Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
The GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter—published since 2004—provides information on USGS science activities pertinent to safeguarding the health of fish, wildlife, domesticated animals, and people from environmental exposures to contaminants and pathogens.
Featured Science Activities
Featured Science Activities
Lean about our Featured Science Activities through our pages that highlight science studies, publications, and results.
Filter Total Items: 3746
Chloride and tritium concentrations in a thick unsaturated zone underlying an intermittent stream in the Mojave Desert, Southern California, USA
No abstract available.
Authors
John A. Izbicki, Robert L. Michel, P. Martin
Predictive double-layer modeling of metal sorption in mine-drainage systems
Previous comparison of predictive double-layer modeling and empirically derived metal-partitioning data has validated the use of the double-layer model to predict metal sorption reactions in iron-rich mine-drainage systems. The double-layer model subsequently has been used to model data collected from several mine-drainage sites in Colorado with diverse geochemistry and geology. This work demonstr
Authors
K. S. Smith, J. F. Ranville, D.L. Macalady
Fundamentals of isotope geochemistry
The dominant use of isotopes in catchment research in the last few decades has been to trace sources of waters and solutes. Generally, such data were evaluated with simple mixing models to determine how much was derived from either of the two (sometimes three) constant-composition sources. This chapter illustrates the environmental isotopes that are natural and anthropogenic isotopes whose wide di
Authors
Carol Kendall, Eric A. Caldwell
Use of 13C NMR and FTIR for elucidation of degradation pathways during natural litter decomposition and compositing. III. Characterization of leachate from different types of leaves
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert L. Wershaw, J. A. Leenheer, K. R. Kennedy
Isotopes as indicators of environmental change
In addition to providing an understanding of processes within a catchment system, isotopic techniques have been instrumental in providing reconstructions of catchment climate and other environmental indicators at various time scales. Many recent changes are a direct consequence of anthropogenic activities. Isotopic analysis serves as a valuable tool for distinguishing between natural variations in
Authors
James B. Shanley, Elise Pendall, Carol Kendall, Lora R. Stevens, Robert L. Michel, Patrick J. Phillips, Richard Forester, David L. Naftz, Beiling Liu, Libby Stern, Brent B. Wolfe, C. Page Chamberlain, Steven W. Leavitt, T. H. Heaton, Bernhard Mayer, L. DeWayne Cecil, W. Berry Lyons, Brian G. Katz, Julio L. Betancourt, Diane M. McKnight, Joel D. Blum, Thomas W.D. Edwards, Harold R. House, Emi Ito, Ramon O. Aravena, Joseph F. Whelan
Using transport model interpretations of tracer tests to study microbial processes in groundwater
It has long been known that microorganisms affect the geochemistry of groundwater. But despite this recognition, little detailed information is available regarding the rates and the factors controlling microbial processes in groundwater. Part of the reason stems from the relatively inaccessible nature of most groundwater and the difficulties encountered in obtaining representative samples of groun
Authors
Richard L. Smith, Stephen P. Garabedian
Oxygen isotopes of dissolved sulfate as a tool to distinguish natural and mining-related dissolved constituents
Natural and mining-related dissolved-constituent concentrations need to be distinguished in a watershed affected by abandoned mines to prioritize subbasins for remediation and to assist with the establishmentof water-quality standards. The oxygen isotopes of dissolved sulfate can be used to distinguish between natural and mining-related sources of dissolved constituents. Several methods employing
Authors
Winfield G. Wright, D. Kirk Nordstrom
Water-chemistry and on-site sulfur-speciation data for selected springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 1994-1995
Forty-two water analyses are reported for samples collected at 8 hot springs and their
overflow drainages, two geysers, and two ambient-temperature acid streams in Yellowstone National
Park during 1994-95. These water samples were collected and analyzed as part of the initial
research investigations on sulfur redox speciation in the hot springs of Yellowstone and to document
chemical changes i
Authors
James W. Ball, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Kirk M. Cunningham, Martin A. Schoonen, Yong Xu, Jennifer M. DeMonge
Salinity and temperature in south San Francisco Bay, California, at Dumbarton Bridge: Measurements from the 1995-1998 water years and comparisons with results from the 1990-1993 water years
No abstract available.
Authors
Laurence E. Schemel
Design, operation, and data analysis for a wireline packer system in open boreholes, with field-test results from Belvidere, Illinois
A wireline-operated packer was designed for use with a standard geophysical logging system. The packer probe consists of a downhole packer inflated with water removed from the borehole by an in-line submersible pump, and a differential pressure transducer calibrated to measure the hydraulic-head difference between the zones above and below the packer. Analysis of the packer data is based on a nume
Authors
Frederick L. Paillet, A.E. Hess, John H. Williams
Sedimentation and bathymetric change in San Pablo Bay: 1856-1983
A long-term perspective of erosion and deposition in San Francisco Bay is vital to understanding and managing wetland change, harbor and channel siltation, and other sediment-related phenomena such as particle and particle-associated substance (pollutants, trace metals, etc.) transport and deposition. A quantitative comparison of historical hydrographic surveys provides this perspective. This repo
Authors
Bruce E. Jaffe, Richard E. Smith, Laura Zink Torresan