Zoltan Szabo

Hyd (RGE)

Short Biography

Zoltan Szabo, a research hydrologist with US Geological Survey, led the radionuclide occurrence and mobility assessment for the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, with special focus on National Radium occurrence completed in 2012 (Szabo et al. 2012; http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/trace/radium/). Desorption of radium in acidic, anoxic, and mineralized geochemical environments was documented.  He has co-authored the NAWQA cycle III 10-year research plan for radionuclides. He worked on methods development for radionuclide analyses including Radium-224 now included in Standard Methods (21^st ed, 7500-E) and analytical methods challenges of complex matrices including high TDS natural waters (Szabo et al., 2005, 2012) and waste brines (Szabo et al., 2008; 2010). The 1998 report regarding Radium occurrence in southern NJ won the USGS Report of the Year Award for the Northeastern USA sparking EPA’s effortsto define occurrence of this radioelement. He continues to work on occurrence of radioisotopes of uranium, lead, and polonium. Zoltan Szabo’s recent work has expanded to provide contributions on the occurrence of a broad suite of “emerging” contaminants in ground/surface water used for drinking water, including waste water personal-care and pharmaceutical organic compounds and ethanol  He has been working on characterizing waste streams from septic tanks affecting ground-water quality and sewage discharge affecting surface water, as well as examining the effect of various treatment systems for these compounds, from septic systems to municipal systems. He has helped design, test and implement "ultra-clean" ground-water sampling protocols for trace elements, including mercury, and is working on defining mercury distribution in the environment for coastal regions. He is recipient of American Water Works Assoc. Researcher of the Year (2007, NJ Chapter). He received his MSc in geology from Ohio State University using strontium isotopes as ground-water flow tracers. He has more than 65 full length publications and more than 100 abstracts, mostly devoted to radionuclide occurrence and mercury chemistry.

Publications

Ayotte, J.D., Szabo, Zoltan, Focazio, M.J., and Eberts, S.M., 2011, Effects of human-induced alteration of ground water flow on concentrations of naturally-occurring trace-elements at water-supply wells: Applied Geochemistry v. 26, p. 747-762. [doi:10.1016/j.app.geochem.2011.01.033] [Link]

Oden, J.H., Oden, T.O., and Szabo, Zoltan, 2010, Ground water quality of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston, Texas, 2007–08: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 548, 65 p. [Link]

Selected Recent Publications

Szabo, Zoltan, dePaul, V.T., Fischer, J.M, Kraemer, T.F., and Jacobsen, Eric, 2012, Occurrence and geochemistry of Radium in aquifers used for drinking water in the United States: Applied Geochemistry, v. 27, p. 729-752. [doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.11.002]

Szabo, Zoltan, Fischer, J.M, and Hancock, Tracy, 2012, Principal aquifers can contribute Radium to drinking water under certain geochemical conditions: United States Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2010-3113, 6 p.

Ayotte, J.D., Szabo, Zoltan, Focazio, M.J., and Eberts, S.M., 2011, Effects of human-induced alteration of ground water flow on concentrations of naturally-occurring trace-elements at water-supply wells: Applied Geochemistry v. 26, p. 747-762. [doi:10.1016/j.app.geochem.2011.01.033]

Barringer, J.L., Szabo, Zoltan, Wilson, T.P., Bonin, J.L., Kratzer, Todd, Cenno, Kimberly, Romagna, Terri, Alebus, Marzooq, and Hirst, Barbara, 2011, Sources and mobility of arsenic and metals in water and sediments of a shallow aerated and alum-dosed lake, northwestern New Jersey, USA: Environmental Geochemistry Health, v. 33, p. 1-22.  [DOI:10.1007/s10653-010-9289-7] 

Barringer, J.L., Szabo, Zoltan, Bonin, J.L., and McGee, C.K., 2011, Arsenic, metals, and nutrients in runoff from  two detention basins to Raccoon Creek, Coastal Plain, New Jersey, 2008: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5017, 34 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5017/]

Szabo, Zoltan, Jacobsen, Eric, Kraemer, T.F., and Parsa, Bahman, 2010, Environmental fate of Ra in cation-exchange regeneration brine waste disposed to septic tanks, New Jersey Coastal Plain, U.S.A.: Migration to the water table: J. Environmental Radioactivity, v. 101, p. 33-44.

