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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

Diel cycles in dissolved metal concentrations in streams: Occurrence and possible causes

Substantial diel (24‐hour) cycles in dissolved (0.1‐μm filtration) metal concentrations were observed during low flow for 18 sampling episodes at 14 sites on 12 neutral and alkaline streams draining historical mining areas in Montana and Idaho. At some sites, concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, and Zn increased as much as 119, 306, 167, and 500%, respectively, from afternoon minimum values to maximum va
Authors
David A. Nimick, Christopher H. Gammons, Tom Cleasby, James P. Madison, Don Skaar, Christine M. Brick

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix regional integration to quantify spectra for dissolved organic matter

Excitation−emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy has been widely used to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water and soil. However, interpreting the >10,000 wavelength-dependent fluorescence intensity data points represented in EEMs has posed a significant challenge. Fluorescence regional integration, a quantitative technique that integrates the volume beneath an EEM, was de
Authors
W. Chen, P. Westerhoff, J. A. Leenheer, K. Booksh

Reduction of elemental selenium to selenide: Experiments with anoxic sediments and bacteria that respire Se-oxyanions

A selenite-respiring bacterium, Bacillus selenitireducens, produced significant levels of Se(-II) (as aqueous HSe−) when supplied with Se(0). B. selenitireducens was also able to reduce selenite [Se(IV)] through Se(0) to Se(-II). Reduction of Se(0) by B. selenitireducens was more rapid in cells grown on colloidal sulfur [S(0)] or Se(IV) as their electron acceptor than for cell lines grown on fumar
Authors
M.J. Herbel, J.S. Blum, R.S. Oremland, S.E. Borglin

A new cation-exchange method for accurate field speciation of hexavalent chromium

A new method for field speciation of Cr(VI) has been developed to meet present stringent regulatory standards and to overcome the limitations of existing methods. The method consists of passing a water sample through strong acid cation-exchange resin at the field site, where Cr(III) is retained while Cr(VI) passes into the effluent and is preserved for later determination. The method is simple, ra
Authors
J. W. Ball, R. Blaine McCleskey

Effect of hydrologic and geochemical conditions on oxygen-enhanced bioremediation in a gasoline-contaminated aquifer

The effect of pre-existing factors, e.g., hydrologic, geochemical, and microbiological properties, on the results of oxygen addition to a reformulated gasoline-contaminated groundwater system was studied. Oxygen addition with an oxygen-release compound (a proprietary form of magnesium peroxide produced different results with respect to dissolved oxygen (DO) generation and contaminant decrease in t
Authors
J. E. Landmeyer, P. M. Bradley

Offset vertical radar profiling

Diffraction tomography imaging was applied to VRP data acquired by vertically moving a receiving antenna in a number of wells. This procedure simulated a vertical downhole receiver array. Similarly, a transmitting antenna was sequentially moved along a series of radial lines extending outward from the receiver wells. This provided a sequence of multistatic data sets and, from each data set, a two-
Authors
A. Witten, J. Lane

Inhibition of acetoclastic methanogenesis in crude oil- and creosote-contaminated groundwater

The inhibition of acetoclastic methanogenesis in crude oil- and creosote-contaminated groundwater was studied. The crude oil and water-soluble components of creosote contributed to the inhibition of acetoclastic methanogens. Acetoclastic methanogenesis was much more susceptible to the toxic inhibition of crude oil and creosote than either hydrogen- or formate-utilizing methanogenesis. The effect o
Authors
E. Warren, B.A. Bekins, E.M. Godsy, V. K. Smith

A reservoir of nitrate beneath desert soils

A large reservoir of bioavailable nitrogen (up to ∼104 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, as nitrate) has been previously overlooked in studies of global nitrogen distribution. The reservoir has been accumulating in subsoil zones of arid regions throughout the Holocene. Consideration of the subsoil reservoir raises estimates of vadose-zone nitrogen inventories by 14 to 71% for warm deserts and ari
Authors
Michelle Ann Walvoord, Fred M. Phillips, David A. Stonestrom, R. Dave Evans, Peter C. Hartsough, Brent D. Newman, Robert G. Striegl

Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids

An in‐stream injection of two dissolved organic acids (phthalic and aspartic acids) was performed in an acidic mountain stream to assess the effects of organic acids on Fe photoreduction and H2O2 cycling. Results indicate that the fate of Fe is dependent on a net balance of oxidative and reductive processes, which can vary over a distance of several meters due to changes in incident light and othe
Authors
Durelle T. Scott, Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Bettina M. Voelker, Briant A. Kimball, Elizabeth R. Carraway

The fate of wastewater-derived nitrate in the subsurface of the Florida Keys: Key Colony Beach, Florida

Shallow injection is the predominant mode of wastewater disposal for most tourist-oriented facilities and some residential communities in the US Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Concern has been expressed that wastewater nutrients may be escaping from the saline groundwater system into canals and surrounding coastal waters and perhaps to the reef tract 10 km offshore, promoting unwanted alg
Authors
E.M. Griggs, L.R. Kump, J.K. Böhlke

Mineral precipitation and dissolution at two slag-disposal sites in northwestern Indiana, USA

Slag is a ubiquitous byproduct of the iron- and steel-refining industries. In northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois, slag has been deposited over more than 52 km2 of land surface. Despite the widespread use of slag for fill and construction purposes, little is known about its chemical effects on the environment. Two slagdisposal sites were examined in northwestern Indiana where slag was d
Authors
E.R. Bayless, M. S. Schulz

Automated calibration of a stream solute transport model: Implications for interpretation of biogeochemical parameters

The hydrologic processes of advection, dispersion, and transient storage are the primary physical mechanisms affecting solute transport in streams. The estimation of parameters for a conservative solute transport model is an essential step to characterize transient storage and other physical features that cannot be directly measured, and often is a preliminary step in the study of reactive solutes
Authors
D.T. Scott, M.N. Gooseff, K.E. Bencala, R.L. Runkel