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Environmental Chemistry Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Chemistry

Wrack Lines Volume 22, Number 2, Fall-Winter 2022-2023, Nancy C. Balcom, Juliana Barrett, Judy Benson, Ben Crnic, Sto Len Dec 2022

Wrack Lines Volume 22, Number 2, Fall-Winter 2022-2023, Nancy C. Balcom, Juliana Barrett, Judy Benson, Ben Crnic, Sto Len

Wrack Lines

With the theme, "Looking Ahead: People and Projects Shaping the Future," the Fall-Winter 2022-2023 leads with the first in what will be a series of articles about offshore wind development impacting Connecticut. That is followed by the inspiring story of how a dying forest was replanted for climate resilience. Next, a profile of longtime marine educator Tim Visel tells about his lasting impact on Connecticut schools and students. Lastly, the complex challenge of dealing with Contaminants of Emerging Concern is examined, with descriptions of how Sea Grant is involved and the particularly troublesome group of substances called PFAS.


Technical Note: On Uncertainties In Plant Water Isotopic Composition Following Extraction By Cryogenic Vacuum Distillation, Haoyu Diao, Philipp Schuler, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, Matthias Saurer, Marco M. Lehmann Nov 2022

Technical Note: On Uncertainties In Plant Water Isotopic Composition Following Extraction By Cryogenic Vacuum Distillation, Haoyu Diao, Philipp Schuler, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, Matthias Saurer, Marco M. Lehmann

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Recent studies have challenged the interpretation of plant water isotopes obtained through cryogenic vacuum distillation (CVD) based on observations of a large 2H fractionation. These studies have hypothesized the existence of an H-atom exchange between water and organic tissue during CVD extraction with the magnitude of H exchange related to relative water content of the sample; however, clear evidence is lacking. Here, we systematically tested the uncertainties in the isotopic composition of CVD-extracted water by conducting a series of incubation and rehydration experiments using isotopically depleted water, water at natural isotope abundance, woody materials with exchangeable H, and organic materials …


Whole Farm Net Zero: Approaches To Quantification Of Climate Regulation Ecosystem Services At The Whole Farm Scale. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Report #7, Christopher Bonasia, Lindsey Ruhl, Benjamin Timothy Dube, Alissa C. White, Heather M. Darby Jul 2022

Whole Farm Net Zero: Approaches To Quantification Of Climate Regulation Ecosystem Services At The Whole Farm Scale. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Report #7, Christopher Bonasia, Lindsey Ruhl, Benjamin Timothy Dube, Alissa C. White, Heather M. Darby

UVM Extension Faculty Publications

In this report, approaches to the quantification of climate mitigation ecosystem services at the whole farm scale are reviewed and summarized for easy comparison. Eight quantification tools, and three case studies demonstrating possible tool applications, are summarized to fulfill the requirements of the Technical Services Contract—Task 7. Information from a combination of literature review and expert interviews served to document the inputs, outputs, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each quantification tool. This research was conducted in service to the Vermont Soil Health and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Working Group (VT PES working group). It is our hope that …


Climatic Influences On Summer Use Of Winter Precipitation By Trees, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Scott T. Allen, Sabine Braun, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, James W. Kirchner May 2022

Climatic Influences On Summer Use Of Winter Precipitation By Trees, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Scott T. Allen, Sabine Braun, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, James W. Kirchner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Trees in seasonal climates may use water originating from both winter and summer precipitation. However, the seasonal origins of water used by trees have not been systematically studied. We used stable isotopes of water to compare the seasonal origins of water found in three common tree species across 24 Swiss forest sites sampled in two different years. Water from winter precipitation was observed in trees at most sites, even at the peak of summer, although the relative representation of seasonal sources differed by species. However, the representation of winter precipitation in trees decreased with site mean annual precipitation in both …


Towards The Determination Of Estrone And 17Β-Estradiol In Dairy Cattle Waste Using Solid Phase And Stir Bar Sorptive Extractions With Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry And Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Pallavi Ragi May 2022

Towards The Determination Of Estrone And 17Β-Estradiol In Dairy Cattle Waste Using Solid Phase And Stir Bar Sorptive Extractions With Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry And Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Pallavi Ragi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Steroidal hormones are naturally produced as a part of many physiological processes and are excreted in the urine and feces of animals and humans. Farm animals in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are routinely implanted with synthetic and natural hormones to enhance growth and production, contributing significantly to environmental steroid hormone contamination. Every year around 49 tons of estrogens are generated by livestock waste in the United States alone. Due to rainfall and runoff, these steroid hormones reach the environment when animal waste is applied as manure. Studies show that estrogens and other steroidal hormones present in the surface waters …


Liquid Chromatography With Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method Development For The Determination Of Β–Defensins In Bovine Milk, Symone T. Whalin May 2022

