Scholars@Duke
Avner Vengosh

Avner Vengosh

Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality
Earth and Climate Sciences
vengosh@duke.edu
Box 90328, Durham, NC 27708-0230
308 Research Drive, A-207 LSRC, Durham, NC 27708

Selected Publications

Role of coal ash morphology and composition in delivery and transport of trace metals in the aquatic environment.

Journal Article Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · December 2024 Fly ash is predominately the inorganic byproduct of coal combustion for electrical power generation. It is composed of aluminosilicates with Fe, Mg, K, and Ca forming submicron to 100 μm spheres and amorphous particles. During combustion trace elements are ... Full text Cite

The potential water quality impacts of hard-rock lithium mining: Insights from a legacy pegmatite mine in North Carolina, USA.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · December 2024 The global green energy transition has spurred increased lithium exploration and extraction, yet the water quality impacts from lithium mining are understudied. This study investigates the potential water quality impacts from a legacy hard-rock lithium min ... Full text Cite

Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2024 Global Li production will require a ∼500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e., produced water or brine), which naturally has high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations, that ca ... Full text Cite

Reconstructing the depositional environment and diagenetic modification of global phosphate deposits through integration of uranium and strontium isotopes

Journal Article Chemical Geology · September 5, 2024 The geochemistry of phosphate rocks can provide valuable information on their depositional environment and the redox condition of global oceans through time. Here we examine trace metal concentrations and uranium (δ238U, δ234U) and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) is ... Full text Cite

Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · June 11, 2024 Fertilizer utilization is critical for food security. This study examines the occurrence of trace elements (TEs) and Sr isotope (87Sr/86Sr) variations in phosphate rocks and mineral fertilizers from a sample collection representative of major phosphate pro ... Full text Cite

Arsenic and other geogenic contaminants in global groundwater

Journal Article Nature Reviews Earth and Environment · April 1, 2024 Geogenic groundwater contaminants (GGCs) affect drinking-water availability and safety, with up to 60% of groundwater sources in some regions contaminated by more than recommended concentrations. As a result, an estimated 300–500 million people are at risk ... Full text Cite

Thank You to Our GeoHealth 2023 Reviewers

Journal Article GeoHealth · April 1, 2024 Peer-review is the foundation and the safeguard of scientific research. Without the dedication of our reviewers, the journal would not have been successful. In 2023, 269 reviewers completed 434 reviews for the 174 manuscripts submitted to GeoHealth. Our re ... Full text Cite

Evidence for the accumulation of toxic metal(loid)s in agricultural soils impacted from long-term application of phosphate fertilizer.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · January 2024 Phosphate fertilizers may contain elevated concentrations of toxic metals and metalloids and therefore, their excessive application can result in the accumulation of both phosphorus (P) and metal(loid)s in agricultural soils. This study aims to investigate ... Full text Cite

The water footprint of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction in China.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · January 2024 The rapid expansion of shale gas extraction worldwide has raised significant concerns about its impact on water resources. China is expected to undergo a shale revolution following the U.S. Most of the information on water footprint of shale gas exploratio ... Full text Cite

Lead isotopes and rare earth elements geochemistry of global phosphate rocks: Insights into depositional conditions and environmental tracing

Journal Article Chemical Geology · November 20, 2023 Phosphate rock bears both geologically and environmentally significant information. Rare earth elements and yttrium (i.e., REY) characteristics have been commonly used for reconstructing the redox conditions of depositional environments and the effects of ... Full text Cite

Isotopic Signatures and Outputs of Lead from Coal Fly Ash Disposal in China, India, and the United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · August 2023 Despite extensive research and technology to reduce the atmospheric emission of Pb from burning coal for power generation, minimal attention has been paid to Pb associated with coal ash disposal in the environment. This study investigates the isotopic sign ... Full text Cite

Thank You to Our 2022 Peer Reviewers

Journal Article GeoHealth · May 1, 2023 Full text Cite

The water consumption reductions from home solar installation in the United States.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · January 2023 Installation of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar is expected to change the electricity landscape in the U.S. through reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating global warming, as well as eliminating environmental impacts from fossil fuels utilization. ... Full text Cite

Water quality implications of the neutralization of acid mine drainage with coal fly ash from India and the United States

Journal Article Fuel · December 15, 2022 Subsurface coal mining often induces the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD) in active and abandoned coal mines while coal combustion generates coal combustion residuals (CCR), including fly ash (FA), with elevated levels of toxic metals. Decades of AMD ... Full text Open Access Cite

Shale gas wastewater geochemistry and impact on the quality of surface water in Sichuan Basin.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · December 2022 Shale gas wastewater (SGW) disposal is a major challenge in the areas in central China due to its increasing volume associated with intensification of shale gas exploration and its high levels of contaminants. In the Fuling shale gas field of Sichuan Basin ... Full text Cite

The strontium isotope fingerprint of phosphate rocks mining.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · December 2022 High concentrations of metal(loid)s in phosphate rocks and wastewater associated with phosphate mining and fertilizer production operations pose potential contamination risks to water resources. Here, we propose using Sr isotopes as a tracer to determine p ... Full text Open Access Cite

The Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Arsenic

Journal Article Global Biogeochemical Cycles · November 1, 2022 Direct exploitation and use of arsenic resources has diminished in recent years, but inadvertent mobilizations of As from mineral extractions (metal ores, coal, and phosphate rock) are now as much as ten-fold greater (1,500–5,600 × 109 g/yr) than the As re ... Full text Open Access Cite

Legacy of Coal Combustion: Widespread Contamination of Lake Sediments and Implications for Chronic Risks to Aquatic Ecosystems.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · October 2022 Elevated concentrations of toxic elements in coal ash pose human and ecological health risks upon release to the environment. Despite wide public concerns about water quality and human health risks from catastrophic coal ash spills and chronic leaking of c ... Full text Open Access Cite

Thank You to Our 2021 Peer Reviewers

Journal Article GeoHealth · May 1, 2022 Full text Cite

The Sr isotope signature of Wuchiapingian semi-anthracites from Chongqing, southwestern China: Indication for hydrothermal effects

Journal Article Gondwana Research · March 1, 2022 The strontium (Sr) concentration and 87Sr/86Sr ratios in leachates extracted from Upper Permian (Wuchiapingian) coals from the Tianjia Mine, Chongqing, southwestern China, were investigated using a selective leaching sequential extraction technique includi ... Full text Cite

Legacy of anthropogenic lead in urban soils: Co-occurrence with metal(loids) and fallout radionuclides, isotopic fingerprinting, and in vitro bioaccessibility.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · February 2022 Anthropogenic lead (Pb) in soils poses risks to human health, particularly to the neuropsychological development of exposed children. Delineating the sources and potential bioavailability of soil Pb, as well as its relationship with other contaminants is c ... Full text Open Access Cite

A critical review on the occurrence and distribution of the uranium- and thorium-decay nuclides and their effect on the quality of groundwater.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · February 2022 Featured Publication This critical review presents the key factors that control the occurrence of natural elements from the uranium- and thorium-decay series, also known as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), including uranium, radium, radon, lead, polonium, and ... Full text Cite

Water Quality Impacts of the Energy-Water Nexus

Book · November 2021 Featured Publication This volume will be a key reference for scholars, industry professionals, environmental consultants and policy makers seeking information on the risks associated with the energy cycle and its impact on the environment, particularly water ... ... Cite

Is Food Irrigated with Oilfield-Produced Water in the California Central Valley Safe to Eat? A Probabilistic Human Health Risk Assessment Evaluating Trace Metals Exposure.

