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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

Determination of the total oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate and the calibration of a Δ17Ο nitrate reference material

A thermal decomposition method was developed and tested for the simultaneous determination of δ18O and δ17Ο in nitrate. The thermal decomposition of AgNO3 allows for the rapid and accurate determination of 18O/16O and 17O/16O isotopic ratios with a precision of ±1.5‰ for δ18O and ±0.11‰ for Δ17Ο (Δ17Ο = δ17Ο − 0.52 × δ18O). The international nitrate isotope reference material IAEA-NO3 yielded a δ1
Authors
Greg Michalski, Joel Savarino, J.K. Böhlke, Mark Thiemens

Mercury(II) sorption to two Florida Everglades peat: Evidence for strong and weak binding and competition by dissolved organic matter released from the peat

The binding of mercury(II) to two peats from Florida Everglades sites with different rates of mercury methylation was measured at pH 6.0 and 0.01 M ionic strength. The mercury(II) sorption isotherms, measured over a total mercury(II) range of 10-7.4 to 10-3.7 M, showed the competition for mercury(II) between the peat and dissolved organic matter released from the peat and the existence of strong a
Authors
R. Todd Drexel, Markus Haitzer, Joseph N. Ryan, George R. Aiken, Kathryn L. Nagy

Measurement of the oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate in seawater and freshwater using the denitrifier method

We report a novel method for measurement of the oxygen isotopic composition (18O/16O) of nitrate (NO3-) from both seawater and freshwater. The denitrifier method, based on the isotope ratio analysis of nitrous oxide generated from sample nitrate by cultured denitrifying bacteria, has been described elsewhere for its use in nitrogen isotope ratio (15N/14N) analysis of nitrate.1Here, we address the
Authors
K.L. Casciotti, D.M. Sigman, M. Galanter Hastings, J. K. Böhlke, A. Hilkert

Mobilization of natural colloids from an iron oxide-coated sand aquifer: Effect of pH and ionic strength

Field and laboratory column experiments were performed to assess the effect of elevated pH and reduced ionic strength on the mobilization of natural colloids in a ferric oxyhydroxide-coated aquifer sediment. The field experiments were conducted as natural gradient injections of groundwater amended by sodium hydroxide additions. The laboratory experiments were conducted in columns of undisturbed, o
Authors
Rebecca A. Bunn, Robin D. Magelky, Joseph N. Ryan, Menachem Elimelech

A comment on the use of flushing time, residence time, and age as transport time scales

Applications of transport time scales are pervasive in biological, hydrologic, and geochemical studies yet these times scales are not consistently defined and applied with rigor in the literature. We compare three transport time scales (flushing time, age, and residence time) commonly used to measure the retention of water or scalar quantities transported with water. We identify the underlying ass
Authors
Nancy E. Monsen, James E. Cloern, Lisa V. Lucas, Stephen G. Monismith

The evolving benthic community

No abstract available.
Authors
Janet K. Thompson

Evaluating the influence of source basins on downstream water quality in the Mississippi River

Chemical variability in the Mississippi River during water years 1989 to 1998 was evaluated using stream discharge and water‐quality data in conjunction with the DAFLOW/BLTM hydraulic model. Model simulations were used to identify subbasin contributions of water and chemical constituents to the Mississippi River upstream from its confluence with the Ohio and the Mississippi River and at the Atchaf
Authors
Gregory M. Clark, Robert E. Broshears, Richard P. Hooper, Donald A. Goolsby

Using groundwater levels to estimate recharge

Accurate estimation of groundwater recharge is extremely important for proper management of groundwater systems. Many different approaches exist for estimating recharge. This paper presents a review of methods that are based on groundwater-level data. The water-table fluctuation method may be the most widely used technique for estimating recharge; it requires knowledge of specific yield and change
Authors
R. W. Healy, P.G. Cook

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of aquatic and terrestrial plants of the San Francisco Bay estuarine system

We report measurements of seasonal variability in the C‐N stable isotope ratios of plants collected across the habitat mosaic of San Francisco Bay, its marshes, and its tributary river system. Analyses of 868 plant samples were binned into 10 groups (e.g., terrestrial riparian, freshwater phytoplankton, salt marsh) to determine whether C‐N isotopes can be used as biomarkers for tracing the origins
Authors
J. E. Cloern, E. A. Canuel, D. Harris

A comparison of surface water natural organic matter in raw filtered water samples, XAD, and reverse osmosis isolates

This research compared raw filtered waters (RFWs), XAD resin isolates (XAD-8 and XAD-4), and reverse osmosis (RO) isolates of several surface water samples from McDonalds Branch, a small freshwater fen in the New Jersey Pine Barrens (USA). RO and XAD-8 are two of the most common techniques used to isolate natural organic matter (NOM) for studies of composition and reactivity; therefore, it is impo
Authors
P.A. Maurice, M.J. Pullin, S.E. Cabaniss, Q. Zhou, K. Namjesnik-Dejanovic, G. R. Aiken

Assessment of relative accuracy in the determination of organic matter concentrations in aquatic systems

Accurate determinations of total (TOC), dissolved (DOC) and particulate (POC) organic carbon concentrations are critical for understanding the geochemical, environmental, and ecological roles of aquatic organic matter. Of particular significance for the drinking water industry, TOC measurements are the basis for compliance with US EPA regulations. The results of an interlaboratory comparison desig
Authors
G. Aiken, L.A. Kaplan, J. Weishaar