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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

Formation of mixed Al-Fe colloidal sorbent and dissolved-colloidal partitioning of Cu and Zn in the Cement Creek - Animas River Confluence, Silverton, Colorado

Transport and chemical transformations of dissolved and colloidal Al, Fe, Cu and Zn were studied by detailed sampling in the mixing zone downstream from the confluence of Cement Creek (pH 4.1) with the Animas River (pH 7.6). Complete mixing resulted in circumneutral pH in the downstream reach of the 1300 m study area. All four metals were transported through this mixing zone without significant lo
Authors
Laurence E. Schemel, Briant A. Kimball, Robert L. Runkel, Marisa H. Cox

Nitrate dynamics within the Pajaro River, a nutrient-rich, losing stream

The major ion chemistry of water from an 11.42-km reach of the Pajaro River, a losing stream in central coastal California, shows a consistent pattern of higher concentrations during the 2nd (dry) half of the water year. Most solutes are conserved during flow along the reach, but [NO3−] decreases by ~30% and is accompanied by net loss of channel discharge and extensive surface–subsurface exchange.
Authors
C.R. Ruehl, A.T. Fisher, Huertos M. Los, Scott D. Wankel, C.G. Wheat, Carol Kendall, C.E. Hatch, C. Shennan

Nitrification in the euphotic zone as evidenced by nitrate dual isotopic composition: Observations from Monterey Bay, California

Coupled measurements of nitrate (NO3−), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) isotopic composition (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) were made in surface waters of Monterey Bay to investigate multiple N cycling processes occurring within surface waters. Profiles collected throughout the year at three sites exhibit a wide range of values, suggesting simultaneous and variable influence of both phytoplankton NO3− assimil
Authors
Scott D. Wankel, Carol Kendall, J.T. Pennington, Francisco P. Chavez, Adina Paytan

Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado

This publication comprises a Volume Contents of chapters (listed below) and a CD-ROM of data (contents shown in column at right). The Animas River watershed in southwest Colorado is one of many watersheds in the western United States where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements in surface streams. U.S. Geological

Simple predictions of maximum transport rate in unsaturated soil and rock

In contrast with the extreme variability expected for water and contaminant fluxes in the unsaturated zone, evidence from 64 field tests of preferential flow indicates that the maximum transport speed Vmax, adjusted for episodicity of infiltration, deviates little from a geometric mean of 13 m/d. A model based on constant‐speed travel during infiltration pulses of actual or estimated duration can
Authors
John R. Nimmo

Use of carboxylated microspheres to assess transport potential of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts at the Russian River water supply facility, Sonoma County, California

Carboxylated microspheres were employed as surrogates to assess the transport potential of Cryptosporidium parvumoocysts during forced- and natural-gradient tests conducted in July and October 2004. The tests involved poorly-sorted, near-surface sediments where groundwater is pumped from an alluvial aquifer underlying the Russian River, Sonoma County, CA. In an off channel infiltration basin and w
Authors
David W. Metge, Ronald W. Harvey, Robert Anders, Donald O. Rosenberry, Donald Seymour, Jay Jasperse

Concentrations of metals in water, sediment, biofilm, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish in the Boulder River watershed, Montana, and the role of colloids in metal uptake

To characterize the partitioning of metals in a stream ecosystem, concentrations of trace metals including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured in water, colloids, sediment, biofilm (also referred to as aufwuchs), macroinvertebrates, and fish collected from the Boulder River watershed, Montana. Median concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in water throughout the watershed exceeded the U.S. EPA acute an
Authors
Aida Farag, David A. Nimick, Briant A. Kimball, Stanley E. Church, David D. Harper, William G. Brumbaugh

Arsenic attenuation by oxidized aquifer sediments in Bangladesh

Recognition of arsenic (As) contamination of shallow fluvio-deltaic aquifers in the Bengal Basin has resulted in increasing exploitation of groundwater from deeper aquifers that generally contain low concentrations of dissolved As. Pumping-induced infiltration of high-As groundwater could eventually cause As concentrations in these aquifers to increase. This study investigates the adsorption capac
Authors
Kenneth G. Stollenwerk, George N. Breit, Alan H. Welch, James C. Yount, John W. Whitney, Andrea L. Foster, M.N. Uddin, R.K. Majumder, N. Ahmed

Widespread natural perchlorate in unsaturated zones of the southwest United States

A substantial reservoir (up to 1 kg ha-1) of natural perchlorate is present in diverse unsaturated zones of the arid and semi-arid southwestern United States. The perchlorate co-occurs with meteoric chloride that has accumulated in these soils throughout the Holocene [0 to 10−15 ka (thousand years ago)] and possibly longer periods. Previously, natural perchlorate widely believed to be limited to t
Authors
Balaji Rao, Todd A. Anderson, Greta J. Orris, Ken A. Rainwater, Srinath Rajagopalan, Renee M. Sandvig, Bridget R. Scanlon, David A. Stonestrom, Michelle Ann Walvoord, W Andrew Jackson

Biotransformation of caffeine, cotinine, and nicotine in stream sediments: Implications for use as wastewater indicators

Microbially catalyzed cleavage of the imadazole ring of caffeine was observed in stream sediments collected upstream and downstream of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in three geographically separate stream systems. Microbial demethylation of the N-methyl component of cotinine and its metabolic precursor, nicotine, also was observed in these sediments. These findings indicate that str
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Larry B. Barber, Dana W. Kolpin, Peter B. McMahon, Francis H. Chapelle

Formation of tellurium nanocrystals during anaerobic growth of bacteria that use Te oxyanions as respiratory electron acceptors

Certain toxic elements support the metabolism of diverse prokaryotes by serving as respiratory electron acceptors for growth. Here, we demonstrate that two anaerobes previously shown to be capable of respiring oxyanions of selenium also achieve growth by reduction of either tellurate [Te(VI)] or tellurite [Te(IV)] to elemental tellurium [Te(0)]. This reduction achieves a sizeable stable-Te-isotopi
Authors
Shaun M. Baesman, Thomas D. Bullen, J. Dewald, Donghui Zhang, S. Curran, F.S. Islam, T.J. Beveridge, Ronald S. Oremland