Dan Brabander

Wellesley College · Department of Geosciences

Compostable materials constitute roughly half of waste generated globally, but only 5% of waste is actually processed through composting, suggesting that expanding compost programs may be an effective way to process waste. Compostable waste, if properly collected and processed, has value‐added end use options including: residential and park landsca...

GeoHealth as a research paradigm offers the opportunity to re‐evaluate common research engagement models and science training practices. GeoHealth challenges are often wicked problems that require both transdisciplinary approaches and the establishment of intimate and long‐term partnerships with a range of community members. We examine four common...

The urban landscape is being transformed formally and informally to increase production and access to locally sourced produce. Although cultivation of urban produce lowers the carbon footprint of food production by removing transportation to market, there is a lack of studies that investigate both toxic element profiles and nutrient content of prod...

The urban landscape is being transformed formally and informally to increase production and access to locally sourced produce. Although cultivation of urban produce lowers the carbon footprint of food production by removing transportation to market, there is a lack of studies that investigate both toxic element profiles and nutrient content of prod...

The 1755 Cape Ann earthquake, the most damaging historic earthquake in New England, caused strong ground motion of modified Mercalli intensities (MMIs) VI-VII in eastern Massachusetts, most likely affecting lake sediments in the area. We present multiproxy data of a well-dated sedimentary record from Sluice Pond in Lynn, Massachusetts, that contain...

While the presence of legacy lead (Pb) in the urban soil is well documented, less is known about the bioaccessibility, transport, and exposure pathways of urban soil Pb. We study Pb bioaccessibility in Roxbury and Dorchester, MA urban gardens to assess exposure risk and identify remediation strategies, applicable locally and in urban gardens across...

Chronic low-level lead exposure among low-income minority children is an urgent environmental justice issue. Addressing this ubiquitous urban public health crisis requires a new transdisciplinary paradigm. The primary goals of this work are to inform best practices for urban gardeners working in lead contaminated soils and to reimagine urban organi...

New England lake sediments preserve a rich history of post-glacial environmental and climate conditions as well as human overprints. Sluice Pond is a relatively deep (zmax=19.8m) and small (18.0ha) lake located in the urban center of Lynn, MA. The central basin is currently well stratified, with the thermocline base occurring at ~10m. The analysis...

In arid environments, winds, storms, and other physical disturbances can suspend surficial sands, silts, and clays and subsequently transport these materials over distances from meters to hundreds of kilometers. Exposure to large burdens of airborne “dust” during mass transport events such as sand storms has been linked to human health effects incl...

How can instructors design innovative courses that embrace students’ diverse sets of skills while providing multiple pathways for achieving wide-ranging learning objectives? Recognizing the transdisciplinary nature of the grand challenges facing 21st century society, the instructors designed a new project-based course, “Paradigms, Predictions, and...

Heavy metal contamination of surface waters at mining sites often involves complex interactions of multiple sources and varying biogeochemical conditions. We compared surface and subsurface metal loading from mine waste pile runoff and mine drainage discharge and characterized the influence of iron oxides on metal fate along a 0.9-km stretch of Tar...

In May 2012, the CDC adopted a new sliding scale reference value for childhood lead poisoning, reducing the former 10 µg/dL benchmark by half. Using Massachusetts (MA) as a model state, we estimated the change in the population of 9–47 month-olds at risk for lead poisoning. We then examined the impact of the 5 µg/dL reference value on the demograph...

Following the cessation of mining activity in the late 20th century, Tar Creek Superfund Site was left highly contaminated by Pb, Zn, and Cd. Tar Creek, which flows through the site and into the Neosho River, has been studied extensively because of its potential to transport metals from the mining site to downstream communities. Previous research i...

Significant lead poisoning has been associated with imported nonpaint products. To describe cases of pediatric lead intoxication from imported Indian spices and cultural powders, determine lead concentrations in these products, and predict effects of ingestion on pediatric blood lead levels (BLLs). Cases and case-study information were obtained fro...

Chronic exposure to Pb2+ above the 15-μg/L US Environmental Protection Agency action level for drinking water has been shown to cause a host of health problems in humans. Thus, it is important to study new methods available for the treatment and removal of Pb2+ from drinking water and wastewater, where elevated levels of heavy metals are found. Alg...

