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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

Inorganic nitrogen transformations in the bed of the Shingobee River, Minnesota: Integrating hydrologic and biological processes using sediment perfusion cores

Inorganic N transformations were examined in streambed sediments from the Shingobee River using sediment perfusion cores. The experimental design simulated groundwater-stream water mixing within sediment cores, which provided a well-defined one-dimensional representation of in situ hydrologic conditions. Two distinct hydrologic and chemical settings were preserved in the sediment cores: the lowerm
Authors
R.W. Sheibley, J.H. Duff, A. P. Jackman, F.J. Triska

Bioreactors for removing methyl bromide following contained fumigations

Use of methyl bromide (MeBr) as a quarantine, commodity, or structural fumigant is under scrutiny because its release to the atmosphere contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. A closed-system bioreactor consisting of 0.5 L of a growing culture of a previously described bacterium, strain IMB-1, removed MeBr (>110 μmol L-1) from recirculating air. Strain IMB-1 grew slowly to high cell d
Authors
Laurence G. Miller, Shaun Baesman, Ronald S. Oremland

Comparison of approaches for simulating reactive solute transport involving organic degradation reactions by multiple terminal electron acceptors

Reactive solute transport models are useful tools for analyzing complex geochemical behavior resulting from biodegradation of organic compounds by multiple terminal electron acceptors (TEAPs). The usual approach of simulating the reactions of multiple TEAPs by an irreversible Monod rate law was compared with simulations that assumed a partial local equilibrium or kinetically controlled reactions s
Authors
Gary P. Curtis

Effects of stormwater infiltration on quality of groundwater beneath retention and detention basins

Infiltration of storm water through detention and retention basins may increase the risk of groundwater contamination, especially in areas where the soil is sandy and the water table shallow, and contaminants may not have a chance to degrade or sorb onto soil particles before reaching the saturated zone. Groundwater from 16 monitoring wells installed in basins in southern New Jersey was compared t
Authors
D. Fischer, Emmanuel G. Charles, Arthur L. Baehr

Mass spectrometric identification of an azobenzene derivative produced by smectite-catalyzed conversion of 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid

The compound 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-amino-HPAA) reacts with smectite to form a soluble azobenzene arsonic acid compound. This reaction is of particular interest because it provides a possible mechanism for the formation of a new type of arsenic compound in natural water systems. 3-Amino-HPAA is a degradation product excreted by chickens that are fed rations amended with roxarsone.
Authors
Robert L. Wershaw, David W. Rutherford, Colleen E. Rostad, John R. Garbarino, I. Ferrer, K. R. Kennedy, G.-M. Momplaisir, A. Grange

Benthic sulfate reduction along the Chesapeake Bay central channel. II. Temporal controls

Seasonal and interannual controls of benthic sulfate reduction (SR) were examined at 3 sites (upper [UB], mid- [MB] and lower [LB] bay) along the Chesapeake Bay central channel, from early spring through fall, for 6 yr (1989 to 1994). The combined influences of temperature, sulfate, organic loading and bioturbation affected seasonal SR rates differently in the 3 regions. Consistently low SR rates
Authors
M. C. Marvin-DiPasquale, W.R. Boynton, D.G. Capone

Molecular-scale characterization of uranium sorption by bone apatite materials for a permeable reactive barrier demonstration

Uranium binding to bone charcoal and bone meal apatite materials was investigated using U LIII-edge EXAFS spectroscopy and synchrotron source XRD measurements of laboratory batch preparations in the absence and presence of dissolved carbonate. Pelletized bone char apatite recovered from a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) at Fry Canyon, UT, was also studied. EXAFS analyses indicate that U(VI) sorpt
Authors
C. C. Fuller, J.R. Bargar, J.A. Davis

Estimation of hectare-scale soil-moisture characteristics from aquifer-test data

Analysis of a 72-h, constant-rate aquifer test conducted in a coarse-grained and highly permeable, glacial outwash deposit on Cape Cod, Massachusetts revealed that drawdowns measured in 20 piezometers located at various depths below the water table and distances from the pumped well were significantly influenced by effects of drainage from the vadose zone. The influence was greatest in piezometers
Authors
A.F. Moench

Time‐lapse imaging of saline‐tracer transport in fractured rock using difference‐attenuation radar tomography

Accurate characterization of fractured‐rock aquifer heterogeneity remains one of the most challenging and important problems in groundwater hydrology. We demonstrate a promising strategy to identify preferential flow paths in fractured rock using a combination of geophysical monitoring and conventional hydrogeologic tests. Cross‐well difference‐attenuation ground‐penetrating radar was used to moni
Authors
Frederick D. Day-Lewis, John W. Lane, Jerry M. Harris, Steven M. Gorelick

Inverse modeling of BTEX dissolution and biodegradation at the Bemidji, MN crude-oil spill site

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) solute transport and biodegradation code BIOMOC was used in conjunction with the USGS universal inverse modeling code UCODE to quantify field-scale hydrocarbon dissolution and biodegradation at the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program crude-oil spill research site located near Bemidji, MN. This inverse modeling effort used the extensive historical data compiled
Authors
H.I. Essaid, I.M. Cozzarelli, R.P. Eganhouse, W.N. Herkelrath, B.A. Bekins, G. N. Delin

Meteorology and hydrology in Yosemite National Park: A sensor network application

Over half of California's water supply comes from high elevations in the snowmelt-dominated Sierra Nevada. Natural climate fluctuations, global warming, and the growing needs of water consumers demand intelligent management of this water resource. This requires a comprehensive monitoring system across and within the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, because of severe terrain and limited access, few me
Authors
J.D. Lundquist, D.R. Cayan, M. D. Dettinger

Effect of isolated fractures on accelerated flow in unsaturated porous rock

Fractures that begin and end in the unsaturated zone, or isolated fractures, have been ignored in previous studies because they were generally assumed to behave as capillary barriers and remain nonconductive. We conducted a series of experiments using Berea sandstone samples to examine the physical mechanisms controlling flow in a rock containing a single isolated fracture. The input fluxes and fr
Authors
Grace W. Su, John R. Nimmo, Maria I. Dragila