Response of Schoenoplectus acutus and Schoenoplectus californicus at different life-history stages to hydrologic regime
Taylor M Sloey, Rebecca J. Howard, Mark W. Hester
2016, Wetlands (36) 37-46
For wetland restoration success to be maximized, restoration managers need better information regarding how the frequency, depth, and duration of flooding affect soil chemistry and the survival, growth, and morphology of targeted plant species. In a greenhouse study we investigated the impact of four different flooding durations (0 %, 40 %, 60 %,...
Human activities cause distinct dissolved organic matter composition across freshwater ecosystems
Clayton J. Williams, Paul C. Frost, Ana M. Morales-Williams, James H. Larson, William B. Richardson, Aisha S. Chiandet, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos
2016, Global Change Biology (22) 613-626
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in freshwater ecosystems is influenced by interactions between physical, chemical, and biological processes that are controlled, at one level, by watershed landscape, hydrology, and their connections. Against this environmental template, humans may strongly influence DOM composition. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of DOM composition...
Prediction of plant vulnerability to salinity increase in a coastal ecosystem by stable isotopic composition (δ18O) of plant stem water: a model study
Lu Zhai, Jiang Jiang, Donald L. DeAngelis, Leonel d.S.L Sternberg
2016, Ecosystems (19) 32-49
Sea level rise and the subsequent intrusion of saline seawater can result in an increase in soil salinity, and potentially cause coastal salinity-intolerant vegetation (for example, hardwood hammocks or pines) to be replaced by salinity-tolerant vegetation (for example, mangroves or salt marshes). Although the vegetation shifts can be easily monitored...
Detecting significant change in stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities in wilderness areas
Alexander M. Milner, Andrea Woodward, Jerome E. Freilich, Robert W. Black, Vincent H. Resh
2016, Ecological Indicators (60) 524-537
A major challenge in the biological monitoring of stream ecosystems in protected wilderness areas is discerning whether temporal changes in community structure are significantly outside of a reference condition that represents natural or acceptable annual variation in population cycles. Otherwise sites could erroneously be classified as impaired. Long-term datasets...
The Upper Mississippi River floodscape: spatial patterns of flood inundation and associated plant community distributions
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Yao Yin, Erin E. Hoy
2016, Applied Vegetation Science (19) 164-172
Questions How is the distribution of different plant communities associated with patterns of flood inundation across a large floodplain landscape? Location Thirty-eight thousand nine hundred and seventy hectare of floodplain, spanning 320 km of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). Methods High-resolution elevation data (Lidar) and 30 yr of daily river...
Corn stover harvest increases herbicide movement to subsurface drains: RZWQM simulations
Martin J. Shipitalo, Robert W. Malone, Liwang Ma, Bernard T. Nolan, Rameshwar S. Kanwar, Dale L. Shaner, Carl H. Pederson
2016, Pest Management Science (72) 1124-1132
BACKGROUND Crop residue removal for bioenergy production can alter soil hydrologic properties and the movement of agrochemicals to subsurface drains. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM), previously calibrated using measured flow and atrazine concentrations in drainage from a 0.4 ha chisel-tilled plot, was used to investigate...
Imaging pathways in fractured rock using three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography
Judith Robinson, Lee Slater, Timothy B. Johnson, Allen M. Shapiro, Claire R. Tiedeman, Dimitrios Ntlargiannis, Carole D. Johnson, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Pierre Lacombe, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Groundwater (54) 186-201
Major challenges exist in delineating bedrock fracture zones because these cause abrupt changes in geological and hydrogeological properties over small distances. Borehole observations cannot sufficiently capture heterogeneity in these systems. Geophysical techniques offer the potential to image properties and processes in between boreholes. We used three-dimensional cross borehole electrical resistivity...
Hydrologic response of streams restored with check dams in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona
Laura M. Norman, Fletcher C. Brinkerhoff, Evan Gwilliam, D. Phillip Guertin, James B. Callegary, David C. Goodrich, Pamela L. Nagler, Floyd Gray
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 519-527
In this study, hydrological processes are evaluated to determine impacts of stream restoration in the West Turkey Creek, Chiricahua Mountains, southeast Arizona, during a summer-monsoon season (June–October of 2013). A paired-watershed approach was used to analyze the effectiveness of check dams to mitigate high flows and impact long-term maintenance of...
