Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 3746

Composition, stability, and measurement of reduced uranium phases for groundwater bioremediation at Old Rifle, CO

Reductive biostimulation is currently being explored as a possible remediation strategy for U-contaminated groundwater, and is being investigated at a field site in Rifle, CO, USA. The long-term stability of the resulting U(IV) phases is a key component of the overall performance of the remediation approach and depends upon a variety of factors, including rate and mechanism of reduction, mineral a
Authors
Kate M. Campbell, J. Davis, J. Bargar, Daniel E. Giammar, Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, R. K. Kukkadapu, K. H. Williams, H. Veramani, K.U. Ulrich, J. Stubbs, L. Figueroa, E. Lesher, M.J. Wilkins, A. D. Peacock, P.E. Long

Methods for evaluating in-stream attenuation of trace organic compounds

Wastewater treatment plants are often the most substantial contributor of trace organic compounds including pharmaceuticals, steroidal hormones, and surfactants to surface waters. Studying stream reaches below wastewater treatment plants provide valuable information on the environmental persistence of these compounds. Three methods for conducting field investigations to evaluate in-stream attenuat
Authors
Jeffrey Writer, Steffanie H. Keefe, Joseph N. Ryan, Imma Ferrer, Michael E Thurman, Larry B. Barber

Silver nanoparticles: Behaviour and effects in the aquatic environment

This review summarises and evaluates the present knowledge on the behaviour, the biological effects and the routes of uptake of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to organisms, with considerations on the nanoparticle physicochemistry in the ecotoxicity testing systems used. Different types of Ag NP syntheses, characterisation techniques and predicted current and future concentrations in the environment
Authors
Julia Fabrega, Samuel N. Luoma, Charles R. Tyler, Tamara Galloway, Jamie R. Lead

Crude oil at the Bemidji Site: 25 years of monitoring, modeling, and understanding

The fate of hydrocarbons in the subsurface near Bemidji, Minnesota, has been investigated by a multidisciplinary group of scientists for over a quarter century. Research at Bemidji has involved extensive investigations of multiphase flow and transport, volatilization, dissolution, geochemical interactions, microbial populations, and biodegradation with the goal of providing an improved understandi
Authors
Hedeff I. Essaid, Barbara A. Bekins, William N. Herkelrath, Geoffrey N. Delin

Guest comment: Nanoscale metal−organic matter interactions

No abstract available.
Authors
George Aiken, Helen Hsu-Kim, Joe Ryan, Pedro F. Alvarez

A tree-ring reconstruction of the salinity gradient in the northern estuary of San Francisco Bay

Blue oak tree-ring chronologies correlate highly with winter–spring precipitation totals over California, with Sacramento and San Joaquin river stream flow, and with seasonal variations in the salinity gradient in San Francisco Bay. The convergence of fresh and saline currents can influence turbidity, sediment accumulation, and biological productivity in the estuary. Three selected blue oak chrono
Authors
David W. Stahle, Daniel Griffin, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Jesse R. Edmondson, D.J. Burnette, John T. Abatzoglou, Kelly Redmond, David M. Meko, Michael D. Dettinger, Daniel Cayan, Matthew D. Therrell

The effects of wetland restoration on mercury bioaccumulation in the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: Using the biosentinel toolbox to monitor changes across multiple habitats and spatial scales

The project was initiated in April 2010, and to date has included four sampling events of surface water (April, May, June/July, and August 2010) and five sampling events of biota (April, May, June/July, August, and September 2010) and three sampling events for surface sediment (May, June/July, and August 2010). This annual report briefly summarizes our progress to date.
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale, Darell Slotton, Mark P. Herzog, Collin A. Eagles-Smith

Quantifying solute transport processes: Are chemically "conservative" tracers electrically conservative?

The concept of a nonreactive or conservative tracer, commonly invoked in investigations of solute transport, requires additional study in the context of electrical geophysical monitoring. Tracers that are commonly considered conservative may undergo reactive processes, such as ion exchange, thus changing the aqueous composition of the system. As a result, the measured electrical conductivity may r
Authors
Kamini Singha, Li Li, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Aaron B. Regberg

Nanoparticles formed from bacterial oxyanion reduction of toxic Group 15 and 16 metalloids

This chapter presents some examples of nanoparticles formed by only a few microbial species that are cultivated in only a handful of laboratories worldwide. The investigations so far have just scratched the surface of the potential of the natural world to yield bionanomineral producers. While future research should involve screening surveys of the prokaryotes for this biomineralizing phenomenon, m
Authors
C.I. Pearce, S. Baseman, J.W. Fellowes, Ronald S. Oremland

Hydrology and biogeochemistry linkages

This chapter provides an overview of the linkages between hydrology and biogeochemistry in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Selected topics include hydrological pathways on drainage basin slopes, mountain environments, within-river (or in-stream) processes, wetlands, groundwater (and groundwater–surface water interactions), and lakes. Beginning from catchment headwaters, This chapter introduces me
Authors
Norman E. Peters, J. K. Bohlke, P. D. Brooks, T.P. Burt, Michael N. Gooseff, David P. Hamilton, P. J. Mulholland, Nigel Roulet, J.V. Turner