Journal Article Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis · August 2021 Reuse of oilfield-produced water (OPW) for crop irrigation has the potential to make a critical difference in the water budgets of highly productive but drought-stressed agricultural watersheds. This is the first peer-reviewed study to evaluate how trace m ... Full text Cite

Geochemical evidence for fugitive gas contamination and associated water quality changes in drinking-water wells from Parker County, Texas.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · August 2021 Extensive development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing enhanced energy production but raised concerns about drinking-water quality in areas of shale-gas development. One particularly controversial case that has received significant public an ... Full text Cite

Evaluation and Integration of Geochemical Indicators for Detecting Trace Levels of Coal Fly Ash in Soils.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · August 2021 Coal combustion residuals (CCRs), in particular, coal fly ash, are one of the major industrial solid wastes in the U.S., and due to their high concentrations of toxic elements, they could pose environmental and human health risks. Yet detecting coal fly as ... Full text Cite

Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Lithium

Journal Article Global Biogeochemical Cycles · August 2021 AbstractThe total human mobilization of Li from the Earth's crust, >1,000 × 109 g/year, is much larger than Li mobilized by the natural processes of chemical and mechanical weathering (94 and 132 × 1 ... Full text Open Access Cite

Multiple geochemical and isotopic (Boron, Strontium, Carbon) indicators for reconstruction of the origin and evolution of oilfield water from Jiuquan Basin, Northwestern China

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · July 1, 2021 Oilfield water contains valuable information on the origin, migration, and geochemical evolution of fluids in sedimentary basins. Jiuquan Basin is one of the richest oil basins in China and holds large potential for future tight oil exploration. We use a w ... Full text Cite

Endocrine disrupting activities and geochemistry of water resources associated with unconventional oil and gas activity.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · December 2020 The rise of hydraulic fracturing and unconventional oil and gas (UOG) exploration in the United States has increased public concerns for water contamination induced from hydraulic fracturing fluids and associated wastewater spills. Herein, we collected sur ... Full text Cite

Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Fluorine

Journal Article Global Biogeochemical Cycles · December 1, 2020 This review provides a synthesis of what is currently known about the natural and anthropogenic fluxes of fluorine on Earth, offering context for an evaluation of the growing environmental impact of human-induced F mobilization and use. The largest flux of ... Full text Cite

The impact of using low-saline oilfield produced water for irrigation on water and soil quality in California.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · September 2020 The consecutive occurrence of drought and reduction in natural water availability over the past several decades requires searching for alternative water sources for the agriculture sector in California. One alternative source to supplement natural waters i ... Full text Cite

High Hexavalent Chromium Concentration in Groundwater from a Deep Aquifer in the Baiyangdian Basin of the North China Plain.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · August 2020 Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is known to occur naturally in shallow oxic groundwater, typically from aquifers associated with mafic and ultramafic formations, but information on the occurrence of Cr(VI) in deep groundwater from large sedimentary basins is ... Full text Cite

Recycling flowback water for hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China: Implications for gas production, water footprint, and water quality of regenerated flowback water

Journal Article Fuel · July 15, 2020 The increased water consumption for hydraulic fracturing and the volume of wastewater generated from shale gas and tight oil exploration are major environmental challenges associated with unconventional energy development. Recycling of the flowback and pro ... Full text Cite

Occurrence and distribution of hexavalent chromium in groundwater from North Carolina, USA.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · April 2020 Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a groundwater contaminant that is potentially harmful to human health. Understanding the occurrence of Cr(VI) in groundwater resources is critical for evaluating its risks to human health. Here we report a large dataset (n = ... Full text Cite

Hydrochemistry of flowback water from Changning shale gas field and associated shallow groundwater in Southern Sichuan Basin, China: Implications for the possible impact of shale gas development on groundwater quality.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · April 2020 The worldwide expansion of shale gas production and increased use of hydraulic fracturing have raised public concerns about safety and risks of groundwater resources in shale gas extraction areas. China has the largest shale gas resources in the world, mos ... Full text Cite

Factors Controlling the Risks of Co-occurrence of the Redox-Sensitive Elements of Arsenic, Chromium, Vanadium, and Uranium in Groundwater from the Eastern United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · April 2020 The co-occurrence of contaminants in drinking water may pose enhanced risks to health beyond the effects of single contaminants. Here, we investigated the co-occurrence of four health-relevant redox-sensitive elements (U, As, V, and Cr) in 1494 groundwater ... Full text Cite

Distinction of strontium isotope ratios between water-soluble and bulk coal fly ash from the United States

Journal Article International Journal of Coal Geology · April 1, 2020 Coal ash is one of the largest industrial waste streams in the United States and contains elevated concentrations of hazardous elements that could pose environmental and human health risks. Due to the relatively high strontium concentrations in coal ash an ... Full text Cite

Thank You to Our 2019 Peer Reviewers

Journal Article GeoHealth · March 1, 2020 Full text Cite

Lead Isotopes as a New Tracer for Detecting Coal Fly Ash in the Environment

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · December 10, 2019 Lead (Pb) isotopes have been widely used to delineate Pb pollutants in the environment. Here, we present, for the first time, a systematic analysis of Pb isotopes in coal fly ash derived from coals from the three major coal-producing basins in the United S ... Full text Cite

Quantification of the water-use reduction associated with the transition from coal to natural gas in the US electricity sector

Journal Article Environmental Research Letters · December 4, 2019 The transition from coal to natural gas and renewables in the electricity sector and the rise of unconventional shale gas extraction are likely to affect water usage throughout the US. While new natural-gas power plants use less water than coal-fired power ... Full text Cite

Evidence for unmonitored coal ash spills in Sutton Lake, North Carolina: Implications for contamination of lake ecosystems.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2019 Coal combustion residuals (CCRs, also known as "coal ash") contain high concentrations of toxic and carcinogenic elements that can pose ecological and human health risks upon their release into the environment. About half of the CCRs that are generated ann ... Full text Cite

Co-occurrence of geogenic and anthropogenic contaminants in groundwater from Rajasthan, India.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2019 Northwest India suffers from severe water scarcity issues due to a combination of over-exploitation and climate effects. Along with concerns over water availability, endemic water quality issues are critical and affect the usability of available water and ... Full text Cite

Assessment of inorganic contamination of private wells and demonstration of effective filter-based reduction: A pilot-study in Stokes County, North Carolina.

Journal Article Environmental research · October 2019 Well water is the primary drinking source for nearly a quarter of North Carolina residents. Many communities across the state have been concerned about their well water quality and inorganic contamination. The "Well Empowered" study worked alongside a comm ... Full text Cite

Disinfection Byproducts in Rajasthan, India: Are Trihalomethanes a Sufficient Indicator of Disinfection Byproduct Exposure in Low-Income Countries?

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · October 2019 The implementation of chlorine disinfection in low-income countries reduces the risk of waterborne illness but initiates exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Like high-income countries, low-income countries typically are adopting regulations focusin ... Full text Cite

Occurrence and Sources of Radium in Groundwater Associated with Oil Fields in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, California.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · August 2019 Geochemical data from 40 water wells were used to examine the occurrence and sources of radium (Ra) in groundwater associated with three oil fields in California (Fruitvale, Lost Hills, South Belridge). 226Ra+228Ra activities (range = ... Full text Cite

Cadmium exposure and MEG3 methylation differences between Whites and African Americans in the NEST Cohort.

Journal Article Environ Epigenet · July 2019 Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant associated with a wide range of health outcomes including cancer. However, obscure exposure sources often hinder prevention efforts. Further, although epigenetic mechanisms are suspected to link these as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Erratum for the Research Article: "The intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing" by A. J. Kondash, N. E. Lauer and A. Vengosh.

Journal Article Science advances · May 2019 [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar5982.]. ... Full text Cite

Thank You to Our 2018 Peer Reviewers

Journal Article GeoHealth · April 1, 2019 Public trust in science, effective science communication, and rapid and constructive response to authors about their submissions are of paramount importance to the scientific enterprise and indeed to society itself. This is really at the heart of peer revi ... Full text Cite

Accuracy of methods for reporting inorganic element concentrations and radioactivity in oil and gas wastewaters from the Appalachian Basin, U.S. based on an inter-laboratory comparison.

Journal Article Environmental science. Processes & impacts · February 2019 Accurate and precise analyses of oil and gas (O&G) wastewaters and solids (e.g., sediments and sludge) are important for the regulatory monitoring of O&G development and tracing potential O&G contamination in the environment. In this study, 15 laboratories ... Full text Cite

More than a decade of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling research.

