4400322e_search_Program__NRP_Scientists__Details
[Scientist] Thomas D Bullen [Research Area] Geochemical Reactions Between Water and Mineral Substrates/Metal and Metalloid Isotope Tracers show details View Publications [Science Topics] Biogeochemistry; Contaminants; Metals; Radioisotopes [Last Name] Bullen [Details] 
Metals and metalloids occur in the environment both as natural constituents of water and as contaminants. The focus of my research is to identify and develop geochemical and particularly isotopic approaches to identifying the sources, transport mechanisms and fates of those metals and metalloids, and to use these novel tracer tools to study hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in varied field and laboratory situations. Examples of current research objectives are: 1) to use isotopes of the alkaline earth elements (Ca, Sr, Ba) to determine water flowpaths and solute sources in headwater catchments; 2) to use isotopes of Cr to understand Cr transport and contaminant remediation at industrial sites and in rivers; 3) to use isotopes of the transition elements to determine sources of these metals in dust; 4) to use isotopes of Cu and Ag to assess potential isotope fractionation mechanisms in aquatic organisms as indicators of metal toxicity.
USGS National Research Program: NRP Scientists
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