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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

Increased solubility of quartz in water due to complexing by organic compounds

Quartz is the most stable natural solid phase of silica. It weathers extremely slowly at the Earth's surface1, and often resists weathering even after all other silicate minerals have been degraded. However, there is ample evidence from both ancient and modern environments indicating enhanced dissolution and mobility of silica under conditions that cannot easily be explained by the inorganic contr
Authors
P. Bennett, D. I. Siegel

Monodisperse ferrous phosphate colloids in an anoxic groundwater plume

Groundwater samples collected near a secondary-sewage infiltration site on Cape Cod, Massachusetts were examined for colloidal materials (10–1000 nm). In two wells the water contained a population of monodisperse 100-nm particles, detected using laser-light scattering and autocorrelation data processing. SEM and SEM-EDAX analysis of these colloidal materials collected on ultrafilters confirmed the
Authors
Philip M. Gschwend, Matthew D. Reynolds

Fitting straight lines in the earth sciences

No abstract available. 
Authors
B.M. Troutman, G. P. Williams

Crude oil identification with electrothermal vaporization-multiple wavelength absorption spectrometry

A spectrometric technique utilizing electrothermal vaporization (graphite furnace) and gas phase-multiple wavelength absorption with photodiode array detection is used to characterize crude oil.
Authors
J.M. Shekiro, R. K Skogerboe, Howard E. Taylor

An empirical model for estimating phytoplankton productivity in estuaries

e have previously shown that primary productivity in San Francisco Bay, USA, is highly correlated with phytoplankton biomass B (chlorophyll a concentration) and an index of light avallability in the photic zone, 2, I, (photic depth times surface irradiance). To test the generality of this relation, we compiled data from San Francisco Bay and 5 other USA estuarine systems (Neuse and South Rivers, P
Authors
B.E. Cole, J. E. Cloern

A compositional multiphase model for groundwater contamination by petroleum products: 1. Theoretical considerations

A mathematical model is developed to describe the fate of hydrocarbon constituents of petroleum products introduced to soils as an immiscible liquid from sources such as leaking underground storage tanks and ruptured pipelines. The problem is one of multiphase transport (oil (immiscible), air, and water phases) of a reactive contaminant with constituents such as benzene, toluene, and xylene found
Authors
M. Yavuz Corapcioglu, Arthur L. Baehr

Unsaturated flow in a centrifugal field: Measurement of hydraulic conductivity and testing of Darcy's Law

A method has been developed to establish steady state flow of water in an unsaturated soil sample spinning in a centrifuge. Theoretical analysis predicts moisture conditions in the sample that depend strongly on soil type and certain operating parameters. For Oakley sand, measurements of flux, water content, and matric potential during and after centrifugation verify that steady state flow can be
Authors
John R. Nimmo, J. Rubin, D.P. Hammermeister

Reduction of selenate to selenide by sulfate-respiring bacteria: Experiments with cell suspensions and estuarine sediments

Washed cell suspensions of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans subsp. aestuarii were capable of reducing nanomolar levels of selenate to selenide as well as sulfate to sulfide. Reduction of these species was inhibited by 1 mM selenate or tungstate. The addition of 1 mM sulfate decreased the reduction of selenate and enhanced the reduction of sulfate. Increasing concentrations of sulfate inhibited rates of
Authors
J.P. Zehr, Ronald S. Oremland

Direct comparison of kinetic and local equilibrium formulations for solute transport affected by surface reactions

Modeling transport of reacting solutes in porous media often requires a choice between models based on the local equilibrium assumption (LEA) and models involving reaction kinetics. Direct comparison of the mathematical formulations for these two types of transport models can aid in this choice. For cases of transport affected by surface reaction, such a comparison is made possible by a new deriva
Authors
Jean M. Bahr, Jacob Rubin

Processes and kinetics of Cd2+ sorption by a calcareous aquifer sand

The rate of Cd2+ sorption by a calcareous aquifer sand was characterized by two reaction steps, with the first step reaching completion in 24 hours. The second step proceeded at a slow and nearly constant rate for at least seven days. The first step includes a fast adsorption reaction which is followed by diffusive transport into either a disordered surface film of hydrated calcium carbonate or in
Authors
C. C. Fuller, J.A. Davis