Journal Article Environmental science. Processes & impacts · February 2019 Full text Cite

First Person: Avner Vengosh

Journal Article American Scientist · 2019 Full text Cite

Strontium Isotope Ratios in Fish Otoliths as Biogenic Tracers of Coal Combustion Residual Inputs to Freshwater Ecosystems

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · December 11, 2018 Permitted and accidental releases of contaminants from coal combustion residual (CCR) storage facilities pose environmental and ecological risks for associated freshwater ecosystems around the world. Previous studies have applied isotope ratios in CCRs as ... Full text Cite

Origin of Flowback and Produced Waters from Sichuan Basin, China.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · December 2018 Shale gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling is increasing in China, particularly in Sichuan Basin. Production of unconventional shale gas with minimal environmental effects requires adequate management of wastewater from flowb ... Full text Cite

Regional patterns in the geochemistry of oil-field water, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · November 1, 2018 Chemical and isotopic data for water co-extracted with hydrocarbons in oil and gas fields are commonly used to examine the source of the formation water and possible impacts on groundwater in areas of oil and gas development. Understanding the geochemical ... Full text Cite

Response to Comments on "large-Scale Uranium Contamination of Groundwater Resources in India"

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · September 11, 2018 Full text Cite

The intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing.

Journal Article Science advances · August 2018 Unconventional oil and gas exploration in the United States has experienced a period of rapid growth, followed by several years of limited production due to falling and low natural gas and oil prices. Throughout this transition, the water use for hydraulic ... Full text Cite

Ranking Coal Ash Materials for Their Potential to Leach Arsenic and Selenium: Relative Importance of Ash Chemistry and Site Biogeochemistry.

Journal Article Environmental engineering science · July 2018 The chemical composition of coal ash is highly heterogeneous and dependent on the origin of the source coal, combustion parameters, and type and configuration of air pollution control devices. This heterogeneity results in uncertainty in the evaluation of ... Full text Cite

The water footprint of hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · July 2018 Shale gas is likely to play a major role in China's transition away from coal. In addition to technological and infrastructural constraints, the main challenges to China's sustainable shale gas development are sufficient shale gas production, water availab ... Full text Cite

Large-Scale Uranium Contamination of Groundwater Resources in India

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · June 12, 2018 Groundwater overexploitation has caused massive groundwater depletion and raised concerns for water and food security in India. Groundwater in India also suffers from multiple water quality issues such as arsenic and fluoride contamination that pose human ... Full text Cite

Radium isotope response to aquifer storage and recovery in a sandstone aquifer

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · April 1, 2018 Radium isotopes and water-rock interaction were evaluated in an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) pilot study conducted in 2010–2011 in Minnesota (USA) in order to identify mechanisms governing Ra activities when low-Ra water is recharged into a sandstone ... Full text Cite

Naturally occurring radioactive materials in coals and coal ash in China

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · March 18, 2018 Link to item Cite

Risks for reuse of unconventional oil and gas wastewater

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · March 18, 2018 Link to item Cite

Characterization of the boron, lithium, and strontium isotopic variations of oil sands process-affected water in Alberta, Canada

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · March 1, 2018 Oil sands operations in Alberta, Canada generate large volumes (>840 × 106 m3) of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) that contains contaminants that are toxic to aquatic life. OSPW is stored in open tailings ponds and leakage from the ponds presents a ... Full text Cite

Pre-drill Groundwater Geochemistry in the Karoo Basin, South Africa.

Journal Article Ground water · March 2018 Enhanced production of unconventional hydrocarbons in the United States has driven interest in natural gas development globally, but simultaneously raised concerns regarding water quantity and quality impacts associated with hydrocarbon extraction. We cond ... Full text Cite

Structural and Hydrogeological Controls on Hydrocarbon and Brine Migration into Drinking Water Aquifers in Southern New York.

Journal Article Ground water · March 2018 Environmental concerns regarding the potential for drinking water contamination in shallow aquifers have accompanied unconventional energy development in the northern Appalachian Basin. These activities have also raised several critical questions about the ... Full text Cite

Hydrocarbon-Rich Groundwater above Shale-Gas Formations: A Karoo Basin Case Study.

Journal Article Ground water · March 2018 Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enhanced unconventional hydrocarbon recovery but raised environmental concerns related to water quality. Because most basins targeted for shale-gas development in the USA have histories of both active and l ... Full text Cite

Reply to Selin: Human impacts on the atmospheric burden of trace metals.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · March 2018 Full text Cite

Sources of Radium Accumulation in Stream Sediments near Disposal Sites in Pennsylvania: Implications for Disposal of Conventional Oil and Gas Wastewater.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · February 2018 In Pennsylvania, Appalachian oil and gas wastewaters (OGW) are permitted for release to surface waters after some treatment by centralized waste treatment (CWT) facilities. While this practice was largely discontinued in 2011 for unconventional Marcellus O ... Full text Cite

Global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · December 2017 Synthesizing published data, we provide a quantitative summary of the global biogeochemical cycle of vanadium (V), including both human-derived and natural fluxes. Through mining of V ores (130 × 109 g V/y) and extraction and combustion of fossi ... Full text Open Access Cite

Naturally Occurring versus Anthropogenic Sources of Elevated Molybdenum in Groundwater: Evidence for Geogenic Contamination from Southeast Wisconsin, United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · November 2017 Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential trace nutrient but has negative health effects at high concentrations. Groundwater typically has low Mo (<2 μg/L), and elevated levels are associated with anthropogenic contamination, although geogenic sources have also been ... Full text Cite

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Uranium-Rich Coals and Associated Coal Combustion Residues from China.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · November 2017 Most coals in China have uranium concentrations up to 3 ppm, yet several coal deposits are known to be enriched in uranium. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in these U-rich coals and associated coal combustion residues (CCRs) have not been ... Full text Cite

Debating Unconventional Energy: Social, Political, and Economic Implications

Journal Article Annual Review of Environment and Resources · October 17, 2017 The extraction of unconventional oil and gas-from shale rocks, tight sand, and coalbed formations-is shifting the geographies of fossil fuel production, with complex consequences. Following Jackson et al.'s (1) natural science survey of the environmental c ... Full text Cite

Biomarkers of chronic fluoride exposure in groundwater in a highly exposed population.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · October 2017 This study examined the relation between fluoride (F-) concentrations in fingernail clippings and urine and the prevalence and severity of enamel fluorosis (EF) among Ethiopian Rift Valley populations exposed to high levels of F- in d ... Full text Cite

Regulated and unregulated halogenated disinfection byproduct formation from chlorination of saline groundwater.

Journal Article Water research · October 2017 Coastal utilities exploiting mildly saline groundwater (<150 mg/L chloride) may be challenged by disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation, a concern likely to increase with sea-level rise. Groundwater from North Carolina coastal aquifers is characterized by ... Full text Cite

The origin of geothermal waters in Morocco: Multiple isotope tracers for delineating sources of water-rock interactions

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · September 1, 2017 The geochemical and isotopic (strontium, boron, radium, oxygen, hydrogen) variations of geothermal waters from five different regions in Morocco were investigated in order to evaluate the sources of solutes and the mechanisms of water-rock interaction. Dur ... Full text Cite

Environmental and Human Impacts of Unconventional Energy Development.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · September 2017 Full text Open Access Cite

The geochemistry of naturally occurring methane and saline groundwater in an area of unconventional shale gas development

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · July 1, 2017 Since naturally occurring methane and saline groundwater are nearly ubiquitous in many sedimentary basins, delineating the effects of anthropogenic contamination sources is a major challenge for evaluating the impact of unconventional shale gas development ... Full text Cite

Maternal blood cadmium, lead and arsenic levels, nutrient combinations, and offspring birthweight.

Journal Article BMC Public Health · April 24, 2017 BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) are common environmental contaminants that have been associated with lower birthweight. Although some essential metals may mitigate exposure, data are inconsistent. This study sought to evaluate the rela ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Quantity of flowback and produced waters from unconventional oil and gas exploration.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · January 2017 The management and disposal of flowback and produced waters (FP water) is one of the greatest challenges associated with unconventional oil and gas development. The development and production of unconventional natural gas and oil is projected to increase i ... Full text Cite

The Geochemistry of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids

Conference Procedia Earth and Planetary Science · 2017 Full text Cite

Origin of Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water Wells from the Piedmont Aquifers of North Carolina

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · December 13, 2016 Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a known pulmonary carcinogen. Recent detection of Cr(VI) in drinking water wells in North Carolina has raised public concern about contamination of drinking water wells by nearby coal ash ponds. Here we report, for the first ... Full text Open Access Cite

Impacts of coal ash on methylmercury production and the methylating microbial community in anaerobic sediment slurries.

