M. D. Dettinger D.R. Cayan J. DiLeo C. Isaacs L. Riddle R. Smith D. H. Peterson 1996 <p>Major controls on river salinity (total dissolved solids) in the western United States are climate, geology, and human activity. &nbsp;Climate, in general, influences soil-river salinity via salt-balance variations. &nbsp;When climate becomes wetter, river discharge increases and soil-river salinity descreases; when climate becomes drier river discharge decreases and soil-river salinity increases. &nbsp;This study characterizes the river salinity response to discharge using statistical-dynamical methods. &nbsp;An exploratory analysis of river salinity, using early 1900s water quality surveys in the western United States, shows much river salinity variability is in response to storm and annual discharge. &nbsp;Presumably this is because river discharge is largely supported by surface flow.</p> application/pdf en Interagency Ecological Program for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Estuary River salinity variations in response to discharge: Examples from Western United States during early 1900s text