Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 4047
Field-scale sulfur hexafluoride tracer experiment to understand long distance gas transport in the deep unsaturated zone
A gas-tracer test in a deep arid unsaturated zone demonstrates that standard estimates of effective diffusivity from sediment properties allow a reasonable first-cut assessment of gas contaminant transport. Apparent anomalies in historic transport behavior at this and other waste disposal sites may result from factors other than nonreactive gas transport properties.
A natural gradient SF6 tracer e
Authors
Michelle Ann Walvoord, Brian J. Andraski, Christopher T. Green, David A. Stonestrom, Robert G. Striegl
Effect of light on biodegradation of Estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol in stream sediment
Biodegradation of [A-ring 14C] Estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) to 14CO2 was investigated under light and dark conditions in microcosms containing epilithon or sediment collected from Boulder Creek, Colorado. Mineralization of the estrogen A-ring was observed in all sediment treatments, but not epilithon treatments. No difference in net mineralization between light
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Jeffrey H. Writer
Assessment of endocrine-disrupting chemicals attenuation in a coastal plain stream prior to wastewater treatment plant closure
The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a combined pre/post-closure assessment at a long-term wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) site at Fort Gordon near Augusta, Georgia. Here, we assess select endocrine-active chemicals and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure prior to closure of the WWTP. Substantial downstream transport and limited instream attenuation of endocrine-disrupting chemical
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey
Mercury exposure associated with altered plasma thyroid hormones in the declining western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) from California mountain streams
Mercury (Hg) is a global threat to wildlife health that can impair many physiological processes. Mercury has well-documented endocrine activity; however, little work on the effects of Hg on the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in aquatic wildlife exists despite the fact that it is a sensitive endpoint of contaminant exposure. An emerging body of evidence points to the toxi
Authors
Erik Meyer, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Donald Sparling, Steve Blumenshine
A review of environmental impacts of salts from produced waters on aquatic resources
Salts are frequently a major constituent of waste waters produced during oil and gas production. These produced waters or brines must be treated and/or disposed and provide a daily challenge for operators and resource managers. Some elements of salts are regulated with water quality criteria established for the protection of aquatic wildlife, e.g. chloride (Cl−), which has an acute standard of 860
Authors
Aïda M. Farag, David D. Harper
Fathead minnow and bluegill sunfish life-stage responses to 17β-estradiol exposure in outdoor mesocosms
Developmental and reproductive effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) exposure on two generations of fathead minnows and one generation of bluegill sunfish were assessed. Fish were exposed to E2 for six continuous weeks in outdoor mesocosms simulating natural lake environments. First generation fish were exposed while sexually mature. Second generation fathead minnows were exposed either during early devel
Authors
Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Daniel C. Rearick, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Kim T. Fredricks, Mark P. Gaikowski
Blood lead concentrations in Alaskan tundra swans: linking breeding and wintering areas with satellite telemetry
Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) like many waterfowl species are susceptible to lead (Pb) poisoning, and Pb-induced mortality has been reported from many areas of their wintering range. Little is known however about Pb levels throughout the annual cycle of tundra swans, especially during summer when birds are on remote northern breeding areas where they are less likely to be exposed to anthropoge
Authors
Craig R. Ely, Christian Franson
Mercury in the soil of two contrasting watersheds in the eastern United States
Soil represents the largest store of mercury (Hg) in terrestrial ecosystems, and further study of the factors associated with soil Hg storage is needed to address concerns about the magnitude and persistence of global environmental Hg bioaccumulation. To address this need, we compared total Hg and methyl Hg concentrations and stores in the soil of different landscapes in two watersheds in differen
Authors
Douglas A. Burns, Laurel G. Woodruff, Paul M. Bradley, William F. Cannon
Decadal surface water quality trends under variable climate, land use, and hydrogeochemical setting in Iowa, USA
Understanding how nitrogen fluxes respond to changes in agriculture and climate is important for improving water quality. In the midwestern United States, expansion of corn cropping for ethanol production led to increasing N application rates in the 2000s during a period of extreme variability of annual precipitation. To examine the effects of these changes, surface water quality was analyzed in 1
Authors
Christopher T. Green, Barbara A. Bekins, Stephen J. Kalkhoff, Robert M. Hirsch, Lixia Liao, Kimberlee K. Barnes
Region-wide ecological responses of arid Wyoming big sagebrush communities to fuel treatments
If arid sagebrush ecosystems lack resilience to disturbances or resistance to annual invasives, then alternative successional states dominated by annual invasives, especially cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), are likely after fuel treatments. We identified six Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) locations (152–381 mm precipitation) that we believed had suff
Authors
David A. Pyke, Scott E. Shaff, Andrew I. Lindgren, Eugene W. Schupp, Paul S. Doescher, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey S. Burnham, Manuela M. Huso
Spatial and temporal patterns of endocrine active chemicals in small streams indicate differential exposure to aquatic organisms
Alkylphenolic chemicals (APCs) and hormones were measured six times from February through October 2007 in three Minnesota streams receiving wastewater to identify spatial and temporal patterns in concentrations and in estrogen equivalency. Fish were collected once during the study to evaluate endpoints indicative of endocrine disruption. The most commonly detected APCs were 4-tert-octylphenol and
Authors
K. E. Lee, L. B. Barber, H.L. Schoenfuss
Reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and wastewater indicators in streambed sediments of the lower Columbia River basin, Oregon and Washington
One by-product of advances in modern chemistry is the accumulation of synthetic chemicals in the natural environment. These compounds include contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), some of which are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) that can have detrimental reproductive effects. The role of sediments in accumulating these types of chemicals and acting as a source of exposure for aquatic o
Authors
Elena Nilsen, Edward T. Furlong, Robert Rosenbauer