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Measurements of elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish and in streambed sediments of the Millers River Basin, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, have been reported without evidence of the PCB source. In 1999, an investigation was initiated to determine the source(s) of the elevated PCB concentrations observed in fish...

Great Neck, a peninsula, in the northwestern part of Nassau County, N.Y., is underlain by unconsolidated deposits that form a sequence of aquifers and confining units. Seven public-supply wells have been affected by the intrusion of saltwater from the surrounding embayments (Little Neck Bay, Long Island Sound, Manhasset Bay). Fifteen...

This report presents results of an analysis of nutrient and pesticide data from two surface-water sites and volatile organic compound (VOC) data from one of the sites that are within the Allegheny and Monongahela River Basins study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The...

Suspended sediment has long been recognized as an important contaminant affecting water resources. Besides its direct role in determining water clarity, bridge scour and reservoir storage, sediment serves as a vehicle for the transport of many binding contaminants, including nutrients, trace metals, semi-volatile organic compounds, a nd numerous pesticides (U.S....

In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey began an assessment of the upper Tennessee River Basin as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. A ground-water land-use study conducted in 1996 focused on areas with burley tobacco production in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Land-use studies are designed to focus...

Data on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water supplied by 2,110 randomly selected community water systems (CWSs) in 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States indicate 64 VOC analytes were detected at least once during 1993-98. Selection of the 2,110 CWSs inventoried for this study targeted 20 percent of the 10,479...

Irondequoit Creek drains 169 square miles in the eastern part of Monroe County. Nutrients transported by Irondequoit Creek to Irondequoit Bay on Lake Ontario have contributed to the eutrophication of the Bay. Sewage-treatment-plant effluent, a major source of nutrients to the creek and its tributaries, was eliminated from the basin...

Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) occupies about 40,000 acres in Coffee and Franklin Counties, Tennessee. Numerous site-specific ground-water contamination investigations have been conducted at designated solid waste management units (SWMU?s) at AAFB. Several synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOC?s), primarily chlorinated solvents, have been identified in groundwater samples collected from monitoring...

Simple, cost-effective techniques are needed for land managers to assess the environmental impacts of oil and gas production activities on public lands, so that sites may be prioritized for remediation or for further, more formal assessment. Field-portable instruments provide real-time data and allow the field investigator to extend an assessment...

The goal of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is to assess the status and trends in the quality of the Nation's surface and ground water, and to better understand the natural and human factors affecting water quality. The Eastern Iowa Basins study unit encompasses an...

No abstract available....

Introduction The polar deposits on Mars probably record martian climate history over the last 107 to 109 years (for example, Thomas and others, 1992). The area shown on this map includes layered polar deposits and residual polar ice, as well as some exposures of older terrain. Howard and others (1982) noted...

Recent drilling for coalbed gas in the Upper Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone Member of central Utah has resulted in one of the most successful plays of this kind. Exploration to date has resulted in three fields and a potential fairway 6-10 mi (10-16 km) wide and 20-60 mi (32-96 km) long,...

Compound-specific isotope analysis was used to study a contaminated site near Kingsford, Michigan, USA. Organic compounds at three of the sites studied had similar 13C values indicating that the contaminant source is the same for all sites. At a fourth site, chemical and 13C values had evolved due to microbial...

A laboratory bioassay determined the relative contribution of various pathways of Ag, Cd and Zn bioaccumulation in the marine polychaete Neanthes arenaceodentata exposed to moderately contaminated sediments. Juvenile worms were exposed for 25 d to experimental sediments containing 5 different reactive sulfide (acid volatile sulfides, AVS) concentrations (1 to 30...

Paleotopographic reconstructions based on a synthesis of published geologic information and high-resolution topography, including topographic profiles, reveal the potential existence of an enormous drainage basin/aquifer system in the eastern part of the Tharsis region during the Noachian Period. Large topographic highs formed the margin of the gigantic drainage basin. Subsequently,...

This review focuses on the solubility, origin, abundance, and degassing of carbon dioxide (CO2) in magma-hydrothermal systems, with applications for those workers interested in intrusion-related deposits of gold and other metals. The solubility of CO2 increases with pressure and magma alkalinity. Its solubility is low relative to that of H2O,...

The model presented here simulates a network of parallel and sequential reactions that describe the structural and chemical transformation of lignin-derived sedimentary organic matter (SOM) and the resulting generation of mobile species from shallow burial to approximately low-volatile bituminous rank. The model is calibrated to the Upper Cretaceous Williams Fork...

The chemical properties of two high-volatile bituminous coals, the Danville Coal Member of the Dugger Formation and the Lower Block Coal Member of the Brazil Formation from southern Indiana, were compared to understand the differences in their coking behavior. It was determined that of the two, the Lower Block has...

The introduction of nonnative plant species may decrease ecosystem stability by altering the availability of nitrogen (N) for plant growth. Invasive species can impact N availability by changing litter quantity and quality, rates of N2-fixation, or rates of N loss. We quantified the effects of invasion by the annual grass...

During the Noachian Period, the south polar region of Mars underwent intense cratering, construction of three groups of volcanoes, widespread contractional deformation, resurfacing of low areas, and local dissection of valley networks; no evidence for polar deposits, ice sheets, or glaciation is recognized. South polar Hesperian geology is broadly characterized...

The Western Kentucky No. 4 coal is a high-volatile B to high-volatile C bituminous coal that has been heavily mined along the southern margin of the Western Kentucky Coal Field. The seam has a reputation for rolling floor elevation. Elongate trends of floor depressions are referred to as "dips" and...

Secretinite - a maceral of the inertinite group as recognized by the ICCP in 1996- is a noncellular maceral of seed fern origin. New reflectance data indicate that this maceral has primary anisotropy with bireflectances of 0.4% to 0.9% in high-volatile B bituminous (Ro = 0.6%) Carboniferous coal of North...

A house exploded in the City of Kingsford, Michigan USA. The explosion was caused by CH4 that leaked into the basement from the surrounding soil. Evidence suggests that biodegradation of products from the distillation and spillage at or near a former wood carbonization plant site was the major source of...