Please send me an e-mail (steven.goldsmith@villanova.edu) if you are interested in gaining research experience in any of these current topics of interest!
Biogeochemistry of Rural to Urban Streams
Many streams in near Villanova’s campus traverse a rural to urban gradient and offer an ideal opportunity to examine the relationship between land use practices and water quality. Research in the Goldsmith Laboratory has focused on determining the sources and fate of contaminants in these systems (including nutrients, sediment, metals, and pharmaceuticals) and devolving practical solutions to ameliorate the associated impacts. Through collaborations with local municipalities and watershed conservation organizations, such as the Lower Merion Conservancy and the Guardians of the Brandywine, students are able to ask questions of environmental significance while gaining real-world problem solving experience.
Related Publications:
(‡ Student author)
‡Rossi, M. L., Kremer, P., Cravotta, C. A., Scheirer, K. E., & Goldsmith, S. T. (2022). Long-term impacts of impervious surface cover change and roadway deicing agent application on chloride concentrations in exurban and suburban watersheds. Science of the Total Environment, 851, 157933.
‡Cruz, Y.D., ‡Rossi, M.L., and Goldsmith, S.T., 2022, Impacts of road deicing application on sodium and chloride concentrations in Philadelphia region drinking water. GeoHealth, e2021GH000538.
Goldsmith, S.T., ‡Hanley, K.M., ‡Waligroski, G.J., Wagner, E.J., Boschi, V.L., and Grannas, A.M., 2020, Triclosan export from low-volume sources in an urban to rural watershed, Science of the Total Environment, 720: 135380.
‡Sebastiao, A.G., Wagner, E., and Goldsmith, S.T., Trace Metal Sediment Loading in the Mill Creek: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Vehicular Pollutants in Suburban Waterways, Applied Geochemistry, doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2017.04.001.
River Inputs to Nearshore Coral Reefs in Puerto Rico
Rivers transport excess nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants from land to the coast causing both acute and chronic stress to coral reef ecosystems. Although these conduits of delivery are well understood, establishing riverine pollutant thresholds that directly impact coral reef health has remained elusive. To address this problem, dry- and wet-season analyses of river pollutants and associated measurements in nearshore coral reef health in the Guánica region of Puerto Rico are being conducted. In particular, the project seeks to (1) quantify total maximum daily load values for each pollutant throughout the system to discern the threshold for acute stress on coral health; (2) identify point source impacts and mitigation success of existing riparian buffers; and (3) identify the timing of land use thresholds that triggered chronic stress in the past. These efforts are designed to support effective watershed management and healthy coral reef ecosystems. This work entails a collaboration with Dr. Lisa Rodrigues and Dr. Stephen Levas in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University and Dr. Ryan Moyer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. This study is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Related Publications:
(‡ Student author)
‡Papotto, J, Rodrigues, L.J., ‡Seibert, E.M., Wagner, E.J., and Goldsmith, S.T., 2021, Spatial controls on riverbed sediment chemistry in three anthropogenically modified tropical mountainous watersheds, International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03155-y.
‡Korman L.B., Goldsmith, S.T., Wagner, E.J, Rodrigues, L.J., 2020, Spatially Distributed Simulations of Dry and Wet Season Sediment Yields: A Case Study in the Lower Rio Loco Watershed, Puerto Rico, Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 103, 102717.
Establishing a link between hydraulic fracturing activities and streamwater impacts in North-Central Pennsylvania
We are only beginning to understand the true impact of shale gas hydro-fracking on Pennsylvania's water resources. This study proceeds with the working hypothesis that water quality impacts will likely be observed with an increase in well-pad density. This work entails a collaboration with the Dr. Nathaniel Weston in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University and Dr. David Velinsky and Dr. Jerry Mead of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University This work is currently funded through the Pennsylvania Sea Grant.
Sutter, L.A., Weston, N.B., and Goldsmith, S.T., 2015, Hydraulic Fracturing: Potential Impacts to Wetlands, Wetland Science and Practice, 3, 7-16.
Sutter, L.A., Weston, N.B., and Goldsmith, S.T., 2015, Hydraulic Fracturing: Potential Impacts to Wetlands, Wetland Science and Practice, 3, 7-16.
Understanding the impacts of Pennsylvania's environmental legacy
More details coming soon!
