FLEGAL LAB
Russ Flegal, Email
Trace Metal Lab: B12 JBEB, Phone: (831) 459-2088
Mercury Lab: 498 PSB, Phone: (831) 459-5336
Lab Members
Geochemistry & Environmental Toxicology
Our research is on the natural biogeochemical cycles
of trace elements in the environment and the perturbation of those
cycles by anthropogenic processes. Many of these studies investigate
aquatic toxicology in fresh water and estuarine and marine ecosystems.
Others address the toxicology of trace elements in ecosystems and
humans.
The primary focus of our research is on the biogeochemical
cycle of lead in preindustrial and contemporary environments. This
includes studies of lead cycles in the world's oceans, Mediterranean
Sea, Great Lakes, European Alps, and Antarctic. These studies involve
analyses of lead concentrations and stable isotopic compositions
in aerosols, water, sediments, and organisms. Concentration measurements
are used to quantify the magnitude of anthropogenic perturbations,
and isotopic composition measurements are used to identify natural
and anthropogenic sources.
We are also involved with research on the biogeochemical
cycling of other trace elements in aquatic systems. This research
is focused on the cycling of heavy metals and rare earth elements
in the San Francisco Bay estuarine system, long Island Sound, North
Pacific, South Atlantic, and freshwater rivers and aquifers. The
studies involve analyses of factors regulating elemental concentration,
speciation, and bioavailability in aerosols, water, sediments,
and organisms.
Complementary studies of sublethal toxicities are
being conducted concurrently. These are now focused on phytoplankton
and benthic invertebrates. They, like most of our research, involve
collaborations with investigators at UCSC, other universities and
research institutions.
LAB MEMBERS
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Christopher Conaway
Mendenhall Scholar, USGS Pacific Science Center
Affiliated Researcher, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz
Ph.D. Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz
M.S. Geology, Ohio State University
B.A. English, Ohio State University
My current research focuses on the transport, transformation, and fate of
metals in Monterey Bay.
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Celine Gallon
Assistant Researcher
PhD, (Water Sciences) Biogeochemistry group, National Institute of Scientific Research - Water, Earth, Environment, University of Quebec, Canada
MSc. (Water Sciences) Biogeochemistry group, National Institute of Scientific Research - Water, Earth, Environment, University of Quebec, Canada
Postdoctoral research on stable lead isotopic composition analyses and the biogeochemical cycling of lead and silver in the North Pacific.
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Priya Ganguli
Graduate Student, Earth and Planetary Sciences
M.S., Earth Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz
B.S., Geology (major) and Mathematics (minor), Indiana University
I hypothesize that surface water - groundwater interactions in the shallow subsurface zone below the stream bed play an important role in transforming inorganic mercury into a more toxic organic bioaccumulative form. I am combining the study of mercury biogeochemistry with the physical process based disciplines of hydrology and geomorphology to test my hypothesis in a mercury mine-impacted coastal stream.
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Sharon
Hibdon
Staff
Research
Associate
M.A.,
Chemistry,
University
of
California,
Santa
Cruz
B.A.,
Chemistry,
University
of
California,
Santa
Cruz
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Mary Langsner
Graduate Student, Environmental Toxicology
B.S., Environmental Toxicology, UC Davis
Research Interests: I use zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model aquatic vertebrate to study mercury toxicity and uptake in embryonic fish.
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Kingsley Odigie
Graduate Student, Environmental Toxicology
B.S., Microbiology, San Jose State University
B.S., Forensic Science, San Jose State University
My study focuses on understanding the anthropogenic perturbations of trace metals, primarily lead in the environment. |
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCHERS
Berlin Burkhart
Ngoc Hoang
Laura Jury
Scott Katz
Nick Freedman
Kevin Tharp
Angela Hutson
Kirsty Lapinski
Laura Bliss
Daniel Cook
Paul Liebetrau
Phil Benedetti
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PAST MEMBERS
- Khalil Abu-Saba, Scientist, California State Water Resources Control Board
- Ignacio Rivera-Duarte, Geochemist, U.S. Navy Environmental Lab, SPAWAR
- Charles Dunlap, Associate Professor, American University of Armenia
- J.R. Flanders, Scientist, United States Geological Survey
- Gary Gill, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Galveston
- Ana Gonzalez, Geochemist, Geomatrix Consultants
- Roberrt Kurkjian, President, RAK Consultants
- Kuria Ndung’u, Assistant Professor, Stockholm University
- Jennifer Ostrowski, Instructor, Pacific Collegiate School
- Sergio Sañudo-Wilhelmy, Professor, University of Southern California
- Martha Thomas, Scientist, Southern California Air Resources Board
- Mara Ranville, Assistant Professor, Bard College
- Peter Ritson, Lecturer, Washington State University
- Martin Soto-Jimenez, Asst. Prof., Universidad Naciónal Autonoma de México
- Douglas Steding, Attorney, Environmental Law, Stoel Rives LLP, Seattle, WA
- Sharon Squire, Professional Geologist, WEST
- Alain Véron, Scientist, European Center for Environmental Geochemistry
- Lindsay Whalin, Scientist, California State Water Resources Control Board
- Genine Scelfo
- Allison Luengen
- Frank Black
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