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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

Determining temperature and thermal properties for heat-based studies of surface-water ground-water interactions: Appendix A of Heat as a tool for studying the movement of ground water near streams (Cir1260)

Advances in electronics leading to improved sensor technologies, large-scale circuit integration, and attendant miniaturization have created new opportunities to use heat as a tracer of subsurface flow. Because nature provides abundant thermal forcing at the land surface, heat is particularly useful in studying stream-groundwater interactions. This appendix describes methods for obtaining the ther
Authors
David A. Stonestrom, Kyle W. Blasch

CALFED: An experiment in science and decisionmaking

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program faces a challenging assignment: to develop a collaborative state-federal management plan for the complex river system and involve multiple stakeholders (primarily municipal, agricultural, and environmental entities) whose interests frequently are in direct conflict. Although many resource-management issues involve multiple stakeholders and conflict is integral to their
Authors
Kimberly A. Taylor, Katharine L. Jacobs, Samuel N. Luoma

Assessing toxicant effects in a complex estuary--A case study of effects of silver on reproduction in the bivalve, Potamocurbula amurensis, in San Francisco Bay

Contaminant exposures in natural systems can be highly variable. This variability is superimposed upon cyclic variability in biological processes. Together, these factors can confound determination of contaminant effects. Long term, multidisciplined studies with high frequency sampling can be effective in overcoming such obstacles. While studying trace metal contamination in the tissues of the cla
Authors
Cynthia L. Brown, Francis Parchaso, Janet K. Thompson, Samuel N. Luoma

Atomic weights of the elements. Review 2000 (IUPAC Technical Report)

A consistent set of internationally accepted atomic weights has long been an essential aim of the scientific community because of the relevance of these values to science and technology, as well as to trade and commerce subject to ethical, legal, and international standards. The standard atomic weights of the elements are regularly evaluated, recommended, and published in updated tables by the Com
Authors
John R. de Laeter, John Karl Böhlke, P. De Bièvre, H. Hidaka, H.S. Peiser, K.J.R. Rosman, P.D.P. Taylor

Two new organic reference materials for δ13C and δ15N measurements and a new value for the δ13C of NBS 22 oil

Analytical grade L-glutamic acid is chemically stable and has a C/N mole ratio of 5, which is close to that of many of natural biological materials, such as blood and animal tissue. Two L-glutamic acid reference materials with substantially different 13C and 15N abundances have been prepared for use as organic reference materials for C and N isotopic measurements. USGS40 is analytical grade L-glut
Authors
Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen, Heike Geilmann, Willi A. Brand, J.K. Böhlke

Peer reviewed: Characterizing aquatic dissolved organic matter

Whether it causes aesthetic concerns such as color, taste, and odor; leads to the binding and transport of organic and inorganic contaminants; produces undesirable disinfection byproducts; provides sources and sinks for carbon; or mediates photochemical processes, the nature and properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water are topics of significant environmental interest. DOM is also a ma
Authors
Jerry A. Leenheer, Jean-Philippe Croué

The ecology of arsenic

Arsenic is a metalloid whose name conjures up images of murder. Nonetheless, certain prokaryotes use arsenic oxyanions for energy generation, either by oxidizing arsenite or by respiring arsenate. These microbes are phylogenetically diverse and occur in a wide range of habitats. Arsenic cycling may take place in the absence of oxygen and can contribute to organic matter oxidation. In aquifers, the
Authors
Ronald S. Oremland, John F. Stolz

Immobilization of cobalt by sulfate-reducing bacteria in subsurface sediments

We investigated the impact of sulfate-reduction on immobilization of metals in subsurface aquifers. Co 2+ was used as a model for heavy metals. Factors limiting sulfate-reduction dependent Co 2+ immobilization were tested on pure cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria, and in sediment columns from a landfill leachate contaminated aquifer. In the presence of 1 mM Co 2+ , the growth of pure cultures
Authors
Lee R. Krumholz, Dwayne A. Elias, Joseph M. Suflita

Temperature-profile methods for estimating percolation rates in arid environments

Percolation rates are estimated using vertical temperature profiles from sequentially deeper vadose environments, progressing from sediments beneath stream channels, to expansive basin-fill materials, and finally to deep fractured bedrock underlying mountainous terrain. Beneath stream channels, vertical temperature profiles vary over time in response to downward heat transport, which is generally
Authors
Jim Constantz, Scott W. Tyler, Edward Kwicklis

Spatial variability of groundwater recharge and its effect on shallow groundwater quality in southern New Jersey

Point estimates of groundwater recharge at 48 sediment-coring locations vary substantially (−18.5–1840 cm yr−1) in a 930-km2 area of southern New Jersey. Darcian estimates of steady, long-term recharge made at depth in the unsaturated zone were estimated using pedotransfer functions of soil texture and interpolated (mapped) with nonparametric methods to assess aquifer vulnerability in the area. Th
Authors
Bernard T. Nolan, Arthur L. Baehr, Leon J. Kauffman

Comment on “Isotopic fractionation between Fe(III) and Fe(II) in aqueous solutions” by Clark Johnson et al., [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 195 (2002) 141–153]

In a recent contribution [1], Johnson et al. reported the equilibrium isotope fractionation factor between dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III) in aqueous solutions at pH=2.5 and 5.5. They suggest that because the iron isotope fractionation observed in their experiments spans virtually the entire range observed in sedimentary rocks, Fe(II)–Fe(III) aqueous speciation may play a major role in determining ir
Authors
Thomas D. Bullen, Arthur F. White, Cyril W. Childs