Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
The GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter—published since 2004—provides information on USGS science activities pertinent to safeguarding the health of fish, wildlife, domesticated animals, and people from environmental exposures to contaminants and pathogens.
Featured Science Activities
Featured Science Activities
Learn about our Featured Science Activities through our pages that highlight studies, publications, and results.
Filter Total Items: 4047
Behavioural cues surpass habitat factors in explaining prebreeding resource selection by a migratory diving duck
Prebreeding habitat selection in birds can often be explained in part by habitat characteristics. However, females may also select habitats on the basis of fidelity to areas of previous reproductive success or use by conspecifics. The relative influences of sociobehavioural attributes versus habitat characteristics in habitat selection has been primarily investigated in songbirds, while less is kn
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Jeffrey M. Warren, John Y. Takekawa, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Kyle A. Cutting, Michael W. Parker, Julie L. Yee
Biochar application to hardrock mine tailings: Soil quality, microbial activity, and toxic element sorption
Waste rock piles from historic mining activities remain unvegetated as a result of metal toxicity and high acidity. Biochar has been proposed as a low-cost remediation strategy to increase soil pH and reduce leaching of toxic elements, and improve plant establishment. In this laboratory column study, biochar made from beetle-killed pine wood was assessed for utility as a soil amendment by mixing s
Authors
Charlene N. Kelly, Christopher D. Peltz, Mark R. Stanton, David W. Rutherford, Colleen E. Rostad
1DTempPro: analyzing temperature profiles for groundwater/surface-water exchange
A new computer program, 1DTempPro, is presented for the analysis of vertical one-dimensional (1D) temperature profiles under saturated flow conditions. 1DTempPro is a graphical user interface to the U.S. Geological Survey code Variably Saturated 2-Dimensional Heat Transport (VS2DH), which numerically solves the flow and heat-transport equations. Pre- and postprocessor features allow the user to ca
Authors
Emily B. Voytek, Anja Drenkelfuss, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Richard Healy, John W. Lane, Dale D. Werkema
The influence of study species selection on estimates of pesticide exposure in free-ranging birds
Field studies of pesticide effects on birds often utilize indicator species with the purpose 16 of extrapolating to other avian taxa. Little guidance exists for choosing indicator species to 17 monitor the presence and/or effects of contaminants that are labile in the environment or body, 18 but are acutely toxic, such as anticholinesterase (anti-ChE) insecticides. Use of an indicator 19 species t
Authors
Shannon L. Borges, Nimish B. Vyas, Mary C. Christman
Phytoremediation of a petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated shallow aquifer in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, USA
A former bulk fuel terminal in North Carolina is a groundwater phytoremediation demonstration site where 3,250 hybrid poplars, willows, and pine trees were planted from 2006 to 2008 over approximately 579,000 L of residual gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Since 2011, the groundwater altitude is lower in the area with trees than outside the planted area. Soil-gas analyses showed a 95 percent mass lo
Authors
Elizabeth Guthrie Nichols, Rachel L. Cook, James Landmeyer, Brad Atkinson, Donald R. Malone, George Shaw, Leilani Woods
Does water chemistry affect the dietary uptake and toxicity of silver nanoparticles by the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis?
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in many applications and likely released into the aquatic environment. There is increasing evidence that Ag is efficiently delivered to aquatic organisms from AgNPs after aqueous and dietary exposures. Accumulation of AgNPs through the diet can damage digestion and adversely affect growth. It is well recognized that aspects of water quality, such as har
Authors
Ana López-Serrano Oliver, Marie-Noële Croteau, Tasha L. Stoiber, Mila Tejamaya, Isabella Römer, Jamie R. Lead, Samuel N. Luoma
Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation
Human alterations to nutrient cycles and herbivore communities are affecting global biodiversity dramatically. Ecological theory predicts these changes should be strongly counteractive: nutrient addition drives plant species loss through intensified competition for light, whereas herbivores prevent competitive exclusion by increasing ground-level light, particularly in productive systems. Here we
Authors
Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Daniel S. Gruner, W. Stanley Harpole, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Peter B. Alder, Juan Alberti, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori Biederman, Dana Blumenthal, Cynthia S. Brown, Lars A. Brudvig, Yvonne M. Buckley, Marc Cadotte, Cheng-Jin Chu, Elsa E. Cleland, Michael J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Guozhen Du, Jennifer Firn, Yann Hautier, Robert W. Heckman, Andy Hector, Janneke HilleRisLambers, Oscar Iribarne, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Wei Li, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Brett A. Melbourne, Charles E. Mitchell, Joslin L. Moore, Brent Mortensen, Lydia R. O'Halloran, John L. Orrock, Jesús Pascual, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Melinda D. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Ryan J. Williams, Peter D. Wragg, Justin P. Wright, Louie H. Yang
Sampling trace organic compounds in water: a comparison of a continuous active sampler to continuous passive and discrete sampling methods
A continuous active sampling method was compared to continuous passive and discrete sampling methods for the sampling of trace organic compounds (TOCs) in water. Results from each method are compared and contrasted in order to provide information for future investigators to use while selecting appropriate sampling methods for their research. The continuous low-level aquatic monitoring (CLAM) sampl
Authors
Alissa L. Coes, Nicholas V. Paretti, William T. Foreman, Jana L. Iverson, David A. Alvarez
Toxicity and accumulation of silver nanoparticles during development of the marine polychaete Platynereis dumerilii
Pollutants affecting species at the population level generate ecological instability in natural systems. The success of early life stages, such as those of aquatic invertebrates, is highly affected by adverse environmental conditions. Silver released into the environment from emerging nanotechnology represents such a threat. Sediments are sinks for numerous pollutants, which aggregate and/or assoc
Authors
Javier García-Alonso, Neus Rodriguez-Sanchez, Superb K. Misra, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Marie-Noële Croteau, Samuel N. Luoma, Philip S. Rainbow
Estrogen and androgen receptor activities of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and surface and ground water in a drilling-dense region
The rapid rise in natural gas extraction using hydraulic fracturing increases the potential for contamination of surface and ground water from chemicals used throughout the process. Hundreds of products containing more than 750 chemicals and components are potentially used throughout the extraction process, including more than 100 known or suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We hypothesize
Authors
Christopher D. Kassotis, Donald E. Tillitt, J. Wade Davis, Anette M. Hormann, Susan C. Nagel
Soil-plant-microbial relations in hydrothermally altered soils of Northern California
Soils developed on relict hydrothermally altered soils throughout the Western USA present unique opportunities to study the role of geology on above and belowground biotic activity and composition. Soil and vegetation samples were taken at three unaltered andesite and three hydrothermally altered (acid-sulfate) sites located in and around Lassen VolcanicNational Park in northeastern California. In
Authors
S.W. Blecker, L.L. Stillings, N.M. DeCrappeo, J.A. Ippolito
In vivo retention of ingested Au NPs by Daphnia magna: No evidence for trans-epithelial alimentary uptake
In vivo studies with Daphnia magna remain inconclusive as to whether engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are internalized into tissues after ingestion. Here we used a three-pronged approach to study the in vivo retention and efflux kinetics of 20 nm citrate stabilized Au NPs ingested by this key aquatic species. Daphnids were exposed to suspended particles (600 μg L−1) for 5 h after which they were dep
Authors
Farhan R. Khan, Gabrielle M. Kennaway, Marie-Noële Croteau, Agnieszka Dybowska, Brian D. Smith, António J.A. Nogueira, Philip S. Rainbow, Samuel N. Luoma, Eugenia Valsami-Jones