Journal Article Environmental science. Processes & impacts · November 2016 Mercury (Hg) associated with coal ash is an environmental concern, particularly if the release of coal ash to the environment is associated with the conversion of inorganic Hg to methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative form of Hg that is produced by anaero ... Full text Cite

Evidence for Coal Ash Ponds Leaking in the Southeastern United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · June 2016 Coal combustion residuals (CCRs), the largest industrial waste in the United States, are mainly stored in surface impoundments and landfills. Here, we examine the geochemistry of seeps and surface water from seven sites and shallow groundwater from 15 site ... Full text Cite

Age Dating Oil and Gas Wastewater Spills Using Radium Isotopes and Their Decay Products in Impacted Soil and Sediment

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · May 10, 2016 Spills from oil and gas operations can contaminate water resources, sediment, and soil, but in many cases, information about spill sources and environmental impacts is not available. Here we present age dating methods to estimate the time since the accumul ... Full text Cite

Brine Spills Associated with Unconventional Oil Development in North Dakota.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · May 2016 The rapid rise of unconventional oil production during the past decade in the Bakken region of North Dakota raises concerns related to water contamination associated with the accidental release of oil and gas wastewater to the environment. Here, we charact ... Full text Cite

Leaching potential and redox transformations of arsenic and selenium in sediment microcosms with fly ash

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · April 1, 2016 The unintended release of coal ash to the environment is a concern due to the enrichment of contaminants such as arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in this solid waste material. Current risk assessments of coal ash disposal focus on pH as the primary driver of ... Full text Cite

Groundwater monitoring for oil and gas development under California SB4

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · March 13, 2016 Link to item Cite

Geochemical characterization of brine spills associated with hydraulic fracturing in North Dakota

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · March 13, 2016 Link to item Cite

Water Availability for Shale Gas Development in Sichuan Basin, China.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · March 2016 Unconventional shale gas development holds promise for reducing the predominant consumption of coal and increasing the utilization of natural gas in China. While China possesses some of the most abundant technically recoverable shale gas resources in the w ... Full text Cite

Legacy impacts of coal combusion residues in freshwater ecosystems in North Carolina

Journal Article Water Resources Research Institute News of the University of North Carolina · March 1, 2016 Coal combustion residuals (CCRs) released by permitted effluent streams partition to sediments and sediment pore waters where they accumulate to enriched levels in organisms at the base of the food chain. The objectives of this study were (1) to measure CC ... Cite

Global boron cycle in the Anthropocene

Journal Article Global Biogeochemical Cycles · February 1, 2016 This paper presents a revised and updated synthesis of the biogeochemical cycle of boron at the Earth's surface, where the largest fluxes are associated with the injection of sea-salt aerosols to the atmosphere (1.44 Tg B/yr), production and combustion of ... Full text Cite

The environmental costs and benefits of fracking

Report · January 1, 2016 Unconventional oil and natural gas extraction enabled by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is driving an economic boom since it generates income and can reduce air pollution and even water use compared with other fossil fuels. Alterna ... Cite

Ground water: Pre-drilling background groundwater quality in the Deep River Triassic Basin of central North Carolina, USA

Report · January 1, 2016 The Deep River Triassic Basin in central North Carolina is likely to contain natural gas that could be extracted via hydraulic fracturing in the future. However, hydraulic fracturing presents concerns about the possibility for impacts on shallow groundwate ... Cite

The evolution of Devonian hydrocarbon gases in shallow aquifers of the northern Appalachian Basin: Insights from integrating noble gas and hydrocarbon geochemistry

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · December 1, 2015 The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in domestic energy production from unconventional reservoirs. This energy boom has generated marked economic benefits, but simultaneously evoked significant concerns regarding the potential for drinking-water co ... Full text Cite

Geographic clustering of elevated blood heavy metal levels in pregnant women.

Journal Article BMC Public Health · October 9, 2015 BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) exposure is ubiquitous and has been associated with higher risk of growth restriction and cardiometabolic and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, cost-efficient strategies to identify a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Elevated levels of diesel range organic compounds in groundwater near Marcellus gas operations are derived from surface activities.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · October 2015 Hundreds of organic chemicals are used during natural gas extraction via high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF). However, it is unclear whether these chemicals, injected into deep shale horizons, reach shallow groundwater aquifers and affect local water q ... Full text Cite

Water Footprint of Hydraulic Fracturing

Journal Article Environmental Science and Technology Letters · September 15, 2015 We evaluated the overall water footprint of hydraulic fracturing of unconventional shale gas and oil throughout the United States based on integrated data from multiple database sources. We show that between 2005 and 2014, unconventional shale gas and oil ... Full text Cite

First Person: Avner Vengosh

Journal Article AMERICAN SCIENTIST · September 1, 2015 Link to item Cite

Pre-drilling background groundwater quality in the Deep River Triassic Basin of central North Carolina, USA

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · September 1, 2015 Unconventional natural gas development via horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has greatly increased the supply of natural gas in the United States. However, the practice presents concerns about the possibility for impacts on shallow groundwater a ... Full text Cite

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Coals and Coal Combustion Residuals in the United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · September 2015 The distribution and enrichment of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from different coal source basins have not been fully characterized in the United States. Here we provide a systematic analysis of the o ... Full text Cite

Maternal cadmium, iron and zinc levels, DNA methylation and birth weight.

Journal Article BMC Pharmacol Toxicol · July 15, 2015 BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous and environmentally persistent toxic metal that has been implicated in neurotoxicity, carcinogenesis and obesity and essential metals including zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) may alter these outcomes. However mechanisms un ... Full text Link to item Cite

Arsenic exposure to drinking water in the Mekong Delta.

Journal Article The Science of the total environment · April 2015 Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater drinking sources was investigated in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in order to assess the occurrence of As in the groundwater, and the magnitude of As exposure of local residents through measurements of As in toenails ... Full text Cite

Direct measurement of the boron isotope fractionation factor: Reducing the uncertainty in reconstructing ocean paleo-pH

Journal Article Earth and Planetary Science Letters · March 5, 2015 The boron isotopic composition of calcium carbonate skeletons is a promising proxy method for reconstructing paleo-ocean pH and atmospheric CO2 from the geological record. Although the boron isotope methodology has been used extensively over the past two d ... Full text Cite

Iodide, bromide, and ammonium in hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas wastewaters: environmental implications.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · February 2015 The expansion of unconventional shale gas and hydraulic fracturing has increased the volume of the oil and gas wastewater (OGW) generated in the U.S. Here we demonstrate that OGW from Marcellus and Fayetteville hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids and Appa ... Full text Cite

Elucidating the sources and mechanisms of groundwater salinization in the Ziz Basin of southeastern Morocco

Journal Article Environmental Earth Sciences · January 1, 2015 In the Ziz Basin, located in arid area in southeastern Morocco, surface waters are scarce and local populations are entirely dependent on groundwater resources for drinking and irrigation. In order to evaluate the main factors controlling the origin and sa ... Full text Cite

Boron and strontium isotopic characterization of coal combustion residuals: validation of new environmental tracers.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · December 2014 In the U.S., coal fired power plants produce over 136 million tons of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) annually. CCRs are enriched in toxic elements, and their leachates can have significant impacts on water quality. Here we report the boron and strontium ... Full text Open Access Cite

New tracers identify hydraulic fracturing fluids and accidental releases from oil and gas operations.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · November 2014 Identifying the geochemical fingerprints of fluids that return to the surface after high volume hydraulic fracturing of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs has important applications for assessing hydrocarbon resource recovery, environmental impacts, and ... Full text Cite

Boron isotopic geochemistry of the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, Antarctica

Journal Article Chemical Geology · October 29, 2014 The geochemistry of boron was investigated in the ice-covered lakes and glacier meltwater streams within Taylor and Wright Valley of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM), Antarctica, in order to achieve a greater understanding of the source of boron to these aqua ... Full text Cite

Fluoride exposure from groundwater as reflected by urinary fluoride and children's dental fluorosis in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley.