Oden, J.H., Oden, T.O., and Szabo, Zoltan, 2010, Ground water quality of the Gulf Coast aquifer system, Houston, Texas, 2007–08: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 548, 65 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/548/]

Barringer, J.L., Riskin, M.L., Szabo, Zoltan, Fischer, J.M., Reilly, P.A., Rosman, Robert, Bonin, J.L., and Heckathorn, H.A., 2010, Mercury and methylmercury in a Coastal Plain watershed, New Jersey, USA: Water, Air, Soil Pollution, v. 212, p. 251-273. [DOI 10.1007/s11270-010-0340-1]

Gilchrist, Sivajini, Gates, A.E., Szabo, Zoltan, and Lamothe, P.J., 2009, Impact of AMD on water quality in critical watershed in the Hudson River drainage basin: Phillips Mine, Hudson Highlands, New York: Environmental Geology, v. 57, p 397-409. . [DOI 10.1007/s00254-008-1310-4.] 

Szabo, Zoltan, Jacobsen, Eric, Kraemer, T.F., and Parsa, Bahman, 2008, Concentrations and environmental fate of Ra in cation-exchange regeneration brine waste disposed to septic tanks and accumulation in sludge, New Jersey Coastal Plain, U.S.A.: Journal Environmental Radioactivity, v. 99, no. 6, p. 947-964.

Barringer, J.L., Wilson, T.P., Szabo, Zoltan, Bonin, J.L., Fischer, J.M., and Smith, N.P., 2008, Diurnal variations in, and influences on, concentrations of particulate and dissolved arsenic and metals in the mildly alkaline Wallkill River, New Jersey, USA: Environmental Geology, v. 53, p. 1183-1199.  [DOI 10.1007/s00254-007-0708-8.]

Burnett, W.C., Dulaiova, Henrietta, Dimova, Natasha, Parsa, Bahman, and Szabo, Zoltan, 2007, Measuring thoron (²²⁰Rn) in natural waters : in Warwick, Peter, ed., Environmental Radiochemical Analysis, Volume III., Transactions of the Royal Chemical Society, RSC Publishing, Cambridge, England, p. 24-37.

dePaul, V.T., and Szabo, Zoltan, 2007, Occurrence of radium-224, radium-226, and radium-228 in water from the Vincentown and Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifers, the Englishtown aquifer system, and the Hornerstown and Red Bank sands, southwestern and south-central New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5064, 62 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5064/]

Szabo, Zoltan, Keller, E.A., and Defawe, R.M., 2006, Pore-Water quality in the clay-silt confining units of the lower Miocene Kirkwood Formation and hypothetical effects on water quality of the Atlantic City 800-Foot Sand, northeastern Cape May County, New Jersey, 2001: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5134, 37 p. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5134/]

Szabo, Zoltan, dePaul, V.T., Gardner, P.L., Kopera, A.J., and Goodman, Jenny, 2006, Radon-222 occurrence in ground water in New Jersey, with emphasis on the Highlands Province: in Gates, A.E., ed., Environmental geology of the Highlands, 23^rd Annual Meeting of the Geological Association of New Jersey, Ramapo, N.J., Oct. 2006.

Barringer, J.L., Szabo, Zoltan, Schneider, Donald, Atkinson, W.D., and Gallagher, R.A., 2006, Mercury concentrations in ground water, septage, leach-field effluent, and soils in residential areas, New Jersey Coastal Plain: Science Total Environment, v. 361, p. 144-162.

Barringer, J.L., and Szabo, Zoltan, 2006, Overview of studies of mercury concentrations in water from the New Jersey Coastal Plain: Water Soil Air Pollution, v. 175, p. 193-221.