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) profiles in sediment cores collected from two subtidal harbor slips in the lower Hudson River estuary in October 2001 exhibit regular patterns of variability with depth. Using additional evidence from sediment Ca/Sr ratios, 137Cs activity and Al, carbonate (CaCO3), and organic carbon (OCsed) concentration profiles, it...

In arid environments, winds, storms, and other physical disturbances can suspend surficial sands, silts, and clays and subsequently transport these materials over distances from meters to hundreds of kilometers. This airborne material carries with it any organisms and inorganic or organic constituents that are associated with particle surfaces. Exp...

Mobility of As in the environment is controlled by its association with solid phases through adsorption and co-precipitation. To elucidate the mobilization potential of As deposited in wetland and riverbed sediments of the Wells G & H wetland in Woburn, MA as the result of decades of industrial activity, As retention mechanisms were inferred from a...

Urban community gardens worldwide provide significant health benefits to those gardening and consuming fresh produce from them. Urban gardens are most often placed in locations and on land in which soil contaminants reflect past practices and often contain elevated levels of metals and organic contaminants. Garden plot dividers made from either rai...

In arid environments, winds, storms, and other physical disturbances can suspend surficial sands, silts, and clays as airborne dust that can be subsequently transported over distances from meters to hundreds of kilometers. This dust, particularly the silt/clay fraction, carries with it any organisms and inorganic or organic constituents that are as...

Environmental lead contamination is prevalent in urban areas where soil represents a significant sink and pathway of exposure. This study characterizes the speciation of lead that is relevant to local recontamination and to human exposure in the backyard gardens of Roxbury and Dorchester, MA, USA. One hundred forty-one backyard gardens were tested...

Laser-ablation inductively coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry analysis of red oak (Quercus rubra) from a well documented heavy metal contaminated United States Environmental Protection Agency superfund site in Woburn, Massachusetts reveals decade-long trends in Pb contaminant sources. Lead isotope ratios (207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) in tree rings pl...

We characterized the lability and bioaccessibility of Zn, Pb, and Cd in size-fractionated mine waste at the Tar Creek Superfund Site (Oklahoma) to assess the potential for metal transport, exposure, and subsequent bioavailability. Bulk mine waste samples contained elevated Zn (9100 +/- 2500 ppm), Pb (650 +/- 360 ppm), and Cd (42 +/- 10 ppm), while...

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) profiles in two sediment cores collected from two low-energy, subtidal harbor slips in the lower Hudson River estuary exhibit patterns of variability that suggest different sources of sediment to these sites over time. Evidence from sediment Sr/Ca ratio, rare earth element (REE), Fe, Mn, total organic carbon (TOC), and...

The chemistry of Pb in urban soil must be understood in order to limit human exposure to Pb in soil and produce and to implement remediation schemes. In inner-city gardens where Pb contamination is prevalent and financial resources are limited, it is critical to identify the variables that control Pb bioavailability. Field-portable X-ray fluorescen...

A procedure is presented for the high-resolution analysis of lake sediment cores. Sections of a sediment core collected by freeze coring in a dimictic lake were prepared by slow drying. Clear visual laminations in the prepared sections indicated that the layering of accumulated sediments was preserved during sampling and sample preparation. Concent...

The area of Hewitt's Cove, Hingham, Massachusetts structurally represents the southern extent of the Boston Basin, and as such, provides the opportunity to identify and recognize basin-wide events. While the stratigraphy of the Boston Basin has been developed since the advent of U-Pb geochronology and formal stratigraphic facies descriptions (Socci...

The use of dendrochemical analysis has been shown to be a valuable, although controversial, tool in monitoring historical trends in trace metal deposition and mobilization in groundwater and sediments. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is one method that has been used to determine annual dendrochemical patterns in tree rings. The use of NAA may als...

Over the last several decades, much of population of Bangladesh and West Bengal switched their water supply from surface water to groundwater. Tragically, much of the region's groundwater is dangerously contaminated by arsenic, and consumption of this water has already created severe health effects. Here we consider how groundwater flow may affect...

Typha latifolia (cattail) sequesters arsenic within predominantlyferric iron root coatings, thus decreasing mobility of this toxic element in wetland sediments. Element-specific XRF microtomographic imaging illustrated a high spatial correlation between iron and arsenic in root plaques, with little arsenic in the interior of the roots. XANES analys...

