Fields of Interest

Toxic Metals in the Environment, Global Climate Change, Water and Soil Quality, Sustainable Forestry

Research Interests

Professor Blum's research group focuses on studies of geochemical controls on the structure and function of ecosystems, and on the application of trace element and isotope geochemistry across the Earth and Environmental Sciences. They utilize state-of-the art methods of chemical analysis and stable and radiogenic isotope measurement to address a wide variety of research problems from forest biogeochemistry and hydrogeochemistry to studies on meteorites and hydrothermal systems. Some student projects are fieldwork oriented and utilize relatively simple laboratory methods, whereas other projects involve the development of entirely new laboratory procedures and methodologies.

Lab Research Group

Research Scientist: Dr. Jamie Gleason
Research Associate: Mr. Marcus Johnson
Research Fellow: Dr. Bridget Bergquist
Graduate Students: Gretchen Gehrke, Laura Sherman
Affiliated Graduate Students:  Kritee (Rutgers University), Lynne Gratz

Ongoing Projects

1. Investigations of mercury (Hg) isotope variation in the environment and of biotic and abiotic mercury isotope fractionation during redox transformations.
2. Field and laboratory studies of the sources, transport and fate of mercury (Hg) in atmospheric deposition, lakes, soils, forests and aquifers. Field study locations: (Arctic Alaska, Great Lakes, New England, Rocky Mountains, Hawaii).
3. Investigations of the effect of acid rain and forest succession on the forest biogeochemical cycling of calcium and other nutrients. This includes a whole-watershed manipulation experiment at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (New England) and other studies in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
4. Field and laboratory studies of factors controlling silicate and carbonate mineral dissolution rates, with emphasis on the affects of micro-organisms and on the global carbon cycle. Field study locations: (Arctic Alaska, Himalayas, Western US, New England, New Zealand, Great Lakes).
5. Tracing of hydrologic flowpaths using chemical and isotopic (e.g., Li, B, Sr, Pb) tracers. Field study locations: (New Hampshire, Western US, Arctic Alaska)
6. Investigations of foodweb structure and both songbird and fish migration patterns utilizing isotopic fingerprinting methods. Field study locations:(New England, Great Lakes, Western US)
7. Studies of fluid flow and hydrothermal activity in orogenic mountain belts. Field study locations:(Himalayas, New Zealand, Western US)
8. Studies of Hg and other volatile elements in primitive meteorites and ore deposits.

Selected Recent Publications           *student advisee

*Biswas, A., Blum, J.D., Bergquist, B.A., Keeler, G.J. and Xie, Z. (2008) Natural mercury isotope variation in coal deposits and organic soils. Env. Sci and Tech. in press.

*Johnson, K.P., Blum, J.D., Keeler, G.J., and Douglas, T.A (2008) A detailed investigation of the deposition and re-emission of mercury in arctic snow during an atmospheric mercury depletion event. J Geophys Res., doi:10.1029/2008JD009893, in press.

*Biswas, A., Blum, J.D. and Keeler, G. (2008) Mercury storage in surface soils in a central Washington forest and estimated release during the 2001 Rex Creek Fire. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.05.043.

Blum, J.D., *Dasch, A.A., Hamburg, S.P., Yanai, R.D. and Arthur, M.A. (2008) Use of foliar Ca/Sr discrimination and 87Sr/86Sr ratios to determine soil Ca sources to sugar maple foliage in a northern hardwood forest, Biogeochemistry, 87, 287-296.

Douglas, T.A., Sturm, M., Simpson, W.R., Blum, J.D., Alvarez-Aviles, L., Keeler, G.J., Perovich, D.K., *Biswas, A. and *Johnson, K. The influence of snow and ice crystal formation and accumulation on mercury deposition to the arctic. Env. Sci and Tech. 42, 1542-1551.

*Smith, C.N., Kesler, S.E., Blum, J.D. and Rytuba, J.J. (2008) Isotope Geochemistry of Mercury in Source Rocks, Mineral Deposits and Spring Deposits of the California Coast Range, USA. Earth Planet Sci Lett. 269, 398-406.

Blum, J.D. and Bergquist, B.A. (2007) Reporting of variations in the natural isotopic composition of mercury. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 233, 353-359.

Bergquist, B.A. and Blum, J.D. (2007) Mass-dependent and -independent fractionation of Hg isotopes by photo-reduction in aquatic systems. Science. 318, 417-420.

*Kritee, K., Blum, J.D., Johnson, M.W., Bergquist, B. and Barkay, T. (2007) Mercury stable isotope fractionation during reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) by mercury resistant bacteria. Env. Sci and Tech. 41 1889-1895.

*Jeong, H.Y., Klaue, B., Blum, J.D., and Hayes, K.M. Sorption of Mercuric Ion by Synthetic Mackinawite (FeS) (2007) Env. Sci and Tech. 41, 7699-7705.

*Nezat, C.A., Blum, J. D., Yanai, R.D. and Hamburg, S.P. (2007) A sequential extraction to selectively dissolve apatite for determination of soil nutrient pools with an application to Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. Applied Geochemistry. 22, 2406-2421.

Xie, Z., Blum , J.D., Utsunomiya, S., Ewing, R.C., Wang, X., and Sun, L. (2007) Summertime Carbonaceous Aerosols Collected in the Marine Boundary of the Arctic Ocean. J. Geophys.Res. 112, D02306, doi:10.1029/2006JD007247.

*Keller, K., Blum, J.D., and Kling, G.W. (2007) Geochemistry of soils and streams on surfaces of varying ages in arctic Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research. 39, 84-98.