David T. Long

My expertise in research and teaching is the areas of aqueous and environmental geochemistry. My research interests involve understanding and modeling the geochemical, biogeochemical, and isotopic changes due to natural and anthropogenic processes in water as it moves along the hydrologic cycle [i.e., aqueous geochemistry]. I am then interested in applying this knowledge to solve problems related to human and ecosystem health [i.e., environmental geochemistry]. Environments that I study include groundwater, rivers, lakes, and rain. Media include water, rock/mineral, sediments (both modern and paleo), soils, and biologic material (including food).

Most of my work is done in a highly multi-disciplinary setting that involves researchers with expertise in microbial ecology, entomology, environmental engineering, toxicology, epidemiology, human health, hydrogeology, aquatic ecology, and landscape ecology. Example projects include:

• assessing the role of microbes in the fate and potential impact on the ecosystem of chromium released from a former tannery in a wetland
• developing a model that links biogeochemical, microbial, and hydrogeological observations to understand oxidation reduction zonation in groundwater and other aquatic systems.
• understanding role of land use and land use change on the biogeochemical health of watersheds.
• using biogeochemical indicators to help in the ecological assessment of a large watershed in Michigan.
• understanding factors (e.g., production consumption, environmental regulations, population density, land use) on current, historical and spatial loadings of chemicals (e.g., Hg, PCBs) to the Great Lakes environment using sediment chronologies.
• determining rates of ecological changes due to events (e.g., land use change, forest fires) using sediment chronologies
• developing infield techniques for the speciation of metals (e.g., As, Cr).
• Using thermodynamic principles to understand the origin of brines.
• Exploring groundwater surface water interaction such as the mixing of saline waters of the Michigan Basin with near surface groundwater, lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

I also am involved in international collaborations both in research and in teaching/out reach. These projects are also multidisciplinary. Previous examples are:

• The chemical, physical, and biological limnology of Lakes Victoria and Malawai, two important water resources for the region that are under threat
• Iron and phosphorous cycling in Lake Kinerett, which supplies 60% of water to the country.
• Abiotic and biotic controls on the acidification of groundwater in the Murray Valley, Australia
• Relating the processes causing the acidification of groundwater in Australia to the formation of Red Beds
• Attempting to measure the effects of typhoons on the physical, chemical, and biological structure (the BITEX study) of Lake Biwa, Japan great lake.

My current international work involves the study of the occurrence of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy in Bulgaria. The project team is also exploring expanding this work to Romania and Serbia and Montenegro. The project is composed of US and Balkan scientists and students trying to determine why this particular disease occurs in certain areas of the country. It is part of the training and research grant from NIH to the Institute for International Health at MSU. As part of this project, Dr. Long (with Dr. Voice from Environmental Engineering) are working to establish a graduate program in environmental science and engineering at the University of Nis, Nis, Serbia and Montenegro and the University of Geology and Mining, Sofia, Bulgaria. This team is also working with colleagues from the University of Cheikh Anta Diop to establish a Master’s degree program there.