Liquid Chromatography With Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method Development For The Determination Of Β–Defensins In Bovine Milk, Symone T. Whalin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bovine mastitis, caused by a wide array of pathogens, results in a substantial economic loss for the dairy cattle livestock industry. β-defensins are a part of the bovine’s innate immune system and act as the first line of defense against mastitis. Only foundational research has been done on β-defensins’ ability to treat and prevent mastitis. There have been no analytical methods reported in the literature for analyzing β-defensins in bovine milk. This research aims to create an analytical approach to determine β-defensins in bovine milk. It is challenging to determine an analyte in a complex sample matrix, and milk is …


Evaluating Alternative Ebullition Models For Predicting Peatland Methane Emission And Its Pathways Via Data–Model Fusion, Shuang Ma, Lifen Jiang, Rachel M. Wilson, Jeff P. Chanton, Scott Bridgham, Shuli Niu, Colleen M. Iversen, Avni Malhotra, Jiang Jiang, Xingjie Lu, Yuanyuan Huang, Jason Keller, Xiaofeng Xu, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo Apr 2022

Evaluating Alternative Ebullition Models For Predicting Peatland Methane Emission And Its Pathways Via Data–Model Fusion, Shuang Ma, Lifen Jiang, Rachel M. Wilson, Jeff P. Chanton, Scott Bridgham, Shuli Niu, Colleen M. Iversen, Avni Malhotra, Jiang Jiang, Xingjie Lu, Yuanyuan Huang, Jason Keller, Xiaofeng Xu, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the dynamics of peatland methane (CH4) emissions and quantifying sources of uncertainty in estimating peatland CH4 emissions are critical for mitigating climate change. The relative contributions of CH4 emission pathways through ebullition, plant-mediated transport, and diffusion, together with their different transport rates and vulnerability to oxidation, determine the quantity of CH4 to be oxidized before leaving the soil. Notwithstanding their importance, the relative contributions of the emission pathways are highly uncertain. In particular, the ebullition process is more uncertain and can lead to large uncertainties in modeled CH4 emissions. To improve model simulations of CH4 emission and its pathways, …


Calcification, Dissolution And Test Properties Of Modern Planktonic Foraminifera From The Central Atlantic Ocean, Stergios D. Zarkogiannis, Shinya Iwasaki, James William Buchanan Rae, Matthew W. Schmidt, P. Graham Mortyn, George Kontakiotis, Jennifer E. Hertzberg, Rosalind E.M. Rickaby Jan 2022

Calcification, Dissolution And Test Properties Of Modern Planktonic Foraminifera From The Central Atlantic Ocean, Stergios D. Zarkogiannis, Shinya Iwasaki, James William Buchanan Rae, Matthew W. Schmidt, P. Graham Mortyn, George Kontakiotis, Jennifer E. Hertzberg, Rosalind E.M. Rickaby

OES Faculty Publications

The mass of well-preserved calcite in planktonic foraminifera shells provides an indication of the calcification potential of the surface ocean. Here we report the shell weight of 8 different abundant planktonic foraminifera species from a set of core-top sediments along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The analyses showed that near the equator, foraminifera shells of equivalent size weigh on average 1/3 less than those from the middle latitudes. The carbonate preservation state of the samples was assessed by high resolution X-ray microcomputed tomographic analyses of Globigerinoides ruber and Globorotalia truncatulinoides specimens. The specimen preservation was deemed good and does not overall explain …


Toxic Effects Of Silver Ions On Early Developing Zebrafish Embryos Distinguished From Silver Nanoparticles, Martha S. Johnson, Preeyaporn Songkiatisak, Pavan Kumar Cherukuri, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu Jan 2022

Toxic Effects Of Silver Ions On Early Developing Zebrafish Embryos Distinguished From Silver Nanoparticles, Martha S. Johnson, Preeyaporn Songkiatisak, Pavan Kumar Cherukuri, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Currently, effects of nanomaterials and their ions, such as silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and silver ions (Ag+), on living organisms are not yet fully understood. One of the vital questions is whether nanomaterials have distinctive effects on living organisms from any other conventional chemicals (e.g., their ions), owing to their unique physicochemical properties. Due to various experimental protocols, studies of this crucial question have been inconclusive, which hinders rational design of effective regulatory guidelines for safely handling NPs. In this study, we chronically exposed early developing zebrafish embryos (cleavage-stage, 2 hours post-fertilization, hpf) to a dilution series of …


Efficient Removal Of Lead Ions From Aqueous Media Using Sustainable Sources On Marine Algae, Hannah Namkoong, Erik Biehler, Gon Namkoong, Tarek M. Abdel-Fattah Jan 2022

Efficient Removal Of Lead Ions From Aqueous Media Using Sustainable Sources On Marine Algae, Hannah Namkoong, Erik Biehler, Gon Namkoong, Tarek M. Abdel-Fattah

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this project is to explore a new method to efficiently remove Pb(II) ions from water by processing Undaria pinnatifida into immobilized beads using sodium alginate and calcium chloride. The resulting biosorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Using immobilized U. pinnatifida, we investigated the effect of various factors on Pb(II) ion removal efficiency such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, time, and underlying biosorption mechanisms. For Pb(II) ion biosorption studies, Pb(II) ion biosorption data were obtained and analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. It …