Journal Article Sci Total Environ · October 15, 2014 This cross-sectional study explores the relationships between children's F(-) exposure from drinking groundwater and urinary F(-) concentrations, combined with dental fluorosis (DF) in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) Valley. We examined the DF prevalence and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enhanced formation of disinfection byproducts in shale gas wastewater-impacted drinking water supplies.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · October 2014 The disposal and leaks of hydraulic fracturing wastewater (HFW) to the environment pose human health risks. Since HFW is typically characterized by elevated salinity, concerns have been raised whether the high bromide and iodide in HFW may promote the form ... Full text Cite

The environmental costs and benefits of fracking

Book · October 1, 2014 Unconventional oil and natural gas extraction enabled by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is driving an economic boom, with consequences described from "revolutionary" to "disastrous." Reality lies somewhere in between. Unconventiona ... Full text Cite

Noble gases identify the mechanisms of fugitive gas contamination in drinking-water wells overlying the Marcellus and Barnett Shales.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · September 2014 Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enhanced energy production but raised concerns about drinking-water contamination and other environmental impacts. Identifying the sources and mechanisms of contamination can help improve the environmental ... Full text Cite

Trace element toxins in coal ash: New considerations for identifying environmental risks

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · August 10, 2014 Link to item Cite

The effect of non-fluoride factors on risk of dental fluorosis: evidence from rural populations of the Main Ethiopian Rift.

Journal Article Sci Total Environ · August 1, 2014 Elevated level of fluoride (F(-)) in drinking water is a well-recognized risk factor of dental fluorosis (DF). While considering optimization of region-specific standards for F(-), it is reasonable, however, to consider how local diet, water sourcing pract ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A review of the health impacts of barium from natural and anthropogenic exposure.

Journal Article Environ Geochem Health · August 2014 There is an increasing public awareness of the relatively new and expanded industrial barium uses which are potential sources of human exposure (e.g., a shale gas development that causes an increased awareness of environmental exposures to barium). However ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identifying needs for novel water treatment technologies for flowback water from natural gas extraction

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · March 16, 2014 Link to item Cite

Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · January 2014 Wastewaters generated during hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale typically contain high concentrations of salts, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and metals, such as barium, that pose environmental and public health risks upon inade ... Full text Open Access Cite

Arsenic exposure of rural populations from the Rift Valley of Ethiopia as monitored by keratin in toenails

Journal Article Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology · 2014 Cite

A critical review of the risks to water resources from unconventional shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing in the United States.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · January 2014 The rapid rise of shale gas development through horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing has expanded the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. The rise of shale gas development has triggered an intense public debate regarding the ... Full text Cite

Arsenic exposure of rural populations from the Rift Valley of Ethiopia as monitored by keratin in toenails.

Journal Article J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol · 2014 Arsenic (As) contamination of drinking water is a worldwide phenomenon whose effect among vulnerable and rural communities in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia in eastern Africa is not well studied. This study examines As exposure and bioaccumulation from drinki ... Full text Link to item Cite

Selenium speciation in coal ash spilled at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston site.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · December 2013 Selenium (Se) in coal ash spills poses a threat to adjacent ecosystems because of its potential to mobilize and bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Given that the mobility and bioavailability of Se is controlled by its valence states, we aimed to define Se ... Full text Cite

Interlaboratory comparison of boron isotope analyses of boric acid, seawater and marine CaCO3 by MC-ICPMS and NTIMS

Journal Article Chemical Geology · November 4, 2013 In this study we make the first attempt to inter-calibrate boron isotope (δ11B) measurements on marine biogenic carbonates measured by four different laboratories, each using a different analytical technique. The importance of such calibrations lies in the ... Full text Cite

Occurrence and mobilization of radium in fresh to saline coastal groundwater inferred from geochemical and isotopic tracers (Sr, S, O, H, Ra, Rn)

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · November 1, 2013 Salinization in groundwater systems can induce water-rock interaction, including the release of naturally-occurring trace elements of health significance such as radium (Ra), with possible implications for the usability of water resources in addition to th ... Full text Cite

Mobilization of arsenic and other naturally occurring contaminants in groundwater of the Main Ethiopian Rift aquifers.

Journal Article Water research · October 2013 This study investigates the mechanisms of arsenic (As) and other naturally occurring contaminants (F(-), U, V, B, and Mo) mobilization from Quaternary sedimentary aquifers of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and their enrichment in the local groundwater. The ... Full text Cite

Impacts of shale gas wastewater disposal on water quality in western Pennsylvania.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · October 2013 The safe disposal of liquid wastes associated with oil and gas production in the United States is a major challenge given their large volumes and typically high levels of contaminants. In Pennsylvania, oil and gas wastewater is sometimes treated at brine t ... Full text Open Access Cite

Isotopic imprints of mountaintop mining contaminants.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · September 2013 Mountaintop mining (MTM) is the primary procedure for surface coal exploration within the central Appalachian region of the eastern United States, and it is known to contaminate streams in local watersheds. In this study, we measured the chemical and isoto ... Full text Open Access Cite

Shale Gas, Hydraulic Fracturing, and Environmental Health: An Overview.

Conference ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS · September 1, 2013 Link to item Cite

Geochemical and isotopic variations in shallow groundwater in areas of the Fayetteville Shale development, north-central Arkansas

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · August 1, 2013 Exploration of unconventional natural gas reservoirs such as impermeable shale basins through the use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has changed the energy landscape in the USA providing a vast new energy source. The accelerated production ... Full text Cite

Integration of geochemical and isotopic tracers for elucidating water sources and salinization of shallow aquifers in the sub-Saharan Drâa Basin, Morocco

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · July 1, 2013 In the arid sub-Saharan of southern Morocco, groundwater salinization poses a direct threat for agricultural production in six oases' basins that are irrigated by water imported from the High Atlas Mountains. Here the geospatial distribution of salinity is ... Full text Cite

Increased stray gas abundance in a subset of drinking water wells near Marcellus shale gas extraction.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · July 2013 Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are transforming energy production, but their potential environmental effects remain controversial. We analyzed 141 drinking water wells across the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province of northeastern Pen ... Full text Cite

Impact of coal combustion residues on water quality

Conference ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY · April 7, 2013 Link to item Cite

Environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston coal ash spill. 2. Effect of coal ash on methylmercury in historically contaminated river sediments.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · February 2013 The Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston coal ash spill in December 2008 deposited approximately 4.1 million m(3) of fly ash and bottom ash into the Emory and Clinch River system (Harriman, Tennessee, U.S.A.). The objective of this study was to investigate ... Full text Cite

Environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston coal ash spill. 1. Source apportionment using mercury stable isotopes.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · February 2013 Mercury stable isotope abundances were used to trace transport of Hg-impacted river sediment near a coal ash spill at Harriman, Tennessee, USA. δ(202)Hg values for Kingston coal ash released into the Emory River in 2008 are significantly negative (-1.78 ± ... Full text Cite

Salinization and Saline Environments

Journal Article · January 1, 2013 This chapter provides an overview of global salinization phenomena and investigates the different mechanisms and geochemical processes that are associated with salinization. The overview includes salinization of rivers, lakes, and groundwater from differen ... Full text Cite

Reply to Engelder: Potential for fluid migration from the Marcellus Formation remains possible

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · December 26, 2012 Full text Cite

Implications of carbonate-like geochemical signatures in a sandstone aquifer: Radium and strontium isotopes in the Cambrian Jordan aquifer (Minnesota, USA)

Journal Article Chemical Geology · December 12, 2012 Water-rock interaction in sandstone aquifers can potentially mobilize U-and Th-series radionuclides, resulting in elevated levels of radioactive constituents such as radium (Ra) in groundwater. Previous studies have delineated the sources of Ra in groundwa ... Full text Cite

Groundwater quality and its health impact: An assessment of dental fluorosis in rural inhabitants of the Main Ethiopian Rift.