Sediment budgets, transport, and depositional trends in a large tidal delta
Tara Morgan, Scott Wright
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Joint Federal Interagency Conference
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the largest delta on the west coast of the United States. It is formed where the confluence of California’s two largest rivers (the Sacramento and San Joaquin) meet the ocean tides and has a significant physical gradient from fluvial to tidal. It is a semidiurnal...
Arsenic cycling in hydrocarbon plumes: secondary effects of natural attenuation
Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Madeline E. Schreiber, Melinda L. Erickson, Brady A. Ziegler
2016, Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation (54) 35-45
Monitored natural attenuation is widely applied as a remediation strategy at hydrocarbon spill sites. Natural attenuation relies on biodegradation of hydrocarbons coupled with reduction of electron acceptors, including solid phase ferric iron (Fe(III)). Because arsenic (As) adsorbs to Fe-hydroxides, a potential secondary effect of natural attenuation of hydrocarbons coupled with...
Natural flow regimes of the Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands region
Douglas R. Leasure, Daniel D. Magoulick, S. D. Longing
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 18-35
Natural flow regimes represent the hydrologic conditions to which native aquatic organisms are best adapted. We completed a regional river classification and quantitative descriptions of each natural flow regime for the Ozark–Ouachita Interior Highlands region of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. On the basis of daily flow records from 64 reference...
Influence of slip-surface geometry on earth-flow deformation, Montaguto earth flow, southern Italy
L. Guerriero, Jeffrey A. Coe, P. Revellio, G. Grelle, F. Pinto, F. Guadagno
2016, Geomorphology (219) 285-305
We investigated relations between slip-surface geometry and deformational structures and hydrologic features at the Montaguto earth flow in southern Italy between 1954 and 2010. We used 25 boreholes, 15 static cone-penetration tests, and 22 shallow-seismic profiles to define the geometry of basal- and lateral-slip surfaces; and 9 multitemporal maps to...
Integrated water flow model and modflow-farm process: A comparison of theory, approaches, and features of two integrated hydrologic models
Emin C. Dogrul, Wolfgang Schmid, Randall T. Hanson, Tariq Kadir, Francis Chung
2016, Report
Effective modeling of conjunctive use of surface and subsurface water resources requires simulation of land use-based root zone and surface flow processes as well as groundwater flows, streamflows, and their interactions. Recently, two computer models developed for this purpose, the Integrated Water Flow Model (IWFM) from the California Department of...
GIS-Based Identification of Areas with Mineral Resource Potential for Six Selected Deposit Groups, Bureau of Land Management Central Yukon Planning Area, Alaska
James V. Jones III, Susan M. Karl, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Matthew Granitto, Timothy S. Hayes, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Jeanine M. Schmidt, Erin Todd, Bronwen Wang, Melanie B. Werdon, Douglas B. Yager
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1021
This study, covering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Yukon Planning Area (CYPA), Alaska, was prepared to aid BLM mineral resource management planning. Estimated mineral resource potential and certainty are mapped for six selected mineral deposit groups: (1) rare earth element (REE) deposits associated with peralkaline to carbonatitic intrusive...
Surface-water quality in agricultural watersheds of the North Carolina Coastal Plain associated with concentrated animal feeding operations
Stephen L. Harden
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5080
The effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) on water quality were investigated at 54 agricultural stream sites throughout the North Carolina Coastal Plain during 2012 and 2013. Three general watershed land-use types were examined during the study, including 18 background watersheds with no active CAFOs (BK sites), 18 watersheds...
Estimation of historic flows and sediment loads to San Francisco Bay,1849–2011
H.R. Moftakhari, D.A. Jay, S.A. Talke, David H. Schoellhamer
2015, Journal of Hydrology (529) 1247-1261
River flow and sediment transport in estuaries influence morphological development over decadal and century time scales, but hydrological and sedimentological records are typically too short to adequately characterize long-term trends. In this study, we recover archival records and apply a rating curve approach to develop the first instrumental estimates of...
Flood-inundation maps for the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, 2014
Elizabeth A. Nystrom
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5190
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.6-mile reach of the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site...
