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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: 4093

A method to estimate groundwater depletion from confining layers

Although depletion of storage in low‐permeability confining layers is the source of much of the groundwater produced from many confined aquifer systems, it is all too frequently overlooked or ignored. This makes effective management of groundwater resources difficult by masking how much water has been derived from storage and, in some cases, the total amount of water that has been...
Authors
Leonard F. Konikow, Christopher E. Neuzil

Profiling refined hydrocarbon fuels using polar components

Identification of a fuel released into the environment can be difficult due to biodegradation or weathering. Negative electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry was used to screen for unique polar components in a wide variety of commercial hydrocarbon products and mixtures. These fuels produced unique and relatively simple spectra. When applied to hydrocarbon samples from a large, long...
Authors
Colleen E. Rostad, Frances D. Hostettler

Origin of halite brine in the Onondaga Trough near Syracuse, New York State, USA: Modeling geochemistry and variable-density flow

Halite brine (saturation ranging from 45 to 80%) lies within glacial sediments that fill the Onondaga Trough, a bedrock valley deepened by Pleistocene glaciation near Syracuse, New York State, USA. The most concentrated brine occupies the northern end of the trough, about 10 km downgradient of the northern limit of halite beds in the Silurian Salina Group, the assumed source of salt. The...
Authors
Richard M. Yager, William M. Kappel, Niel Plummer

Role of chemotaxis in the transport of bacteria through saturated porous media

Populations of chemotactic bacteria are able to sense and respond to chemical gradients in their surroundings and direct their migration toward increasing concentrations of chemicals that they perceive to be beneficial to their survival. It has been suggested that this phenomenon may facilitate bioremediation processes by bringing bacteria into closer proximity to the chemical...
Authors
R.M. Ford, Ronald W. Harvey

Nitrification in the euphotic zone as evidenced by nitrate dual isotopic composition: Observations from Monterey Bay, California

Coupled measurements of nitrate (NO3−), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) isotopic composition (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) were made in surface waters of Monterey Bay to investigate multiple N cycling processes occurring within surface waters. Profiles collected throughout the year at three sites exhibit a wide range of values, suggesting simultaneous and variable influence of both phytoplankton...
Authors
Scott D. Wankel, Carol Kendall, J.T. Pennington, Francisco P. Chavez, Adina Paytan

Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado

This publication comprises a Volume Contents of chapters (listed below) and a CD-ROM of data (contents shown in column at right). The Animas River watershed in southwest Colorado is one of many watersheds in the western United States where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements in surface streams. U.S...

Simple predictions of maximum transport rate in unsaturated soil and rock

In contrast with the extreme variability expected for water and contaminant fluxes in the unsaturated zone, evidence from 64 field tests of preferential flow indicates that the maximum transport speed Vmax, adjusted for episodicity of infiltration, deviates little from a geometric mean of 13 m/d. A model based on constant‐speed travel during infiltration pulses of actual or estimated...
Authors
John R. Nimmo

Free zinc ion and dissolved orthophosphate effects on phytoplankton from Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho

Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho is fed by two major rivers:  the Coeur d'Alene River from the east and the St. Joe River from the south, with the Spokane River as its outlet to the north. This phosphorus-limited lake has been subjected to decades of mining (primarily for zinc and silver) and other anthropogenic inputs. A 32 full-factorial experimental design was used to examine the...
Authors
James S. Kuwabara, Brent R. Topping, Paul F. Woods, James L. Carter

Reproductive responses of male fathead minnows exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent, effluent treated with XAD8 resin, and an environmentally relevant mixture of alkylphenol compounds

On-site, continuous-flow experiments were conducted during August and October 2002 at a major metropolitan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to determine if effluent exposure induced endocrine disruption as manifested in the reproductive competence of sexually mature male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The fathead minnows were exposed in parallel experiments to WWTP effluent and...
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Kathy Lee, Deborah L. Swackhamer, Heiko L. Schoenfuss

In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity

There are few methods available for broadly assessing microbial community metabolism directly within a groundwater environment. In this study, hydrogen consumption rates were estimated from in situ injection/withdrawal tests conducted in two geochemically varying, contaminated aquifers as an approach towards developing such a method. The hydrogen consumption first-order rates varied from...
Authors
S.H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Joseph M. Suflita

Effects of intraborehole flow on groundwater age distribution

Environmental tracers are used to estimate groundwater ages and travel times, but the strongly heterogeneous nature of many subsurface environments can cause mixing between waters of highly disparate ages, adding additional complexity to the age-estimation process. Mixing may be exacerbated by the presence of wells because long open intervals or long screens with openings at multiple...
Authors
B.A. Zinn, Leonard F. Konikow
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