Journal Article Environ Int · August 2012 This study aims to assess the link between fluoride content in groundwater and its impact on dental health in rural communities of the Ethiopian Rift. A total of 148 water samples were collected from two drainage basins within the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geochemical evidence for possible natural migration of Marcellus Formation brine to shallow aquifers in Pennsylvania.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · July 2012 The debate surrounding the safety of shale gas development in the Appalachian Basin has generated increased awareness of drinking water quality in rural communities. Concerns include the potential for migration of stray gas, metal-rich formation brines, an ... Full text Cite

Considering shale gas extraction in North Carolina: Lessons from other states

Journal Article Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum · June 21, 2012 Cite

Geochemical and isotopic (oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, strontium) constraints for the origin, salinity, and residence time of groundwater from a carbonate aquifer in the Western Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · May 17, 2012 Groundwater in many arid basins, particularly in developing countries, is the only available water resource that sustains local communities. Yet, information on the basic hydrological parameters and the sustainability of the groundwater exploitation are of ... Full text Cite

Cumulative impacts of mountaintop mining on an Appalachian watershed.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · December 2011 Mountaintop mining is the dominant form of coal mining and the largest driver of land cover change in the central Appalachians. The waste rock from these surface mines is disposed of in the adjacent river valleys, leading to a burial of headwater streams a ... Full text Cite

Reply to Davies: Hydraulic fracturing remains a possible mechanism for observed methane contamination of drinking water

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · October 25, 2011 Full text Cite

Working paper from Duke University identifies environmental issues related to shale gas for focus of regulatory action in North Carolina

Journal Article Water Resources Research Institute News of the University of North Carolina · October 1, 2011 Cite

Reply to Saba and Orzechowski and Schon: Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gaswell drilling and hydraulic fracturing

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · September 13, 2011 Full text Cite

Evaluating salinity sources of groundwater and implications for sustainable reverse osmosis desalination in coastal North Carolina, USA

Journal Article Hydrogeology Journal · August 1, 2011 The natural and pumping-induced controls on groundwater salinization in the coastal aquifers of North Carolina, USA, and the implications for the performance of a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant have been investigated. Since installation of the wel ... Full text Open Access Cite

Arsenic and other oxyanion-forming trace elements in an alluvial basin aquifer: Evaluating sources and mobilization by isotopic tracers (Sr, B, S, O, H, Ra)

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · August 1, 2011 The Willcox Basin is a hydrologically closed basin in semi-arid southeastern Arizona (USA) and, like many other alluvial basins in the southwestern USA, is characterized by oxic, near-neutral to slightly basic groundwater containing naturally elevated leve ... Full text Cite

Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · May 2011 Directional drilling and hydraulic-fracturing technologies are dramatically increasing natural-gas extraction. In aquifers overlying the Marcellus and Utica shale formations of northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, we document systematic evidence ... Full text Open Access Cite

Climate change, water resources, and the politics of adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa

Journal Article Climatic Change · February 1, 2011 Through an examination of global climate change models combined with hydrological data on deteriorating water quality in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), we elucidate the ways in which the MENA countries are vulnerable to climate-induced impacts on ... Full text Open Access Cite

Water and Conflict: Moving from the Global to the Local

Chapter · December 16, 2010 The Routledge Handbook of Global Public Health explores this context and addresses both the emerging issues and conceptualizations of the notion of global health, along with expanding upon and highlighting the critical priorities in this ... ... Cite

Boron isotopes as a proxy for carbonate dissolution in groundwater - Radiocarbon correction models

Journal Article Water-Rock Interaction - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Water-Rock Interaction, WRI-13 · December 1, 2010 Radiocarbon dating of groundwater has been a major tool for assessing the residence time of groundwater. Several models have been proposed to quantify carbonate dissolution in groundwater system in attempts to correct for "dead carbon". Here I propose usin ... Cite

Sr isotopes, hydrogeologic setting, and water-rock interaction in the Mt. Simon sandstone (Minnesota, USA)

Journal Article Water-Rock Interaction - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Water-Rock Interaction, WRI-13 · December 1, 2010 We present new 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios in groundwater from Proterozoic and Cambrian sandstone aquifers of southeastern Minnesota (USA), emphasizing the Mt. Simon aquifer. In Mt. Simon waters, 87Sr/ 86Sr ranges from 0.7141 in the recharge area to 0.7085 at depth. ... Cite

The Environmental Impacts of the Coal Ash Spill in Kingston, Tennessee: An Eighteen-Month Survey

Journal Article Environ Sci & Technol · November 2010 A year and a half investigation of the environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee has revealed that leachable coal ash contaminants (LCACs), particularly arsenic, selenium, boron, strontium, and bari ... Open Access Cite

Boron isotopic geochemistry of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Conference GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA · June 1, 2010 Link to item Cite

Boron isotopes as a proxy for carbonate dissolution in groundwater—radiocarbon correction models

Chapter · January 1, 2010 Radiocarbon dating of groundwater has been a major tool for assessing the residence time of groundwater. Several models have been proposed to quantify carbonate dissolution in groundwater system in attempts to correct for “dead carbon”. Here I propose usin ... Cite

Sr isotopes, hydrogeologic setting, and water-rock interaction in the Mt. Simon Sandstone (Minnesota, USA)

Chapter · January 1, 2010 We present new87Sr/86Sr ratios in groundwater from Proterozoic and Cambrian sandstone aquifers of southeastern Minnesota (USA), emphasizing the Mt. Simon aquifer. In Mt. Simon waters,87Sr/86Sr ranges from 0.7141 in the recharge area to 0.7085 at depth. Sam ... Cite

The Effectiveness of Arsenic Remediation from Groundwater in a Private Home

Journal Article GROUND WATER MONITORING AND REMEDIATION · 2010 Full text Cite

Origin and residence time of groundwater in the Tadla basin (Morocco) using multiple isotopic and geochemical tools

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · December 30, 2009 Groundwater resources in the Tadla basin stem from surface water recharge and different groundwater inflows, forming a multilayered aquifer system, which hosts one of Morocco's most important groundwater reservoirs. The hydrodynamic infrastructure; i.e. th ... Full text Cite

Survey of the potential environmental and health impacts in the immediate aftermath of the coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee.

Journal Article Environ Sci Technol · August 15, 2009 An investigation of the potential environmental and health impacts in the immediate aftermath of one of the largest coal ash spills in U.S. history at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston coal-burning power plant has revealed three major findings. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Water quality and radium isotope results from the Souss-Massa basin, Morocco

Journal Article GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA · June 1, 2009 Link to item Cite

Relationships between radium and radon occurrence and hydrochemistry in fresh groundwater from fractured crystalline rocks, North Carolina (USA)

Journal Article Chemical Geology · March 30, 2009 Naturally-occurring radionuclides (uranium, radium, and radon), major dissolved constituents, and trace elements were investigated in fresh groundwater in 117 wells in fractured crystalline rocks from the Piedmont region (North Carolina, USA). Chemical var ... Full text Open Access Cite

High Naturally Occurring Radioactivity in Fossil Groundwater in the Middle East

Journal Article Environ Sci & Technol · 2009 High levels of naturally occurring and carcinogenic radium isotopes have been measured in low-saline and oxic groundwater from the Rum Group of the Disi sandstone aquifer in Jordan. The combined 228Ra and 226Ra activities are up to 2000% higher than intern ... Link to item Cite

Quantifying saline groundwater flow into a freshwater lake using the Ra isotope quartet: A case study from the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), Israel

Journal Article Limnology and Oceanography · January 1, 2009 We investigated the Ra isotope quartet in order to quantify the discharge of saline groundwater into a freshwater lake. The activities of 226Ra, 228Ra, 223Ra, and 224Ra were measured in the Sea of Galilee, Israel, surrounding saline springs, and the Jordan ... Full text Cite

Radon transfer from groundwater used in showers to indoor air

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · September 1, 2008 Estimation of Rn transfer from water to indoor air based on multi-day measurements may underestimate alpha exposure that occurs at short time scales in confined spaces, such as from showering, in houses with high Rn activities in the water supply. In order ... Full text Cite

Isotope and ion selectivity in reverse osmosis desalination: geochemical tracers for man-made freshwater.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · July 2008 A systematic measurement of ions and 2H/1H, 7Li/6Li, 11B/10B, 18O/ 16O, and 87Sr/86Sr isotopes in feed-waters, permeates, and brines from commercial reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants in Israel (Ashkelon, Eilat, and Nitzana) and Cyprus (Larnaca) reve ... Full text Cite

Application of multiple isotopic and geochemical tracers for investigation of recharge, salinization, and residence time of water in the Souss-Massa aquifer, southwest of Morocco

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · May 15, 2008 Groundwater and surface water in Souss-Massa basin in the west-southern part of Morocco is characterized by a large variation in salinity, up to levels of 37 g L-1. The high salinity coupled with groundwater level decline pose serious problems for current ... Full text Cite

