
J.C. Hower, L.F. Ruppert, C.F. Eble, W.L. Clark
Arsenic-bearing pyrite and marcasite in the Fire Clay coal bed, Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation, eastern Kentucky
Arsenic concentrations determined on 11 lithotype samples from the Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Group Fire Clay coal bed, Leslie County, KY, range from 1 to 418 ppm (whole coal basis). The 11 lithotype samples, which vary in thickness from 4 to 18 cm, were sampled from a continuous 1.38 m channel sample, and were selected based on megascopic appearance (vitrain-rich versus attrital-rich). A lith
Authors
L.F. Ruppert, J.C. Hower, C.F. Eble