Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 4094
Origins and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in groundwater
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in groundwater influences water quality and fuels microbial metabolism, but its origins, bioavailability and chemical composition are poorly understood. The origins and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bioavailable DOM were monitored during a long-term (2-year) study of groundwater in a fractured-rock aquifer in the Carolina slate belt. Surface pr
Authors
Yuan Shen, Francis H. Chapelle, Eric W. Strom, Ronald Benner
Effects of urbanization on mercury deposition and accumulation in New England
We compare total mercury (HgT) loading and methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in streams and lakes
from an urbanized area (Boston, Massachusetts) to rural regions of southern New Hampshire and Maine.
The maximum HgT loading, as indicated by HgT atmospheric deposition, HgT emissions, and sediment
HgT concentrations, did not coincide with maximum MeHg concentrations in fish. Urbanized ecosystems
were
Authors
Ann T. Chalmers, David P. Krabbenhoft, Peter C. Van Metre, Mark A. Nilles
Colorimetric microtiter plate receptor-binding assay for the detection of freshwater and marine neurotoxins targeting the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a, produced by cyanobacteria, are agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Pinnatoxins, spirolides, and gymnodimines, produced by dinoflagellates, are antagonists of nAChRs. In this study we describe the development and validation of a competitive colorimetric, high throughput functional assay based on the mechanism of action of freshwater and marine toxi
Authors
Fernando Rubio, Lisa Kamp, Justin Carpino, Erin Faltin, Keith A. Loftin, Jordi Molgó, Romulo Araoz
Exposure pathways and biological receptors: baseline data for the canyon uranium mine, Coconino County, Arizona
Recent restrictions on uranium mining within the Grand Canyon watershed have drawn attention to scientific data gaps in evaluating the possible effects of ore extraction to human populations as well as wildlife communities in the area. Tissue contaminant concentrations, one of the most basic data requirements to determine exposure, are not available for biota from any historical or active uranium
Authors
Jo Ellen Hinck, Greg L. Linder, Abigail J. Darrah, Charles A. Drost, Michael C. Duniway, Matthew J. Johnson, Francisca M. Méndez-Harclerode, Erika M. Nowak, Ernest W. Valdez, Charles van Riper, S.W. Wolff
Book review: Terrestrial biosphere-atmosphere fluxes and transport in the atmosphere-vegetation-soil continuum
No abstract available.
Authors
David A. Stonestrom
Effects of a dual-pump crude-oil recovery system, Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
A crude-oil spill occurred in 1979 when a pipeline burst near Bemidji, MN. In 1998, the pipeline company installed a dual-pump recovery system designed to remove crude oil remaining in the subsurface at the site. The remediation from 1999 to 2003 resulted in removal of about 115,000 L of crude oil, representing between 36% and 41% of the volume of oil (280,000 to 316,000 L) estimated to be present
Authors
Geoffrey N. Delin, William N. Herkelrath
Temporal and spatial changes in golden eagle reproduction in relation to increased off highway vehicle activity
We used >40 years of data on golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting in southwestern Idaho, USA, to assess whether the proportion of territories and pairs producing young has changed over time, and whether territories in areas where off highway vehicle (OHV) use has increased significantly were less likely to be productive than those in areas that continued to have little or no motorized recreat
Authors
Karen Steenhof, Jessi L. Brown, Michael N. Kochert
Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
To better understand the composition of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in landfill leachate, fresh leachate from 19 landfills was sampled across the United States during 2011. The sampled network included 12 municipal and 7 private landfills with varying landfill waste compositions, geographic and climatic settings, ages of waste, waste loads, and leachate production. A total of 129 out o
Authors
Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. Gray, Eric A. Schwab
Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture
Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians, may be ne
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Rebecca Reeves, Erin L. Muths, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Michelle Hladik, Clay L. Pierce
A landscape-based reconnaissance survey of estrogenic activity in streams of the upper Potomac, upper James,and Shenandoah Rivers, USA
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are becoming of increasing concern in waterways of the USA and worldwide. What remains poorly understood, however, is how prevalent these emerging contaminants are in the environment and what methods are best able to determine landscape sources of EDCs. We describe the development of a spatially structured sampling design and a reconnaissance survey of estroge
Authors
John A. Young, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Adam J. Sperry, Vicki Blazer
A simple control for sediment-toxicity exposures using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca
Sediment-toxicity exposures comparing survival and growth of the freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca, are often components of aquatic-habitat assessments. Standardized exposure methods have been established and require evaluations for quality assurance. Test acceptability using performance-based criteria can be determined from exposures to control sediments, which are collected from the environme
Authors
Peter J. Lasier, Matthew L. Urich
Spatial and temporal patterns of avian paramyxovirus-1 outbreaks in Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the USA
Morbidity and mortality events caused by avian paramyxovirus-1 (APMV-1) in Double-crested Cormorant (DCCO; Phalacrocorax auritus) nesting colonies in the US and Canada have been sporadically documented in the literature. We describe APMV-1 associated outbreaks in DCCO in the US from the first reported occurrence in 1992 through 2012. The frequency of APMV-1 outbreaks has increased in the US over t
Authors
C. LeAnn White, Hon S. Ip, Carol U. Meteyer, Daniel P. Walsh, Jeffrey S. Hall, Michelle Carstensen, Paul C. Wolf