Authors' reply

Journal Article Ground Water · November 1, 2007 Full text Cite

New isotopic evidence for the origin of groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer in the Negev, Israel

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · May 1, 2007 The geochemistry and isotopic composition (H, O, S, Osulfate, C, Sr) of groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone (Kurnub Group) aquifer in the Negev, Israel, were investigated in an attempt to reconstruct the origin of the water and solutes, evaluate modes of ... Full text Cite

The geochemistry of groundwater resources in the Jordan Valley: The impact of the Rift Valley brines

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · March 1, 2007 The chemical composition of groundwater in the Jordan Valley, along the section between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, is investigated in order to evaluate the origin of the groundwater resources and, in particular, to elucidate the role of deep brin ... Full text Cite

Rooting out radioactive groundwater

Journal Article Geotimes · May 1, 2006 When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded in 1986, a radioactive plume spread more than 100 kilometers from the plant, affecting thousands of people. Over time, radioactive particles worked their way into the groundwater of northern Ukraine, eventual ... Cite

Management scenarios for the Jordan River salinity crisis

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · November 1, 2005 Recent geochemical and hydrological findings show that the water quality of the base flow of the Lower Jordan River, between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, is dependent upon the ratio between surface water flow and groundwater discharge. Using water ... Full text Cite

The water crisis in the gaza strip: prospects for resolution.

Journal Article Ground water · September 2005 Israel and the Palestinian Authority share the southern Mediterranean coastal aquifer. Long-term overexploitation in the Gaza Strip has resulted in a decreasing water table, accompanied by the degradation of its water quality. Due to high levels of salinit ... Full text Cite

The relationships between groundwater discharge and the Lower Jordan River

Conference GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA · May 1, 2005 Link to item Cite

Quantifying ground water inputs along the Lower Jordan River.

Journal Article Journal of environmental quality · May 2005 The flow rate of the Lower Jordan River has changed dramatically during the second half of the 20th century. The diversion of its major natural sources reduced its flow rate and led to drying events during the drought years of 2000 and 2001. Under these co ... Full text Cite

The impact of freshwater and wastewater irrigation on the chemistry of shallow groundwater: A case study from the Israeli Coastal Aquifer

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · January 10, 2005 Differences in the impact of irrigation with freshwater versus wastewater on the underlying shallow groundwater quality were investigated in the Coastal Aquifer of Israel. Seven research boreholes were drilled to the top-most 3-5 m of the saturated zone (t ... Full text Cite

Sources of salinity and boron in the Gaza strip: Natural contaminant flow in the southern Mediterranean coastal aquifer

Journal Article Water Resources Research · January 1, 2005 Salinization in coastal aquifers is a global phenomenon resulting from the overexploitation of scarce water resources. The Gaza Strip is one of the most severe cases of salinization, as accelerated degradation of the water quality endangers the present and ... Full text Cite

The EU Drinking Water Directive: The Boron standard and scientific uncertainty

Journal Article European Environment · January 1, 2005 In 1998 the European Union (EU) revised its Drinking Water Directive, which is responsible for regulating the quality of water in the EU intended for human consumption. Specifically, the EU added a new standard for the element boron in drinking water (1 mg ... Full text Cite

Sources and transformations of nitrogen compounds along the Lower Jordan River.

Journal Article Journal of environmental quality · July 2004 The Lower Jordan River is located in the semiarid area of the Jordan Valley, along the border between Israel and Jordan. The implementation of the water sections of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and the countries' commitment to improve the eco ... Full text Cite

The origin and mechanisms of salinization of the Lower Jordan River

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · May 1, 2004 The chemical and isotopic (87Sr/86Sr, δ11B, δ34Ssulfate, δ18Owater, δ15Nnitrate) compositions of water from the Lower Jordan River and its major tributaries between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea were determined in order to reveal the origin of the sa ... Full text Cite

Natural boron contamination in Mediterranean groundwater

Journal Article Geotimes · May 1, 2004 Within the past few decades, the water quality in many of the coastal aquifers along the Mediterranean Sea has rapidly degraded. Overexploitation of the groundwater basins, particularly during the tourist season, has resulted in the lowering of groundwater ... Cite

Natural boron contamination

Journal Article GEOTIMES · May 1, 2004 Link to item Cite

A new methodology for removal of boron from water by coal and fly ash

Journal Article Desalination · April 1, 2004 High levels of boron concentrations in water present a serious problem for domestic and agriculture utilizations. The recent EU drinking water directive defines an upper limit of 1 mgB/I. In addition, most crops are sensitive to boron levels >0.75 mg/1 in ... Full text Cite

THE LOWER JORDAN RIVER

Conference International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies — 30th Session · March 2004 Full text Cite

Salinization and Saline Environments

Chapter · December 4, 2003 One of the most conspicuous phenomena of water-quality degradation, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones, is salinization of water and soil resources. The salinization is a long-term phenomenon, and during the last century many aquifers and river basin ... Full text Cite

Sources and processes of nitrogen along the lower Jordan River

Conference GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA · August 1, 2002 Link to item Cite

A multi-isotope (B, Sr, O, H, and C) and age dating (3H-3He and 14C) study of groundwater from Salinas Valley, California: Hydrochemistry, dynamics, and contamination processes

Journal Article Water Resources Research · March 14, 2002 [1] The chemical and isotope (11B/10B, 87Sr/86Sr, 18O/16O, 2H/H, 13C/12C, 14C, and 3He/3H) compositions of groundwater from the upper aquifer system of the Salinas Valley in coastal central California were investigated in order to delineate the origin and ... Cite

Geochemical constraints for the origin of thermal waters from western Turkey

Journal Article Applied Geochemistry · March 11, 2002 The combined chemical composition, B and Sr isotopes, and the basic geologic setting of geothermal systems from the Menderes Massif in western Turkey have been investigated to evaluate the origin of the dissolved constituents and mechanisms of water-rock i ... Full text Cite

A multi-isotope (B, Sr, O, H, and C) and age dating (3H-3He and 14C) study of groundwater from Salinas Valley, California: Hydrochemistry, dynamics, and contamination processes

Journal Article Water Resources Research · 2002 [1] The chemical and isotope (11B/10B, 87Sr/86Sr, 18O/16O, 2H/H, 13C/12C, 14C, and 3He/3H) compositions of groundwater from the upper aquifer system of the Salinas Valley in coastal central California were investigated in order to delineate the origin and ... Cite

Chloride-bromide-δ11B systematics of a thick clay-rich aquitard system

Journal Article Water Resources Research · June 26, 2001 Boron, Cl-, and Br- concentrations and boron isotopic compositions (δ11B) were used to provide insight into the sources and water-sediment interactions of fossil water in a thick nonfractured aquitard system in Saskatchewan, Canada. The aquitard system con ... Full text Cite

Sources of salinity in ground water from Jericho area, Jordan Valley.

Journal Article Ground water · March 2001 One of the major problems in the lower Jordan Valley is the increasing salinization (i.e., chloride content) of local ground water. The high levels of salinity limit the utilization of ground water for both domestic and agriculture applications. This joint ... Full text Cite

Radiocarbon in seawater intruding into the Israeli mediterranean coastal aquifer

Journal Article Radiocarbon · January 1, 2001 Saline groundwaters from the Israeli coastal aquifer were analyzed for their radiocarbon and tritium content to assess the rate of seawater penetration. The low 14C values (28-88 pMC versus 100-117 pMC in seawater) imply an apparent non-recent seawater sou ... Full text Cite

New evidence for the origin of hypersaline pore fluids in the Mediterranean basin

Journal Article Chemical Geology · February 1, 2000 The Br/Cl, Li/Cl and B/Cl ratios and boron isotope compositions of hypersaline pore fluids from DSDP Sites 372 and 374 were measured in an attempt to evaluate the origin of the brines. In Site 374 the relationships between the Cl concentrations (up to 5000 ... Full text Cite

Boron isotopic composition of freshwater lakes from central Europe and possible contamination sources

Journal Article Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica · 1999 The boron isotopic compositions of common synthetic boron products, municipal wastewaters from Switzerland, and three Swiss freshwater lakes were investigated. The δ11B values (δ11B values are normalized to the standard NIST SRM-951) of synthetic Na-borate ... Full text Cite

