Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 3746
Free zinc ion and dissolved orthophosphate effects on phytoplankton from Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho is fed by two major rivers: the Coeur d'Alene River from the east and the St. Joe River from the south, with the Spokane River as its outlet to the north. This phosphorus-limited lake has been subjected to decades of mining (primarily for zinc and silver) and other anthropogenic inputs. A 32 full-factorial experimental design was used to examine the interactiv
Authors
James S. Kuwabara, Brent R. Topping, Paul F. Woods, James L. Carter
Reproductive responses of male fathead minnows exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent, effluent treated with XAD8 resin, and an environmentally relevant mixture of alkylphenol compounds
On-site, continuous-flow experiments were conducted during August and October 2002 at a major metropolitan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to determine if effluent exposure induced endocrine disruption as manifested in the reproductive competence of sexually mature male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The fathead minnows were exposed in parallel experiments to WWTP effluent and WWTP efflu
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Kathy Lee, Deborah L. Swackhamer, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
Characterization of suspended particles in Everglades wetlands
We report the concentration, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) content, and size and chemical fractionation of fine suspended particles (0.2‐100 µm) and colloids (3 kilodalton [kDa]‐0.1 µm) in the surface water of Everglades wetlands along regional and P‐enrichment gradients. Total suspended sediment concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 2.7 mg L−1. Total particulate P concentrations increased from 0.05
Authors
Gregory B. Noe, Judson W. Harvey, James E. Saiers
In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity
There are few methods available for broadly assessing microbial community metabolism directly within a groundwater environment. In this study, hydrogen consumption rates were estimated from in situ injection/withdrawal tests conducted in two geochemically varying, contaminated aquifers as an approach towards developing such a method. The hydrogen consumption first-order rates varied from 0.002 nM
Authors
S.H. Harris, Richard L. Smith, Joseph M. Suflita
Effects of intraborehole flow on groundwater age distribution
Environmental tracers are used to estimate groundwater ages and travel times, but the strongly heterogeneous nature of many subsurface environments can cause mixing between waters of highly disparate ages, adding additional complexity to the age-estimation process. Mixing may be exacerbated by the presence of wells because long open intervals or long screens with openings at multiple depths can tr
Authors
B.A. Zinn, Leonard F. Konikow
Using biodynamic models to reconcile differences between laboratory toxicity tests and field biomonitoring with aquatic insects
Aquatic insects often dominate lotic ecosystems, yet these organisms are under-represented in trace metal toxicity databases. Furthermore, toxicity data for aquatic insects do not appear to reflect their actual sensitivities to metals in nature, because the concentrations required to elicit toxicity in the laboratory are considerably higher than those found to impact insect communities in the fiel
Authors
D.B. Buchwalter, Daniel J. Cain, W.H. Clements, S. N. Luoma
Geoelectrical evidence of bicontinuum transport in groundwater
Bicontinuum models and rate-limited mass transfer (RLMT) explain complex transport behavior (e.g., long tailing and rebound) in heterogeneous geologic media, but experimental verification is problematic because geochemical samples represent the mobile component of the pore space. Here, we present geophysical evidence of RLMT at the field scale during an aquifer-storage and recovery experiment in a
Authors
K. Singha, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, John W. Lane
Role of hydrous iron oxide formation in attenuation and diel cycling of dissolved trace metals in a stream affected by acid rock drainage
Mining-impacted streams have been shown to undergo diel (24-h) fluctuations in concentrations of major and trace elements. Fisher Creek in south-central Montana, USA receives acid rock drainage (ARD) from natural and mining-related sources. A previous diel field study found substantial changes in dissolved metal concentrations at three sites with differing pH regimes during a 24-h period in August
Authors
Stephen R. Parker, Christopher H. Gammons, Clain A. Jones, David A. Nimick
Increased groundwater to stream discharge from permafrost thawing in the Yukon River basin: Potential impacts on lateral export of carbon and nitrogen
Arctic and subarctic watersheds are undergoing climate warming, permafrost thawing, and thermokarst formation resulting in quantitative shifts in surface water - groundwater interaction at the basin scale. Groundwater currently comprises almost one fourth of Yukon River water discharged to the Bering Sea and contributes 5-10% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) and 35-45% of t
Authors
Michelle Ann Walvoord, Robert G. Striegl
Mercury speciation in piscivorous fish from mining-impacted reservoirs
Guadalupe Reservoir (GUA), California, and Lahontan Reservoir (LAH), Nevada, U.S. are both affected either directly or indirectly by the legacy of gold and silver mining in the Sierra Nevada during the nineteenth century. Analysis of total mercury in fish from these lentic systems consistently indicate elevated concentrations (>1 μg·g-1 wet weight; hereinafter, all concentrations are reported as w
Authors
James S. Kuwabara, Yuji Arai, Brent R. Topping, I.J. Pickering, G.N. George
Assessment of contamination from arsenical pesticide use on orchards in the great valley region, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
Lead arsenate pesticides were widely used in apple orchards from 1925 to 1955. Soils from historic orchards in four counties in Virginia and West Virginia contained elevated concentrations of As and Pb, consistent with an arsenical pesticide source. Arsenic concentrations in approximately 50% of the orchard site soils and approximately 1% of reference site soils exceed the USEPA Preliminary Remedi
Authors
Gilpin R. Robinson, Peter Larkins, Carol J. Boughton, Bradley W. Reed, Philip L. Sibrell
Oxygen and chlorine isotopic fractionation during perchlorate biodegradation: Laboratory results and implications for forensics and natural attenuation studies
Perchlorate is a widespread environmental contaminant having both anthropogenic and natural sources. Stable isotope ratios of O and Cl in a given sample of perchlorate may be used to distinguish its source(s). Isotopic ratios may also be useful for identifying the extent of biodegradation of perchlorate, which is critical for assessing natural attenuation of this contaminant in groundwater. For th
Authors
Neil C. Sturchio, John Karl Böhlke, Abelardo D. Beloso, S.H. Streger, Linnea J. Heraty, Paul B. Hatzinger