Geologic and geomorphic controls on the occurrence of fens in the Oregon Cascades and implications for vulnerability and conservation
A. Aldous, Marshall W. Gannett, Mackenzie K. Keith, James E. O'Connor
2015, Wetlands (35) 757-767
Montane fens are biologically diverse peat-forming wetlands that develop at points of groundwater discharge. To protect these ecosystems, it is critical to understand their locations on the landscape and the hydrogeologic systems that support them. The upper Deschutes Basin has a groundwater flow system that supports baseflow in many rivers,...
Physical characteristics and fish assemblage composition at site and mesohabitat scales over a range of streamflows in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, winter 2011-12, summer 2012
Christopher L. Braun, Daniel K. Pearson, Michael D. Porter, J. Bruce Moring
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5025
In winter 2011–12 and summer 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Mexico Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, evaluated the physical characteristics and fish assemblage composition of available...
First steps of integrated spatial modeling of titanium, zirconium, and rare earth element resources within the Coastal Plain sediments of the southeastern United States
Karl J. Ellefsen, Bradley S. Van Gosen, David L. Fey, James R. Budahn, Steven M. Smith, Anjana K. Shah
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1111
The Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States has extensive, unconsolidated sedimentary deposits that are enriched in heavy minerals containing titanium, zirconium, and rare earth element resources. Areas favorable for exploration and development of these resources are being identified by geochemical data, which are supplemented with geological, geophysical, hydrological, and...
Dam failure analysis for the Lago de Matrullas Dam, Orocovis, Puerto Rico
Heriberto Torres-Sierra, Julieta Gómez-Fragoso
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5065
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, completed a hydrologic and hydraulic study to assess the potential hazard to human life and property associated with the hypothetical failure of the Lago de Matrullas Dam, located within the headwaters of the Río Grande de Manatí....
Quantifying water flow and retention in an unsaturated fracture-facial domain
John R. Nimmo, Siamak Malek-Mohammadi
2015, Book chapter, Fluid dynamics in complex fractured-porous systems
Hydrologically significant flow and storage of water occur in macropores and fractures that are only partially filled. To accommodate such processes in flow models, we propose a three-domain framework. Two of the domains correspond to water flow and water storage in a fracture-facial region, in addition to the third domain...
Organic carbon burial in lakes and reservoirs of the conterminous United States
David W. Clow, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Kristine L. Verdin, David E. Butman, Zhi-Liang Zhu, David P. Krabbenhoft, Robert G. Striegl
2015, Environmental Science & Technology (49) 7614-7622
Organic carbon (OC) burial in lacustrine sediments represents an important sink in the global carbon cycle; however, large-scale OC burial rates are poorly constrained, primarily because of the sparseness of available data sets. Here we present an analysis of OC burial rates in water bodies of the conterminous U.S. (CONUS)...
Surface monitoring of microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO2 sequestration demonstration site
J. Ole Kaven, Stephen H. Hickman, Arthur F. McGarr, William L. Ellsworth
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1096-1101
Sequestration of CO2 into subsurface reservoirs can play an important role in limiting future emission of CO2 into the atmosphere (e.g., Benson and Cole, 2008). For geologic sequestration to become a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, large-volume injection of supercritical CO2 into deep sedimentary formations is required. These...
Hydrologic model of the Modesto Region, California, 1960-2004
Steven P. Phillips, Diane L. Rewis, Jonathan A. Traum
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5045
Strategies for managing water supplies and groundwater quality in the Modesto region of the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, are being formulated and evaluated by the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers Groundwater Basin Association. Management issues and goals in the basin include an area in the lower part of the basin...
Hydrologic data from wells at or in the vicinity of the San Juan coal mine, San Juan County, New Mexico
Anne M. Stewart, Nicole Thomas
2015, Data Series 933
In 2010, in cooperation with the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) of the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a 4-year assessment of hydrologic conditions at the San Juan coal mine (SJCM), located about 14 miles west-northwest of the city...
Flood recovery maps for the White River in Bethel, Stockbridge, and Rochester, Vermont, and the Tweed River in Stockbridge and Pittsfield, Vermont, 2014
Scott A. Olson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5056
From August 28 to 29, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene delivered rainfall ranging from about 4 inches to more than 7 inches in the White River Basin. The rainfall resulted in severe flooding throughout the basin and significant damage along the White River and Tweed River. In response to the flooding,...
Modeling and management of pit lake water chemistry 1: Theory
D.N. Castendyk, L.E. Eary, Laurie S. Balistrieri
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 267-288
Pit lakes are permanent hydrologic/landscape features that can result from open pit mining for metals, coal, uranium, diamonds, oil sands, and aggregates. Risks associated with pit lakes include local and regional impacts to water quality and related impacts to aquatic and...
Biodynamics of copper oxide nanoparticles and copper ions in an oligochaete: Part I: relative importance of water and sediment as exposure routes
Tina Ramskov, Amalie Thit, Marie Noele Croteau, Henriette Selck
2015, Aquatic Toxicology (164) 81-91
Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used, and likely released into the aquatic environment. Both aqueous (i.e., dissolved Cu) and particulate Cu can be taken up by organisms. However, how exposure routes influence the bioavailability and subsequent toxicity of Cu remains largely unknown. Here, we assess the importance of...
Plant-plant interactions in a subtropical mangrove-to-marsh transition zone: effects of environmental drivers
Rebecca J. Howard, Ken W. Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Richard H. Day, Janelda M. Biagas, Larry K. Allain
2015, Journal of Vegetation Science (26) 1198-1211
Questions Does the presence of herbaceous vegetation affect the establishment success of mangrove tree species in the transition zone between subtropical coastal mangrove forests and marshes? How do plant–plant interactions in this transition zone respond to variation in two primary coastal environmental drivers? Location Subtropical coastal region...