Geochemical and boron, strontium, and oxygen isotopic constraints on the origin of the salinity in groundwater from the Mediterranean coast of Israel

Journal Article Water Resources Research · January 1, 1999 In order to identify the origin of the salinity and formation of saline plumes in the central part of the Mediterranean coastal aquifer of Israel, we determined the elemental and boron, strontium, and oxygen isotopic compositions of fresh and brackish grou ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope and geochemical evidence for the origin of Urania and Bannock brines at the eastern Mediterranean: Effect of water-rock interactions

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · October 1, 1998 The origin of hypersaline brines from Urania and Bannock deep anoxic basins in the eastern Mediterranean Sea has been investigated by integrating geochemical data and boron isotopic ratios. Bottom brines from Urania basin have chloride contents up to 4200 ... Full text Cite

Chloride/bromide and chloride/fluoride ratios of domestic sewage effluents and associated contaminated ground water

Journal Article Ground Water · January 1, 1998 To establish geochemical tools for tracing the origin of ground water contamination, we examined the variations of Cl/Br and Cl/F (weight) ratios in (1) domestic waste water from the Dan Region Sewage Reclamation Project and from reservoirs in the central ... Full text Cite

The isotopic composition of anthropogenic boron and its potential impact on the environment.

Journal Article Biological trace element research · January 1998 The present study investigates the isotopic composition of anthropogenic boron (B) and its potential affects on the environment. The isotopic ratios of B in synthetic products from the main ores in the world have been measured by negative thermal ionizatio ... Full text Cite

Determination of boron isotopic variations in aquatic systems with negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry as a tracer for anthropogenic influences.

Journal Article Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · March 1996 A technique for precise boron isotope ratio measurements with a high detection power has been developed by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (NTIMS). Relative standard deviations in the range of 0.03-0.3% have been obtained for the determinatio ... Full text Cite

Chemical modifications of groundwater contaminated by recharge of treated sewage effluent

Journal Article Journal of Contaminant Hydrology · January 1, 1996 Long-term monitoring of the chemical composition of recharge sewage effluent and associated contaminated groundwater from the Dan Region Sewage Reclamation Project shows, after 16 years of recharge operation, the presence of a distinct saline plume (up to ... Full text Cite

Chemical and boron isotope compositions of non-marine brines from the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai, China

Journal Article Chemical Geology · February 1, 1995 The general chemistry and boron isotope composition were investigated in fresh waters and hypersaline brines from the Qaidam Basin, northern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, China. This basin is a large, tectonically active system, isolated from the ocean a ... Full text Cite

Recent developments in thermal ionization mass spectrometric techniques for isotope analysis

Journal Article The Analyst · January 1, 1995 Thermal ionization mass spectrometry in the positive or negative ionization mode can be used for precise isotope ratio determinations of most elements. The preferably farmed ions are M+, M- and MOx- (x = 1-4). R ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope application for tracing sources of contamination in groundwater.

Journal Article Environmental science & technology · October 1994 Full text Cite

The origin of Mediterranean interstitial waters-relics of ancient Miocene brines: A re-evaluation

Journal Article Earth and Planetary Science Letters · January 1, 1994 Re-examination of interstitial waters from sixteen Mediterranean DSDP sites reveals that the high salinity values of these waters (up to 350 g/l) do not reflect dissolution of underlying evaporites, but are rather related to Miocene evaporated sea water tr ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope geochemistry of thermal springs from the northern Rift Valley, Israel

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · January 1, 1994 A boron isotope study was carried out on groundwaters from the northern Rift Valley, Israel. The relatively high salinity (18 000 mgCl l-1), boron content (3.9 mg l-1), and δ11 B value (44‰) and the low B/Cl ratios of the saline Tiberias Hot Spring suggest ... Full text Cite

Saline groundwater in Israel: its bearing on the water crisis in the country

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · January 1, 1994 One of the major causes for the deterioration of water quality bearing heavily on the water crisis in Israel is the ongoing contamination of its water resources by saline water bodies. The present paper reviews the geochemical processes forming saline wate ... Full text Cite

Formation of a salt plume in the Coastal Plain aquifer of Israel: the Be'er Toviyya region

Journal Article Journal of Hydrology · January 1, 1994 The formation and development of a salt plume (salinity up to 800 mg Cl 1-1) in the inner part of the Coastal Plain aquifer of Israel is analyzed. Massive groundwater exploitation during the 1950s caused a large drop in the water level and formation of a h ... Full text Cite

Boron isotopes in Heletz-Kokhav oilfield brines, the Coastal Plain, Israel

Journal Article Israel Journal of Earth Sciences · January 1, 1994 Boron isotope composition and elemental boron have been determined by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry techniques in oil field brines from the Mediterranean Coastal Plain of Israel. The brines are classified into two groups: 1) The Heletz brin ... Cite

Relics of evaporated sea water in deep basins of the Eastern Mediterranean

Journal Article Marine Geology · January 1, 1993 Reexamination of data on hypersaline bottom brines from the deep anoxic Tyro and Bannock basins in the Eastern Mediterranean reveals that despite their similar chlorinity (6.0 mole/kg H2O) their chemical composition is significantly different. The brine in ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope variations during fractional evaporation of sea water: new constraints on the marine vs. nonmarine debate

Journal Article Geology · January 1, 1992 Examination of boron isotopes, elemental B, Br, and Li in brines, and coprecipitated salts during fractional evaporation of sea water shows that Br, Li, and B in the evaporated sea water have lower concentrations than expected, as determined from mass-bala ... Full text Cite

BORON ISOTOPE VARIATIONS DURING BRINE EVOLUTION AND WATER-ROCK INTERACTIONS

Conference WATER-ROCK INTERACTION, VOLS 1 AND 2 · January 1, 1992 Link to item Cite

Boron isotope variations during fractional evaporation of sea water: new constraints on the marine vs. nonmarine debate

Journal Article Geology · 1992 Examination of boron isotopes, elemental B, Br, and Li in brines, and coprecipitated salts during fractional evaporation of sea water shows that Br, Li, and B in the evaporated sea water have lower concentrations than expected, as determined from mass-bala ... Cite

Boron isotope variations during fractional evaporation of sea water: new constraints on the marine vs. nonmarine debate

Journal Article Geology · 1992 Examination of boron isotopes, elemental B, Br, and Li in brines, and coprecipitated salts during fractional evaporation of sea water shows that Br, Li, and B in the evaporated sea water have lower concentrations than expected, as determined from mass-bala ... Full text Cite

Coprecipitation and isotopic fractionation of boron in modern biogenic carbonates

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · January 1, 1991 The abundances and isotopic composition of boron in modern, biogenic calcareous skeletons from the Gulf of Elat, Israel, the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and in deep-sea sediments have been examined by negative thermal-ionization mass spectrometry. The s ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope geochemistry of Australian salt lakes

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · January 1, 1991 Boron isotope geochemistry has been investigated in brines, groundwaters, and sediments from the modern Australian salt lakes of Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia by applying negative thermal-ionization mass spectrometry techniques. The geoc ... Full text Cite

Boron isotope geochemistry as a tracer for the evolution of brines and associated hot springs from the Dead Sea, Israel

Journal Article Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · January 1, 1991 A boron isotope study combined with analyses of elemental boron, lithium, and chlorine is used to suggest that brines from the Dead Sea and on-shore hypersaline thermal springs (Hamme Yesha, Hamme Zohar, and Hamme Mazor) are the products of interaction of ... Full text Cite

Direct determination of boron and chlorine isotopic compositions in geological materials by negative thermal-ionization mass spectrometry

Journal Article Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience Section · September 25, 1989 We present a new, simple technique for the rapid and precise determination of boron (11B 10B) and chlorine (37Cl 35Cl) isotopic compositions in some natural materials (e.g., seawater, hypersaline brines, groundwater and calcium carbonate). The high reactiv ... Full text Cite

Multi-phase oxygen isotopic analysis as a tracer of diagenesis: The example of the mishash formation, cretaceous of Israel

Journal Article Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience Section · August 20, 1987 Isotopic analysis of oxygen in several coexisting phases has two complementary aspects: (a) the analysis of two or more cogenetic phases may yield information about prevailing conditions at definite points in time assuming equilibrium fractionation; and (b ... Full text Cite