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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

Residence times and nitrate transport in ground water discharging to streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

One of the major water-quality problems in the Chesapeake Bay is an overabundance of nutrients from the streams and rivers that discharge to the Bay. Some of these nutrients are from nonpoint sources such as atmospheric deposition, agricultural manure and fertilizer, and septic systems. The effects of efforts to control nonpoint sources, however, can be difficult to quantify because of the lag tim
Authors
Bruce D. Lindsey, Scott Phillips, Colleen A. Donnelly, Gary K. Speiran, Niel Plummer, John Karl Bohlke, Michael J. Focazio, William C. Burton, Eurybiades Busenberg

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 2. Low-flow (2001) and snowmelt (2002) synoptic/tracer water chemistry for the Red River, New Mexico

Water analyses are reported for 259 samples collected from the Red River, New Mexico, and its tributaries during low-flow(2001) and spring snowmelt (2002) tracer studies. Water samples were collected along a 20-kilometer reach of the Red River beginning just east of the town of Red River and ending at the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station located east of Questa, New Mexico. T
Authors
R. Blaine McCleskey, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Judy I. Steiger, Briant A. Kimball, Philip L. Verplanck

Airflows and turbulent flux measurements in mountainous terrain: Part 1. Canopy and local effects

We have studied the effects of local topography and canopy structure on turbulent flux measurements at a site located in mountainous terrain within a subalpine, coniferous forest. Our primary aim was to determine whether the complex terrain of the site affects the accuracy of eddy flux measurements from a practical perspective. We observed displacement heights, roughness lengths, spectral peaks, t
Authors
Andrew A. Turnipseed, Dean E. Anderson, Peter D. Blanken, William M. Baugh, Russell K. Monson

Use of boundary fluxes when simulating solute transport with the MODFLOW ground-water transport process

This report describes modifications to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) threedimensional solute-transport model (MODFLOWGWT), which is incorporated into the USGS MODFLOW ground-water model as the Ground- Water Transport (GWT) Process. The modifications improve the capability of MODFLOW-GWT to accurately simulate solute transport in simulations that represent a nonzero flux across an aquife
Authors
Leonard F. Konikow, G.Z. Hornberger

Modeling hyporheic zone processes

Stream biogeochemistry is influenced by the physical and chemical processes that occur in the surrounding watershed. These processes include the mass loading of solutes from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, the physical transport of solutes within the watershed, and the transformation of solutes due to biogeochemical reactions. Research over the last two decades has identified the hyporheic zo
Authors
Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Harihar Rajaram

Reconnaissance data for glyphosate, other selected herbicides, their degradation products, and antibiotics in 51 streams in nine midwestern states, 2002

Since 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey has conducted periodic reconnaissance studies of streams in the Midwestern United States to determine the geographic and seasonal distribution of herbicide compounds. These studies have documented that large amounts of acetochlor, alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and their degradation products are flushed into streams during post-application runoff
Authors
Elisabeth A. Scribner, William A. Battaglin, Julie E. Dietze, E.M. Thurman

Announcing a Hydrogeology Journal theme issue on "The future of hydrogeology"

What is the future of hydrogeology? Are most of the fundamental scientific problems in hydrogeology already solved? Is there really any need for more fundamental research, field measurements, or method development? Have recent scientific advances really added capabilities and tools for our practical needs? Are there any unsolved hydrogeologic questions still remaining that are vital to our optimal
Authors
Clifford I. Voss

Work plan for determining the occurrence of glyphosate, its transformation product AMPA, other herbicide compounds, and antibiotics in midwestern United States streams, 2002

Changes in herbicide use in the Midwestern United States have been substantial over the last 5 years. Most significant is a tripling in the use of glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl]glycin). Over this same time period (1997­2001), atrazine use increased by 20 percent and acetochlor use increased by 10 percent, while cyanazine use decreased by 99 percent, alachlor use decreased by 70 percent, and metol
Authors
W.A. Battaglin, E.M. Thurman, D.W. Kolpin, E.A. Scribner, Mark W. Sandstrom, K.M. Kuivila

A procedure for quantitation of total oxidized uranium for bioremediation studies

A procedure was developed for the quantitation of complexed U(VI) during studies on U(VI) bioremediation. These studies typically involve conversion of soluble or complexed U(VI) (oxidized) to U(IV) (the reduced form which is much less soluble). Since U(VI) freely exchanges between material adsorbed to the solid phase and the dissolved phase, uranium bioremediation experiments require a mass balan
Authors
Dwayne A. Elias, John M. Senko, Lee R. Krumholz