Koterba, M.T., Andres, A.S., Vrabel, J.P., Crilley, D.M., Szabo, Zoltan, DeWild, J.F., Aiken, G.R., and Reyes-Padro, Betzaida, 2006, Occurrence and distribution of mercury in the surficial  aquifer, Long Neck Peninsula, Sussex County, Delaware, 2003-04: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5011, 159 p.

          [http://md.water.usgs.gov/publications/sir-2006-5011/index.html] or [http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/sir/sir20065011].

Barringer, J.L., Szabo, Zoltan, Kauffman, L.J., Barringer, T.H., Stackelberg, P.E., Ivahnenko, Tamara, Rajagopalan, Shilpa, and Krabbenhoft, D.P., 2005,  Mercury concentrations in water from an unconfined aquifer system, New Jersey Coastal Plain: Science Total Environment, v. 346, p. 169-183.

Szabo, Zoltan, dePaul, V.T., Kraemer, T.F., Parsa, Bahman, 2005, Occurrence of radium-224 and comparison to that of radium-226 and radium-228 in water from the unconfined Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer System, Southern New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5224, 92 p. [http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20045224]]

Szabo, Zoltan, Zapecza, O.S., Oden, J.H., and Rice, D.E., 2005, Radiochemical sampling and analysis of shallow ground water and sediment at the BOMARC Missile Facility, east-central New Jersey, 1999-2000: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5062, 87 p. [http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/sir20055062]

Szabo, Zoltan, Oden, J.H., Gibs, Jacob, Rice, D.E. and Ding, Yuan, 2002, Variation in aluminum, iron, and particle concentrations in oxic ground-water samples collected by use of tangential-flow filtration with low-flow sampling:Proceedings of International Society for Optical Engineering, v. 4575, Chemical and biological early warning monitoring for water, food, and ground, p. 42-61.

Focazio, M.J., Szabo, Zoltan, Kraemer, T.F., Mullin, A.H., Barringer, T.H. and dePaul, V.T., 2001, Occurrence of selected radionuclides in ground water used for drinking water in the United States: A reconnaissance Survey, 1998: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 00-4273, 35 p.

[http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri004273/pdf/ wri004273.pdf]

Gibs, Jacob, Szabo, Zoltan, Ivahnenko, Tamara and Wilde, F. D., 2000, Change in field turbidity and trace-element concentrations during well purging: Ground Water, v. 38, no. 4, p. 577-588.

Szabo, Zoltan and dePaul, V.T., 1998, Radium-226 and Radium-228 in shallow ground water, southern New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-062-98, 6 p.

[http://nj.usgs.gov/publications/FS/FS-062-98.pdf]

Strzelecki, Ryszard, Wolkowicz, Stanislaw, Wolkowicz, Wojciech, Mamont-Ciesla, Kalina, Mose, D.G., Szabo, Zoltan, Ivahnenko, Tamara and Mushrush, G.W., 1998, Evaluation of geologic radon potential in two regions in southwestern and southern Poland: in 4th International Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Contamination in Central and Eastern Europe, Warsaw, Poland, 7 p.

Szabo, Zoltan, Pucci, A.A., Jr. and Feigenson, M.D., 1997, Sr-isotopic evidence for leakage of pore water from clay-silt confining units to the Atlantic City 800-foot Sand, Atlantic City, New Jersey: in Miller, K.G. and Snyder, S.W. (eds.), Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, V. 150X, p. 343-354.

       [http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/150X_SR/25X_CHP.PDF]

Szabo, Zoltan, Rice, D.E., Plummer, L.N., Busenberg, Eurybades, Drenkard, Stefan and Schlosser, Peter, 1996, Age dating of shallow groundwater with chlorofluorocarbons, tritium/helium-3, and flow path analysis, southern New Jersey coastal plain: Water Resources Research, v. 32, no. 4, p. 1023-1038.

My Science Topics

My USGS Science Strategy Areas

Geochemistry of radionuclides and trace elements and their fate and transport in natural waters.

Other research activities/interests include: transformation of aqueous species by redox or microbial activity, mercury and arsenic distribution in the environment; characterizing organic wastewater compound occurrence and fate, short-lived radioisotope monitoring and use as tracers,isotopic fractionation, and design of sampling activities/programs.