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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: 3787

Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of sewage-sludge disposal at the Lowry sewage-sludge-disposal area, near Denver, Colorado, on ground- and surface-water quality, to determine the fate of nitrates from sludge leachate, and to determine the source areas of leachate and the potential for additional leaching from the disposal area.Sewage-sludge disposal began in 1969. Two methods wer
Authors
James A. Tindall, Kenneth J. Lull, Neville G. Gaggiani

Influence of diurnal variations in stream temperature on streamflow loss and groundwater recharge

We demonstrate that for losing reaches with significant diurnal variations in stream temperature, the effect of stream temperature on streambed seepage is a major factor contributing to reduced afternoon streamflows. An explanation is based on the effect of stream temperature on the hydraulic conductivity of the streambed, which can be expected to double in the 0° to 25°C temperature range. Result
Authors
Jim Constantz, Carole L. Thomas, Gary W. Zellweger

Anaerobic biodegradation of halogenated and nonhalogenated N-, s-, and o-heterocyclic compounds in aquifer slurries

The fate of several halogenated and nonhalogenated heterocyclic compounds in anoxic aquifer slurries was investigated Substrate depletion and methane formation were monitored in serum bottle incubations by HPLC and GC, respectively Pyridine, pyrimidine, thiophene, and furan were not mineralized following an 11-month incubation, but the corresponding carboxylated or oxygenated compounds were That i
Authors
Neal R. Adrian, Joseph M. Suflita

Spatial variability in biodegradation rates as evidenced by methane production from an aquifer

Accurate predictions of carbon and energy cycling rates in the environment depend on sampling frequencies and on the spatial variability associated with biological activities. We examined the variability associated with anaerobic biodegradation rates at two sites in an alluvial sand aquifer polluted by municipal landfill leachate. In situ rates of methane production were measured for almost a year
Authors
Neal R. Adrian, Joseph A. Robinson, Joseph M. Suflita

Reply to “Comment on ‘An efficient numerical solution of the transient storage equations for solute transport in small streams" by R. L. Runkel and S. C. Chapra

We thank Dawes and Short [this issue] for presenting an alternate technique for the efficient solution of the transient storage solute transport equations. After reading their comment, it is clear that several points in our original manuscript are in need of clarification. In this reply we provide additional information on our solution technique and comment briefly on the alternate scheme of Dawes
Authors
Robert L. Runkel, Steven C. Charpa

Variations in water balance and recharge potential at three western desert sites

Radioactive and hazardous waste landfills exist at numerous desert locations in the USA. At these locations, annual precipitation is low and soils are generally dry, yet little is known about recharge of water and transport of contaminants to the water table. Recent water balance measurements made at three desert locations, Las Cruces, NM, Beatty, NV, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Si
Authors
G.W. Gee, P.J. Wierenga, Brian J. Andraski, M.H. Young, M.J. Fayer, M.L. Rockhold

Anaerobic biodegradation of methyl esters by Acetobacterium woodii and Eubacterium limosum

The ability ofAcetobacterium woodii andEubacterium limosum to degrade methyl esters of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and isobutyrate was examined under growing and resting-cell conditions. Both bacteria hydrolyzed the esters to the corresponding carboxylates and methanol under either condition. Methanol was further oxidized to formate under growing but not resting conditions. Unlike the metabolis
Authors
Shi Liu, Joseph M. Suflita

Notes on a Mesodinium rubrum red tide in San Francisco Bay (California, USA)

Discrete red patches of water were observed in South San Francisco Bay (USA) on 30 April 1993, and examination of live samples showed that this red tide was caused by surface accumulations of the pigmented ciliate Mesodinium rubrum . Vertical profiles showed strong salinity and temperature stratification in the upper 5 m, peak chlorophyll fluorescence in the upper meter, and differences in the sma
Authors
James E. Cloern, Brian E. Cole, Stephen W. Hager

Methanolobus taylorii sp nov, a new methylotropic, estuarine methanogen

Previously published phylogenetic studies of 16S rRNA showed that methylotrophic, slightly halophilic, methanogenic strain GS-16T (T = type strain) represents a new species of bacterium. We propose the name Methanolobus taylorii for this species; strain GS-16 is the type strain.
Authors
Ronald S. Oremland, David R. Boone

Geochemical interactions between constituents in acidic groundwater and alluvium in an aquifer near Globe, Arizona

Acidic water from a copper-mining area has contaminated an alluvial aquifer and stream near Globe, Arizona. The most contaminated groundwater has a pH of 3.3, and contains about 100 mmol/1 SO4, 50 mmol/1 Fe, 11 mmol/1 Al and 3 mmol/1 Cu. Reactions between alluvium and acidic groundwater were first evaluated in laboratory column experiments. A geochemical model was developed and used in the equilib
Authors
Kenneth G. Stollenwerk

Ammonium sorption to channel and riparian sediments: A transient storage pool for dissolved inorganic nitrogen

Sediment (0.5 mm–2.0 mm grain size) was incubated in nylon bags (200 μm mesh) below the water table in the channel and in two transects of shallow wells perpendicular to the banks (to 18 m) of a third-order stream during August, 1987. One transect of wells drained steep old-growth forest, and the other a steep 23 year-old clear-cut partially regenerated in alder. At approximately 6-week intervals
Authors
Frank J. Triska, Alan P. Jackman, John H. Duff, Ronald J. Avanzino

Microbial transformation of nitroaromatics in surface soils and aquifer materials

Microorganisms indigenous to surface soils and aquifer materials collected at a munitions-contaminated site transformed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT) to amino-nitro intermediates within 20 to 70 days. Carbon mineralization studies with both unlabeled (TNT, 2,4-DNT, and 2,6-DNT) and radiolabeled ([14C]TNT) substrates indicated that a sig
Authors
P. M. Bradley, F. H. Chapelle, J. E. Landmeyer, J.G. Schumacher