Hydrology: The interdisciplinary science of water
Richard M. Vogel, Upmanu Lall, Ximing Cai, Balaji Rajagopalan, Peter K. Weiskel, Richard P. Hooper, Nicholas C. Matalas
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 4409-4430
We live in a world where biophysical and social processes are tightly coupled. Hydrologic systems change in response to a variety of natural and human forces such as climate variability and change, water use and water infrastructure, and land cover change. In turn, changes in hydrologic systems impact socioeconomic, ecological,...
Suburbanization, estrogen contamination, and sex ratio in wild amphibian populations
Max R. Lambert, Geoffrey S. J. Giller, Larry B. Barber, Kevin C. Fitzgerald, David K. Skelly
2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (112) 11881-11886
Research on endocrine disruption in frog populations, such as shifts in sex ratios and feminization of males, has predominantly focused on agricultural pesticides. Recent evidence suggests that suburban landscapes harbor amphibian populations exhibiting similar levels of endocrine disruption; however the endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) sources are unknown. Here, we show...
Applied Geochemistry Special Issue on Environmental geochemistry of modern mining
Robert R. Seal II, D. Kirk Nordstrom
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 1-2
Environmental geochemistry is an integral part of the mine-life cycle, particularly for modern mining. The critical importance of environmental geochemistry begins with pre-mining baseline characterization and the assessment of environmental risks related to mining, continues through active mining especially in water and waste management practices, and culminates in mine...
Aspect-dependent soil saturation and insight into debris-flow initiation during extreme rainfall in the Colorado Front Range
Brian A. Ebel, Francis K. Rengers, Gregory E. Tucker
2015, Geology (43) 659-662
Hydrologic processes during extreme rainfall events are poorly characterized because of the rarity of measurements. Improved understanding of hydrologic controls on natural hazards is needed because of the potential for substantial risk during extreme precipitation events. We present field measurements of the degree of soil saturation and estimates of available...
Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation
Kate M. Campbell, Tanya J. Gallegos, Edward R. Landa
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 206-235
Natural uranium (U) occurs as a mixture of three radioactive isotopes: 238U, 235U, and 234U. Only 235U is fissionable and makes up about 0.7% of natural U, while 238U is overwhelmingly the most abundant at greater than 99% of the total mass of U. Prior to the 1940s, U...
Sediment source apportionment in Laurel Hill Creek, PA, using Bayesian chemical mass balance and isotope fingerprinting
Heather Stewart, Arash Massoudieh, Allen C. Gellis
2015, Hydrological Processes (29) 2545-2560
A Bayesian chemical mass balance (CMB) approach was used to assess the contribution of potential sources for fluvial samples from Laurel Hill Creek in southwest Pennsylvania. The Bayesian approach provides joint probability density functions of the sources' contributions considering the uncertainties due to source and fluvial sample heterogeneity and measurement...
Flood-inundation maps for the Hoosic River, North Adams and Williamstown, Massachusetts, from the confluence with the North Branch Hoosic River to the Vermont State line
Pamela J. Lombard, Gardner C. Bent
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5236
A series of nine digital flood-inundation maps were developed for an 8-mile reach of the Hoosic River in North Adams and Williamstown, Massachusetts, by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The coverage of the maps extends from the confluence with the North Branch...
Comparisons of estimates of annual exceedance-probability discharges for small drainage basins in Iowa, based on data through water year 2013
David A. Eash
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5055
Traditionally, the Iowa Department of Transportation has used the Iowa Runoff Chart and single-variable regional-regression equations (RREs) from a U.S. Geological Survey report (published in 1987) as the primary methods to estimate annual exceedance-probability discharge (AEPD) for small (20 square miles or less) drainage basins in Iowa. With the publication...
Evaluation of groundwater levels in the South Platte River alluvial aquifer, Colorado, 1953-2012, and design of initial well networks for monitoring groundwater levels
Tristan Wellman
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5015
The South Platte River and underlying alluvial aquifer form an important hydrologic resource in northeastern Colorado that provides water to population centers along the Front Range and to agricultural communities across the rural plains. Water is regulated based on seniority of water rights and delivered using a network of administration...
Modeling apple snail population dynamics on the Everglades landscape
Phil Darby, Donald L. DeAngelis, Stephanie S. Romanach, Kevin J. Suir, Joshua L. Bridevaux
2015, Landscape Ecology (30) 1497-1510
Context The Florida Everglades has diminished in size and its existing wetland hydrology has been altered. The endangered snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) has nearly abandoned the Everglades, and its prey, the apple snail (Pomacea paludosa), has declined. Objective We developed a population model (EverSnail) to understand apple snail response to inter- and intra-annual...
Mercury and methylmercury in reservoirs in Indiana
Martin R. Risch, Amanda L. Fredericksen
2015, Professional Paper 1813
Mercury (Hg) is an element that occurs naturally, but evidence suggests that human activities have resulted in increased amounts being released to the atmosphere and land surface. When Hg is converted to methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic ecosystems, MeHg accumulates and increases in the food web so that some fish contain...
Water-table and potentiometric-surface altitudes in the Upper Glacial, Magothy, and Lloyd aquifers of Long Island, New York, April-May 2013
Michael D. Como, Michael L. Noll, Jason S. Finkelstein, Jack Monti Jr., Ronald Busciolano
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3326
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with State and local agencies, systematically collects groundwater data at varying measurement frequencies to monitor the hydrologic conditions on Long Island, New York. Each year during April and May, the USGS conducts a synoptic survey of water levels to define the spatial distribution...
