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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: 3746

Light-mediated Zn uptake in photosynthetic biofilm

Our experiments conducted under controlled laboratory conditions demonstrate diel uptake and release of zinc (Zn) in lab-cultured biofilm exposed to Zn concentrations that are present in some mining-impacted streams (1–2 mg Zn/l). Specifically, at constant pH, temperature, and aqueous Zn concentrations in the exposure water, biofilm accumulated Zn during the light periods of the photocycle and rel
Authors
J.M. Morris, A.M. Farag, D. A. Nimick, J.S. Meyer

DNA damage and external lesions in brown bullheads (Ameiurus nebulosus) from contaminated habitats

The Comet assay was used to compare levels of DNA damage in brown bullheads (Ameiurus nebulosus) collected from three known contaminated locations, the Cuyahoga River (OH, USA), Ashtabula River (OH, USA; both tributaries to Lake Erie, USA), and Ashumet Pond (Cape Cod, MA, USA), with brown bullheads collected from three paired reference sites, Old Woman Creek (OH, USA), Conneaut River (OH, USA; bot
Authors
X. Yang, J. Meier, L. Chang, M. Rowan, P. C. Baumann

Occurrence and fate of organic contaminants during onsite wastewater treatment

Onsite wastewater treatment systems serve approximately 25% of the U.S. population. However, little is known regarding the occurrence and fate of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs), including endocrine disrupting compounds, during onsite treatment. A range of OWCs including surfactant metabolites, steroids, stimulants, metal-chelating agents, disinfectants, antimicrobial agents, and pharmaceut
Authors
K.E. Conn, L. B. Barber, G.K. Brown, R.L. Siegrist

Survey of organic wastewater contaminants in biosolids destined for land application

In this study, the presence, composition, and concentrations of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) were determined in solid materials produced during wastewater treatment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of these solids, collectively referred to as biosolids, as a source of OWCs to soil and water in contact with soil. Nine different biosolid products, produced by municipal
Authors
C.A. Kinney, E. T. Furlong, S.D. Zaugg, M.R. Burkhardt, S.L. Werner, J.D. Cahill, G.R. Jorgensen

Denitrification in nitrate-rich streams: Application of N2:Ar and 15N-tracer methods in intact cores

Rates of benthic denitrification were measured using two techniques, membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), applied to sediment cores from two NO3−‐rich streams draining agricultural land in the upper Mississippi River Basin. Denitrification was estimated simultaneously from measurements of N2:Ar (MIMS) and 15N[N2] (IRMS) after the addition of low‐level
Authors
Lesley K. Smith, M.A. Voytek, J.K. Böhlke, J. W. Harvey

Use of borehole radar tomography to monitor steam injection in fractured limestone

Borehole radar tomography was used as part of a pilot study to monitor steam‐enhanced remediation of a fractured limestone contaminated with volatile organic compounds at the former Loring Air Force Base, Maine, USA. Radar tomography data were collected using 100‐MHz electric‐dipole antennae before and during steam injection to evaluate whether cross‐hole radar methods could detect changes in medi
Authors
C. Gregoire, P. K. Joesten

From agricultural geology to hydropedology: Forging links within the twenty-first-century geoscience community

Despite historical linkages, the fields of geology and soil science have developed along largely divergent paths in the United States during much of the mid- to late-twentieth century. The shift in recent decades within both disciplines, towards greater emphasis on environmental-quality issues and a systems approach, has created new opportunities for collaboration and cross-training. Because of th
Authors
E. R. Landa

Tracer test with As(V) under variable redox conditions controlling arsenic transport in the presence of elevated ferrous iron concentrations

To study transport and reactions of arsenic under field conditions, a small-scale tracer test was performed in an anoxic, iron-reducing zone of a sandy aquifer at the USGS research site on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. For four weeks, a stream of groundwater with added As(V) (6.7 μM) and bromide (1.6 mM), was injected in order to observe the reduction of As(V) to As(III). Breakthrough of bromide (
Authors
R. Hohn, M. Isenbeck-Schroter, D.B. Kent, J.A. Davis, R. Jakobsen, S. Jann, V. Niedan, C. Scholz, S. Stadler, A. Tretner

Oink if you love coal

No abstract available.
Authors
E. R. Landa

Low-temperature MTBE biodegradation in aquifer sediments with a history of low, seasonal ground water temperatures

Sediments from two shallow, methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE)–contaminated aquifers, with mean ground water temperatures ∼10°C, demonstrated significant mineralization of [U‐14C] MTBE to 14CO2 at incubation temperatures as low as 4°C. These results indicate that microbial degradation can continue to contribute to the attenuation of MTBE in ground water under wintertime, low‐temperature conditions.
Authors
P. M. Bradley, J. E. Landmeyer

Resolving structural influences on water-retention properties of alluvial deposits

With the goal of improving property-transfer model (PTM) predictions of unsaturated hydraulic properties, we investigated the influence of sedimentary structure, defined as particle arrangement during deposition, on laboratory-measured water retention (water content vs. potential [θ(ψ)]) of 10 undisturbed core samples from alluvial deposits in the western Mojave Desert, California. The samples wer
Authors
K.A. Winfield, J. R. Nimmo, J. A. Izbicki, P. M. Martin

Presence and distribution of wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals in soil irrigated with reclaimed water

Three sites in the Front Range of Colorado, USA, were monitored from May through September 2003 to assess the presence and distribution of pharmaceuticals in soil irrigated with reclaimed water derived from urban wastewater. Soil cores were collected monthly, and 19 pharmaceuticals, all of which were detected during the present study, were measured in 5‐cm increments of the 30‐cm cores. Samples of
Authors
C.A. Kinney, E. T. Furlong, S.L. Werner, J.D. Cahill