Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
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Biota dose assessment of small rodents sampled near breccia pipe uranium mines in the Grand Canyon watershed
The biotic exposure and uptake of radionuclides and potential health effects due to breccia pipe uranium mining in the Grand Canyon watershed are largely unknown. This paper describes the use of the RESRAD-BIOTA dose model to assess exposure of small rodents (n = 11) sampled at three uranium mine sites in different stages of ore production (active and postproduction). Rodent tissue and soil concen
Authors
Kelsey M. Minter, Timothy Jannik, Jo Ellen Hinck, Danielle M. Cleveland, Walter P. Kubilius, Wendy W. Kuhne
Case studies in groundwater contaminant fate and transport
A case study of groundwater contamination is a detailed study of a single site contaminated with a chemical or mixture that is known to be a problem at many sites. The goal of case studies is to provide insights into the physical, chemical, and biological processes controlling migration, natural attenuation, or remediation of common groundwater contaminants. Ideally, processes occurring at a case
Authors
Barbara A. Bekins
Demonstrating the value of Earth observations—methods, practical applications, and solutions—group on Earth observations side event proceedings
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Association for Remote Sensing Companies, and the European Space Agency in coordination with the GEOValue Community hosted a side event to the Group on Earth Observations Plenary on October 23–24, 2017, in Washington, D.C. The workshop, entitled “Demonstrating the Value of Earth Observati
Authors
Francoise Pearlman, Collin B. Lawrence, Emily J. Pindilli, Denna Geppi, Carl D. Shapiro, Monica Grasso, Jay Pearlman, Jeffery Adkins, Geoff Sawyer, Alessandra Tassa
Use of high-throughput screening results to prioritize chemicals for potential adverse biological effects within a West Virginia Watershed
Organic chemicals from industrial, agricultural, and residential activities can enter surface waters through regulated and unregulated discharges, combined sewer overflows, stormwater runoff, accidental spills, and leaking septic-conveyance systems on a daily basis. The impact of point and nonpoint contaminant sources can result in adverse biological effects for organisms living in or near surface
Authors
Levi D. Rose, Denise Akob, Shea Tuberty, Jeff Colby, Derek Martin, Steven Corsi, Laura DeCicco
Understanding and mitigating bee drownings in open feeders
Whereas open feeders are relatively inexpensive and are easily set up and maintained, they do present a drowning hazard to bees. We observed that bees feeding off the walls of the open container fell into the sugar water because of their incarnation, interactions with other bees and when shooed off the feeder walls while removing the feeder for cleaning. Twigs, angled laths and utility screen perc
Authors
Nimish B. Vyas, Amanda D. Plunkett, Evelynn Enciso, Victor Torrez
The complex spatial distribution of trichloroethene and the probability of NAPL occurrence in the rock matrix of a mudstone aquifer
Methanol extractions for chloroethene analyses are conducted on rock samples from seven closely spaced coreholes in a mudstone aquifer that was subject to releases of the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) form of trichloroethene (TCE) between the 1950's and 1990's. Although TCE concentration in the rock matrix over the length of coreholes is dictated by proximity to subhorizontal bedding planefractur
Authors
Allen M. Shapiro, Daniel J. Goode, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Michelle M. Lorah, Claire R. Tiedeman
Perfluoroalkyl contaminant exposure in tree swallows nesting at Clarks Marsh, Oscoda, Michigan, USA
A site in north eastern Michigan, Oscoda Township, has some of the highest recorded exposure in birds to perfluorinated substances (PFASs) in the U.S. Some egg and plasma concentrations at that location exceeded the lowest reproductive effect threshold established for two avian laboratory species. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there were reproductive effects or physiolog
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Robert Delaney, Paul Dummer, Sandra L. Schultz, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier
Residence time controls on the fate of nitrogen in flow‐through lakebed sediments
For many glacial lakes with highly permeable sediments, water exchange rates control hydrologic residence times within the sediment‐water interface (SWI) and the removal of reactive compounds such as nitrate, a common pollutant in lakes and groundwater. Here we conducted a series of focused tracer injection experiments in the upper 20 cm of the naturally downwelling SWI in a flow‐through lake on C
Authors
Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarentske, Martin A. Briggs, Kamini Singha, Judson W. Harvey, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Farzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, John W. Lane
Multi-scale preferential flow processes in an urban streambed under variable hydraulic conditions
Spatially preferential flow processes occur at nested scales at the sediment-water interface (SWI), due in part to sediment heterogeneities, which may be enhanced in flashy urban streams with heavy road sand influence. However, several factors, including the flow-rate dependence of preferential hyporheic flow and discrete groundwater discharge zones are commonly overlooked in reach-scale models of
Authors
Farzaneh MahmoodPoor Dehkordy, Martin A. Briggs, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Kamini Singha, Ashton Krajnovich, Tyler B. Hampton, Jay P. Zarnetske, Courtney R. Scruggs, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou
A novel method to characterise levels of pharmaceutical pollution in large scale aquatic monitoring campaigns
Much of the current understanding of pharmaceutical pollution in the aquatic environment is based on research conducted in Europe, North America and other select high-income nations. One reason for this geographic disparity of data globally is the high cost and analytical intensity of the research, limiting accessibility to necessary equipment. To reduce the impact of such disparities, we present
Authors
John W. Wilkinson, Alistair Boxall, Dana Kolpin
Biological effects of elevated major ions in surface water contaminated by a produced water from oil production
Produced water (PW) from oil and gas extraction processes has been shown to contain elevated concentrations of major ions. The objective of this study was to determine the potential effects of elevated major ions in PW-contaminated surface water on a fish (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) and a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) in short-term (7-day) exposures. The test organism
Authors
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jeffery Steevens, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Integrated assessment of wastewater reuse, exposure risk, and fish endocrine disruption in the Shenandoah River watershed
Reuse of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is an important component in augmenting global freshwater supplies. The Shenandoah River Watershed was selected to conduct on-site exposure experiments to assess endocrine disrupting characteristics of different source waters. This investigation of the Shenandoah River Watershed integrates WWTP wastewater reuse modeling,
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Jennifer L. Krstolic, Chintamani Kandel, Steffanie H. Keefe, Jacelyn Rice, Paul Westerhoff, David Bertolatus, Alan M. Vajda