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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Assessments Of Water Chemistry And Fish Community Structure In The Buffalo Creek Watershed, Tributary To The Allegheny River In Armstrong And Butler Counties, Pennsylvania, Kathleen Wilson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Buffalo Creek watershed has experienced water quality impairments for various reasons, including but not limited to, agricultural influence, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), on-site wastewater malfunction, and stormwater. The source and cause of the most prevalent impaired areas remains unknown. The goal of this study was to analyze water chemistry using state water quality standards and mass ratio analysis, then to conduct fish community analysis. We found toxic metal pollution across the watershed, with iron, cadmium, copper, and selenium frequently exceeding criteria. We determined which streams are polluted by resource extraction activities by conducting mass ratio analysis. We found conventional …
Application Of Passive Air Samplers For Atmospheric Research, And Determination Of Metals In Tree Rings And Marine Sapropel By Icp-Ms, Byunggwon Jeon
Application Of Passive Air Samplers For Atmospheric Research, And Determination Of Metals In Tree Rings And Marine Sapropel By Icp-Ms, Byunggwon Jeon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This research focuses on studies of atmospheric mercury (Hg) using passive air samplers (PAS) and studies of trace elements in tree cores and sediment using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mercury is a toxic element that is dispersed globally through the atmosphere. Accurately measuring airborne Hg concentrations aids understanding of the pollutant’s sources, distribution, cycling, and trends. Mercury PAS are designed to capture gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) at a known rate. Compared to active air sampling the low-cost of PAS allows for greater spatial coverage. We used a commercially available Hg PAS (MerPAS®) and observed differences in GEM between …
Accurate Quantitation Of Hexavalent Chromium For Reference Standard Certification And Quality Control Testing Using Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, James E. Henderson
Accurate Quantitation Of Hexavalent Chromium For Reference Standard Certification And Quality Control Testing Using Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, James E. Henderson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The ability to perform accurate, repeatable, and defensible elemental and molecular speciated analysis is immensely significant for measurements that support human health, environmental science, and industry. This is especially true since trivalent chromium [Cr(III)] is necessary for proper nutrition, while hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is extremely toxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic. The main challenges associated with speciated analysis are related to reactive species that are continuously transformed or converted to other species during sample processing. Accurate determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species require a method that is capable of monitoring and correcting for interconversion, bias, and instrumental error. Traditional quantitative methods, such …