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L. P. Gough

Publications and source records attributed to L. P. Gough.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Determining baseline element composition of lichens. I. Parmelia sulcata at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Element-concentration baselines are given for Parmelia sulcata and associated soils. Parmelia chlorochroa was found sporadically and therefore only representative concentration ranges are reported for this species. Element data include (1) for lichens; Al, As, Ba, B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, P, Sr, S, Ti, V, Y, and Zn; and (2) for soils: Al, Ba, Be, Ca, Cs, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Nb, P, Pb, Sr, S, Ti, V, Y, and Zn. Very little (usually < 10 %) of the variability in the element data for lichen material occurs regionally (> 7.2 km); thus, P sukata is, in general, chemically similar throughout the park. This same uniformity was found for soil geochemistry. Numerous samples collected at close intervals would be required, therefore, to produce detailed element-concentration maps for P. sulcata and soils. No instances of elemental phytotoxic conditions were found; however, P. sulcata apparently possesses large concentrations of Ba, Cu, Fe, Pb, S, V, and possibly Zn.

North Dakota

Determining baseline element composition of lichens. II. Hypogymnia enteromorpha and Usnea spp. at Redwood National Park, California

Hypogymnia enteromorpha and Usnea spp. were collected in the Little Bald Hills ultramafic region of Redwood National Park, California, to establish element-concentration norms. Baselines are presented for Ba, Ca, Cu, Mn, Ni, P, Sr, V, and Zn for both lichen species; for Li, Mg, and K for H. enteromorpha ; and for Al, Ce, Cr, Co, Fe, Na, and Ti for Usnea . Element concentrations of future collections of this same material can be used to monitor possible air quality changes anticipated from mining activities planned nearby. The variability in the element concentrations was partitioned between geographical distance increments and sample preparation and analysis procedures. In general, most of this variability was found in samples less than a few hundreds of meters apart rather than those at about 1 km apart. Therefore, except for Ba and Co, no large geographical element-concentration trends were observed. Samples of both species contained elevated levels of Ni and Mg, which probably reflect the ultramafic terrain over which they occur.

California

Regional investigations of soil and overburden analysis and plant uptake of metals

Regional studies on the bioavailability of metals at native and disturbed sites were conducted over the past seven years by the USGS. The work was concentrated in the Fort Union, Powder River, and Green River coal resource regions where measures of extractable metals in soils were found to have limited use in predicting metal levels in plants. Correlations between Cu, Fe, and Zn in plants and extractable (DTPA, EDTA, and oxalate) or total levels in native A- and C-horizons of soil were occasionally significant. A simple linear model is generally not adequate, however, in estimating element uptake by plants. Prediction capabilities were improved when a number of soil chemical and physical parameters were included as independent variables in a stepwise linear multiple regression analysis; however, never more than 54% of the total variability in the data was explained by the equations for these metals. Soil pH was the most important variable relating soil chemistry to plant chemistry. This relation was always positive and apparently a response to soil levels of metal carbonates and not Fe and Mn oxides. Studies that compared the metal uptake by rehabilitation species to extractable (DTPA) metal levels in mice soils produced similar results. ?? 1984 Science and Technology Letters.

Minerals and the Environment

Chemical analyses of soils and other surficial materials, Alaska

Introduction: The favorable response to the reports on the geochemistry of unconsolidated surficial materials of the conterminous United States (informally called the '50-mile geochemical survey,' Shacklette and others, 1971a, 1971b, 1973, and 1974) led us, in 1975, to initiate a somewhat similar survey of Alaska. The principal objective of studies of this type is to establish estimates of the abundance of elements in soils and other surficial materials. Such information is useful in the evaluation of geochemical data for (1) mineral resources, (2) environmental appraisals, and (3) the definition of broad-scale geochemical patterns. For about six years this effort progressed slowly on a non-funded, time-available basis. During fiscal years 1982 and 1983, however, some funds were made available through the USGS Energy Lands and Alaska Mineral Surveys programs which allowed for the completion of the field-work phase of the project. The sampling plan was kept simple because, as with the 50-mile study, the acquisition of samples depended on the voluntary cooperation of field personnel (only about 40 percent of the total number of samples was obtained by the authors).

Open-File Report

Rehabilitation materials from surface- coal mines in western USA. I. Chemical characteristics of spoil and replaced cover-soil.

A range of at least one order of magnitude was observed for DTPA-extractable Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn and organic matter content of samples of spoil and cover-soil from eleven western USA surface-coal mines. The observed pH of these samples ranged from 3.9 to 8.9; however, most samples were near-neutral to alkaline in reaction. Most constituent levels were found to be below proposed guidelines for maximum permissible levels in mine soil. -from Authors

Reclamation and Revegetation Research