Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
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Effect of soil moisture on the sorption of trichloroethene vapor to vadose-zone soil at picatinny arsenal, New Jersey
This report presents data on the sorption of trichloroethene (TCE) vapor to vadose-zone soil above a contaminated water-table aquifer at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, NJ. To assess the impact of moisture on TCE sorption, batch experiments on the sorption of TCE vapor by the field soil were carried out as a function of relative humidity. The TCE sorption decreases as soil moisture content inc
Authors
J. A. Smith, C. T. Chiou, J.A. Kammer, D. E. Kile
Distribution of agrochemicals in the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries
The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain extensive agricultural regions of the Mid-Continental United States. Millions of pounds of herbicides are applied annually in these areas to improve crop yields. Many of these compounds are transported into the river from point and nonpoint sources, and eventually are discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. Studies being conducted by the U.S. Geological
Authors
W. E. Pereira, C.E. Rostad, T.J. Leiker
Temporally intensive study of trace metals in sediments and bivalves from a large river-estuarine system: Suisun Bay/delta in San Francisco Bay
Distributions in time and space of Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined in fine-grained sediments and in the filter-feeding bivalve Corbicula sp. of Suisun Bay/delta at the mouth of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in North San Francisco Bay. Samples were collected from seven stations at near-monthly intervals for 3 years. Aggregated data showed little chronic contamination with Ag, Zn a
Authors
S. N. Luoma, R. Dagovitz, E. Axtmann
Occurrence, distributions, and transport of herbicides and their degradation products in the lower Mississippi river and its tributaries
The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain extensive agricultural regions of the midcontinental United States, where large amounts of herbicides are applied as weed control agents on crops such as corn and soybeans. Studies being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey along the lower Mississippi River and its major tributaries, representing a 1930-km river reach, have confirmed that several
Authors
W. E. Pereira
Ground-water control of evaporite deposition
Topographically closed basins may be hydrologically open as a result of seepage losses to underlying or surrounding ground-water systems. In such cases, these losses can have a substantial control over the suite and the thicknesses of evaporite minerals formed in the basin. The ratio of ground-water outflow to inflow (flux ratio) in hydrologically open basins is as important in determining the min
Authors
W.W. Wood, W. E. Sanford
The occurrence and distribution of trace metals in the Mississippi River and its tributaries
Quantitative and semiquantitative analyses of dissolved trace metals are reported for designated sampling sites on the Mississippi River and its main tributaries utilizing depth-integrated and width-integrated sampling technology to collect statistically representative samples. Data are reported for three sampling periods, including: July-August 1987, November-December 1987, and May-June 1988. Con
Authors
Howard E. Taylor, J.R. Garbarino, T.I. Brinton
Effect of ten quaternary ammonium cations on tetrachloromethane sorption to clay from water
The mineral surface of Wyoming bentonite (clay) was modified by replacing inorganic ions by each of 10 quaternary ammonium compounds, and tetrachloromethane sorption to the modified sorbents from water was studied. Tetrachloromethane sorption from solution to clay modified with tetramethyl-, tetraethyl-, benzyltrimethyl-, or benzyltriethylammonium cations generally is characterized by relatively h
Authors
J. A. Smith
Arsenic in benthic bivalves of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta
Arsenic concentrations were determined in fine-grained, oxidized, surface sediments and in two benthic bivalves, Corbicula sp. and Macoma balthica, within San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta, and selected rivers not influenced by urban or industrial activity. Arsenic concentrations in all samples were characteristic of values reported for uncontaminated estuaries. Small tempo
Authors
C. Johns, S. N. Luoma
Organic contamination of ground water at Gas Works Park, Seattle, Washington
Gas Works Park, in Seattle, Washington, is located on the site of a coal and oil gasification plant that ceased operation in 1956. During operation, many types of wastes, including coal, tar, and oil, accumulated on-site. The park soil is currently (1986) contaminated with compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, trace metals, and cyanide. Analyses of water
Authors
G. L. Turney, D.F. Goerlitz
Distribution and transport of sediment-bound metal contaminants in the Rio Grande de Tarcoles, Costa Rica (Central America)
A reconnaissance survey of the extent of metal contamination in the Rio Grande de Tarcoles river system of Costa Rica indicated high levels of chromium (Cr) in the fine-grain bed sediments (<60 μm) of tributaries downstream from leather tanneries (50–83 times Cr background or 3000–5000 μg/g). In the main channel of the river downstream of the San Jose urban area, Cr contamination in sediments was
Authors
C. C. Fuller, J.A. Davis, D.J. Cain, P. J. Lamothe, T.L.G. Fries Fernandez, J.A. Vargas, M.M. Murillo
Evaluation of inflow to Mirror Lake, New Hampshire
Measured stream discharge plus calculated ground water discharge (total measured runoff) were compared with runoff calculated by the unit-runoff method for the two largest watersheds of Mirror Lake for 1981–1983. Runoff calculated by the unit-runoff method, using Hubbard Brook watershed 3 as the index watershed, was greater than the total measured runoff into Mirror Lake during periods of high flo
Authors
T. C. Winter, J.S. Eaton, G.E. Likens
Selenate reduction to elemental selenium by anaerobic bacteria in sediments and culture: Biogeochemical significance of a novel, sulfate-independent respiration
Interstitial water profiles of SeO42−, SeO32−, SO42−, and Cl− in anoxic sediments indicated removal of the seleno-oxyanions by a near-surface process unrelated to sulfate reduction. In sediment slurry experiments, a complete reductive removal of SeO42− occurred under anaerobic conditions, was more rapid with H2 or acetate, and was inhibited by O2, NO3−, MnO2, or autoclaving but not by SO42− or FeO
Authors
Ronald S. Oremland, James T. Hollibaugh, Ann S. Maest, Theresa S. Presser, Laurence G. Miller, Charles W. Culbertson