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Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 4047

Influence of microalgal biomass on absorption efficiency of Cd, Cr, and Zn by two bivalves from San Francisco Bay

The bioavailability to clams (Potamocorbula amurensis and Macoma balthica) of Cd, Cr, and Zn from suspended particulate material (SPM) collected during a phytoplankton bloom was compared to bioavailability from SPM dominated by resuspended sediments. Bioavailability was also compared among mudflat sediments amended with different levels of living benthic microalgae. Bioavailability was defined by
Authors
B.-G. Lee, S. N. Luoma

Flow of river water into a Karstic limestone aquifer. 1. Tracing the young fraction in groundwater mixtures in the Upper Floridan Aquifer near Valdosta, Georgia

The quality of water in the Upper Floridan aquifer near Valdosta, Georgia is affected locally by discharge of Withlacoochee River water through sinkholes in the river bed. Data on transient tracers and other dissolved substances, including Cl−, 3H, tritiogenic helium-3 (3He), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113), organic C (DOC), O2 (DO), H2S, CH4, δ18O, δD, and 14C were investigated as t
Authors
Niel Plummer, E. Busenberg, J. B. McConnell, S. Drenkard, P. Schlosser, R. L. Michel

Investigation of anion-exchange and immunoaffinity particle-loaded membranes for the isolation of charged organic analytes from water

Anion-exchange and immunoaffinity particle loaded membranes (PLMs) were investigated as a mechanism for the isolation of charged organic analytes from water. Kinetic properties determined theoretically included dynamic capacity, pressure drop (ΔP), residence and diffusion times (Tr, Td), and total membrane porosity (εT). These properties were confirmed through experimental evaluation, and the PLM
Authors
T. R. Dombrowski, G.S. Wilson, E. M. Thurman

Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance

We determined the role of the hyporheic zone (the subsurface zone where stream water and shallow groundwater mix) in enhancing microbially mediated oxidation of dissolved manganese (to form manganese precipitates) in a drainage basin contaminated by copper mining. The fate of manganese is of overall importance to water quality in Pinal Creek Basin, Arizona, because manganese reactions affect the t
Authors
Judson W. Harvey, Christopher C. Fuller

Fate and transport of linear alkylbenzenesulfonate in a sewage- contaminated aquifer: A comparison of natural-gradient pulsed tracer tests

Two natural-gradient tracer tests were conducted to determine the transport and biodegradation behavior of linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS) surfactant under in situ conditions in a sewage-contaminated aquifer. The tests were conducted in two biogeochemically distinct zones of the aquifer: (1) an aerobic uncontaminated zone (oxic zone) and (2) a moderately aerobic, sewage-contaminated zone (trans
Authors
C.J. Krueger, L. B. Barber, D.W. Metge, J.A. Field

Effect of contaminant concentration on aerobic microbial mineralization of DCE and VC in stream-bed sediments

Discharge of DCE and VC to an aerobic surface water system simultaneously represents a significant environmental concern and, potentially, a non-engineered opportunity for efficient contaminant bioremediation. The potential for bioremediation, however, depends on the ability of the stream-bed microbial community to efficiently and completely degrade DCE and VC over a range of contaminant concentra
Authors
P. M. Bradley, F. H. Chapelle

Microbial mineralization of VC and DCE under different terminal electron accepting conditions

Production of 14CO2 from [1,2-14C] dichloroethene (DCE) or [1,2-14C] vinyl chloride (VC) was quantified in aquifer and stream-bed sediment microcosms to evaluate the potential for microbial mineralization as a pathway for DCE and VC biodegradation under aerobic, Fe(III)-reducing, SO4-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. Mineralization of [1,2-14C] DCE and [1,2-14C] VC to 14CO2 decreased under in
Authors
P. M. Bradley, F. H. Chapelle

Comparing nocturnal eddy covariance measurements to estimates of ecosystem respiration made by scaling chamber measurements at six coniferous boreal sites

During the growing season, nighttime ecosystem respiration emits 30–100% of the daytime net photosynthetic uptake of carbon, and therefore measurements of rates and understanding of its control by the environment are important for understanding net ecosystem exchange. Ecosystem respiration can be measured at night by eddy covariance methods, but the data may not be reliable because of low turbulen
Authors
M.B. Lavigne, M. G. Ryan, D.E. Anderson, D. D. Baldocchi, P.M. Crill, D.R. Fitzjarrald, M. L. Goulden, S.T. Gower, J.M. Massheder, J.H. McCaughey, M. Rayment, Robert G. Striegl

Anaerobic aquifer transformations of 2,4-Dinitrophenol under different terminal electron accepting conditions

We evaluated the susceptibility of 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) and 2,4-diaminophenol to anaerobic biodegradation in aquifer slurries. Aquifer microorganisms depleted 2,4-DNP at rates of 25, 9 and 0.4 μM/day under methanogenic, sulfate-reducing and nitrate-reducing conditions, respectively. Rates of abiotic, 2,4-DNP loss in autoclaved control incubations were 7.2, 6.2 and 0.95 μM/day respectively.
Authors
L.R. Krumholz, J.M. Suflita

Tritium, deuterium, and oxygen-18 in water collected from unsaturated sediments near a low-level radioactive-waste burial site south of Beatty, Nevada

Pore water was extracted in March 1996 from cores collected from test holes UZB-1 and UZB-2 drilled November 1992 and September 1993, respectively, in the Amargosa Desert south of Beatty, Nevada. The test holes are part of a study to determine factors affecting water and gas movement through unsaturated sediments. The holes are about 100 meters south of the southwest corner of the fence enclosing
Authors
David E. Prudic, David A. Stonestrom, Robert G. Striegl

Sequestration of hydrophobic organic contaminants by geosorbents

The chemical interactions of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) with soils and sediments (geosorbents) may result in strong binding and slow subsequent release rates that significantly affect remediation rates and endpoints. The underlying physical and chemical phenomena potentially responsible for this apparent sequestration of HOCs by geosorbents are not well understood. This challenges our
Authors
Richard G. Luthy, George R. Aiken, Mark L. Brusseau, Scott D. Cunningham, Philip M. Gschwend, Joseph J. Pignatello, Martin Reinhard, Samuel J. Traina, Walter J. Weber, John C. Westall