Seasonal cues of Arctic grayling movement in a small Arctic stream: the importance of surface water connectivity
Kurt C. Heim, Mark S. Wipfli, Matthew S. Whitman, Christopher D. Arp, Jeff Adams, Jeffrey A. Falke
2015, Environmental Biology of Fishes (99) 49-65
In Arctic ecosystems, freshwater fish migrate seasonally between productive shallow water habitats that freeze in winter and deep overwinter refuge in rivers and lakes. How these movements relate to seasonal hydrology is not well understood. We used passive integrated transponder tags and stream wide antennae to track 1035 Arctic grayling...
Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Christopher A. Curran, Scott W. Anderson, Jack E. Barbash, Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Katherine K. Norton, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Andrew R. Spanjer, James R. Foreman
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5177
Heavy sediment loads in the Sumas River of Whatcom County, Washington, increase seasonal turbidity and cause locally acute sedimentation. Most sediment in the Sumas River is derived from a deep-seated landslide of serpentinite that is located on Sumas Mountain and drained by Swift Creek, a tributary to the Sumas River....
Long-term changes in nitrate conditions over the 20th century in two Midwestern Corn Belt streams
Valerie J. Kelly, Edward G. Stets, Charles G. Crawford
2015, Journal of Hydrology (525) 559-571
Long-term changes in nitrate concentration and flux between the middle of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century were estimated for the Des Moines River and the Middle Illinois River, two Midwestern Corn Belt streams, using a novel weighted regression approach that is able to detect...
Efficient wetland surface water detection and monitoring via Landsat: Comparison with in situ data from the Everglades Depth Estimation Network
John W. Jones
2015, Remote Sensing (9) 12503-12538
The U.S. Geological Survey is developing new Landsat science products. One, named Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE), is focused on the representation of ground surface inundation as detected in cloud-/shadow-/snow-free pixels for scenes collected over the U.S. and its territories. Characterization of DSWE uncertainty to facilitate its appropriate use in...
Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan
Michael C. Runge, Kirk E. LaGory, Kendra Russell, Janet R. Balsom, R. Alan Butler, Coggins Jr., Katrina A. Grantz, John Hayse, Ihor Hlohowskyj, Josh Korman, James E. May, Daniel J. O’Rourke, Leslie A. Poch, James R. Prairie, Jack C. VanKuiken, Robert A. Van Lonkhuyzen, David R. Varyu, Bruce T. Verhaaren, Thomas D. Veselka, Nicholas T. Williams, Kelsey K. Wuthrich, Charles B. Yackulic, Robert P. Billerbeck, Glen W. Knowles
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5176
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and Argonne National Laboratory, completed a decision analysis to use in the evaluation of alternatives in the Environmental Impact Statement concerning the long-term management of water releases from Glen Canyon Dam and associated management activities. Two...
Spatial and temporal migration of a landfill leachate plume in alluvium
Jason R. Masoner, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2015, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (226)
Leachate from unlined or leaky landfills can create groundwater contaminant plumes that last decades to centuries. Understanding the dynamics of leachate movement in space and time is essential for monitoring, planning and management, and assessment of risk to groundwater and surface-water resources. Over a 23.4-year period (1986–2010), the spatial extent...
Examples of deformation-dependent flow simulations of conjunctive use with MF-OWHM
Randall T. Hanson, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott E. Boyce, Wolfgang Schmid, Joseph D. Hughes
2015, Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (372) 449-453
The dependency of surface- and groundwater flows and aquifer hydraulic properties on deformation induced by changes in aquifer head is not accounted for in the standard version of MODFLOW. A new USGS integrated hydrologic model, MODFLOW-OWHM, incorporates this dependency by linking subsidence and mesh deformation with changes in aquifer transmissivity...
Representativeness of soil samples collected to assess mining-related contamination of flood plains in southeast Kansas
Kyle E. Juracek
2015, Conference Paper, 2015 Joint Federal Interagency Conference on Sedimentation and Hydrologic Modeling (SEDHYD 2015)
Historical lead and zinc mining in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), located in parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma, has resulted in a substantial ongoing input of lead and zinc to the environment (Juracek, 2006; Juracek and Becker, 2009). In response to concern about the mining-related contamination,...
