Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences

First Committee Member

Zaijing Sun

Second Committee Member

Steen Madsen

Third Committee Member

Yu Kuang

Fourth Committee Member

Eric Dickenson

Fifth Committee Member

Artem Gelis

Number of Pages

125

Abstract

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States is located on the boarder of Nevada and Arizona. Despite reaching historically low water levels, it continues to supply water and energy to millions of Americans in the southwest. It is well known that the United States suffers from negative implications from nationwide drought. The ongoing megadrought affecting the Colorado River Basin and its tributaries undergoes the urgent need to assess the future water quality of Lake Mead as it continues to shrink. With water levels depleting at an alarming rate, water quality is significantly impacted, indicating that heavy metal accumulation will become a question of concern.

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) is a versatile tool in both qualitatively and quantitatively determining the elements present in unknown samples. It was employed in this project to characterize the trace elements in water samples around Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, and Lake Tahoe. INAA allows for precise measurements of elemental concentrations by detecting the unique gamma radiation signatures of activated radioisotopes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of Lake Mead sample dataset showed that 86.2% of the variation within the dataset focuses on the four elements-- Aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn). These findings are important for establishing baseline data of heavy metal concentrations and predicting potential health hazards associated with them, as these water systems support downstream communities for domestic and agricultural purposes.

Keywords

Colorado River; Heavy metals; Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA); Lake Mead; Las Vegas; Nevada

Disciplines

Environmental Health | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health

File Format

PDF

File Size

3900 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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