Aquifer geochemistry was characterized at a field site in the Munshiganj district of Bangladesh where the groundwater is severely contaminated by As. Vertical profiles of aqueous and solid phase parameters were measured in a sandy deep aquifer (depth >150 m) below a thick confining clay (119 to 150 m), a sandy upper aquifer (3.5 to 119 m) above thi...

Our past studies have shown that a large portion of the particulate load in estuaries tends to bypass areas that have reached �dynamic equilibrium� with the hydraulic regime and (through a series of deposition and resuspension events) tends to rapidly accumulate in low-energy areas that are temporally out of equilibrium as a result of natural proce...

While attempting to infuse more ocean science research into K-16 classrooms, museums and aquaria, the New England Regional Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (NER-COSEE) is focused on identifying excellent examples of ocean science education. However, without a "map" of ocean sciences, it is difficult or impossible to meet the needs of...

The terrorist‐instigated collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers in New York City on 11 September 2001; the resultant fires that burned at the excavation site for three months afterwards; and subsequent site‐remediation activities released dust, debris, and a wide variety of particle‐associated contaminants to the surrounding urban environm...

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City introduced large amounts of ash and debris over an extensive area including New York Harbor (NYH) and the Lower Hudson Estuary. Previous results have identified a textural and elemental “fingerprint” for this ash/debris that can be seen as a quantifiable event...

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City introduced large amounts of ash and debris over a wide area including New York Harbor (NYH) and the Lower Hudson River Estuary. Previous results, based on data from ash/debris collected after the event and from sediment cores taken on October 12, 2001 in inacti...

By comparing the textural, chemical, and isotopic composition of World Trade Center (WTC) ash samples (collected near Ground Zero one week after the terrorist attack) with sediment samples from cores taken on October 12, 2001 in known deposition areas in New York Harbor (NYH), we characterized a unique suite of geochemical-textural tracers that all...

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City introduced large amounts of ash and debris over an extensive area including New York Harbor (NYH) and the Lower Hudson Estuary. Previous results have identified a textural and elemental "fingerprint" for this ash/debris that can be seen as a quantifiable event...

High levels of arsenic in well water are causing widespread poisoning in Bangladesh. In a typical aquifer in southern Bangladesh, chemical data imply that arsenic mobilization is associated with recent inflow of carbon. High concentrations of radiocarbon-young methane indicate that young carbon has driven recent biogeochemical processes, and irriga...

Human activities in urban areas can lead to both chemical pollution and physical alteration of stream habitats. The evaluation of ecological impacts on urban streams can be problematic where both types of degradation occur. Effects of contaminants, for example, may be masked if stream channelization, loss of riparian vegetation, or other physical s...

A wide variety of materials and contaminants are introduced into the Hudson River estuary, either directly via riverine, atmospheric, or marine sources; or indirectly, through its use for waste discharges and storm-water runoff, for cooling purposes in electric power production, or as a commercial harbor. Since many chemically reactive pollutants b...

In a preliminary study, the uptake and the mobility of uranium (U) by black oak trees (Quercus velutina) were assessed by measuring the isotopic composition of tree rings in two mature oak trees in a heavy metal contaminated bog in Concord, MA. The bog is adjacent to a nuclear industrial facility that has been processing depleted uranium (DU) since...

Arsenic (As) mobility and transport in the environment are strongly influenced by arsenic's associations with solid phases in soil and sediment. We have tested a sequential extraction procedure intended to differentiate the following pools of solid phase arsenic: loosely and strongly adsorbed As; As coprecipitated with metal oxides or amorphous mon...

The groundwater of Bangladesh is severely contaminated with arsenic. Understanding the source, mechanisms of mobilization, and transport of arsenic in these aquifers is critical for evaluating the danger to Bangladesh and for planning future water management for the country. We have installed a cluster of sampling wells, and have taken continuous c...

Reconstructing the history of ambient levels of metals by using tree-ring chemistry is controversial. This controversy can be resolved in part through the use of selective microanalysis of individual wood cells. Using a combination of instrumental neutron activation analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry, we have observed systematic inhomogen...