Potential climate-induced runoff changes and associated uncertainty in four Pacific Northwest estuaries
Madeline O. Steele, Heejun Chang, Deborah A. Reusser, Cheryl A. Brown, Il-Won Jung
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1274
As part of a larger investigation into potential effects of climate change on estuarine habitats in the Pacific Northwest, we estimated changes in freshwater inputs into four estuaries: Coquille River estuary, South Slough of Coos Bay, and Yaquina Bay in Oregon, and Willapa Bay in Washington. We used the U.S....
Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Lisa H. Nowell, Amy S. Ludtke, David K. Mueller, Jonathon C. Scott
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5228
Beach water and sediment samples were collected along the Gulf of Mexico coast to assess differences in contaminant concentrations before and after landfall of Macondo-1 well oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the sinking of the British Petroleum Corporation's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. Samples were collected at 70...
Shipboard surveys track magnetic sources in marine sediments--geophysical studies of the Stono and North Edisto Inlets near Charleston, South Carolina
Anjana K. Shah, M. Scott Harris
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1112
Magnetic field data are traditionally used to analyze igneous and metamorphic rocks, but recent efforts have shown that magnetic sources within sediments may be detectable, suggesting new applications for high-resolution magnetic field surveys. Candidates for sedimentary sources include heavy mineral sand concentrations rich in magnetite or hematite, alteration-induced glauconite, or...
Flood of September 13-16, 2008, in northeastern Illinois
David J. Fazio, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2012, Data Series 726
Major flooding occurred in northeastern Illinois during September 13–16, 2008, following extended storm activity. Rainfall recorded at select Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), National Weather Service (NWS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) rain gages in northeastern Illinois, ranged from 2.39 to 10.51 inches throughout a 51-hour period during September 12–14,...
State of the Earth’s cryosphere at the beginning of the 21st century: Glaciers, global snow cover, floating ice, and permafrost and periglacial environments
Richard S. Williams Jr., Thomas G. Huntington, Jane G. Ferrigno, Lonnie Thompson, M.B. Dyurgerov, Mark Meier, Bruce Raup, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Dorothy K. Hall, David A. Robinson, Claire L. Parkinson, D. Cavalieri, Martin O Jeffries, K. Morris, Claude R. Duguay, J. A. Heginbottom, Jerry Brown, Ole Humlum, Harald Svensson, Kevin M. Foley
Richard S. Williams Jr., Jane G. Ferrigno, editor(s)
2012, Professional Paper 1386-A
This chapter is the tenth in a series of 11 book-length chapters, collectively referred to as “this volume,” in the series U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. In the other 10 chapters, each of which concerns a specific glacierized region of Earth,...
Coastal circulation and sediment dynamics in Pelekane and Kawaihae Bays, Hawaii--measurements of waves, currents, temperature, salinity, turbidity, and geochronology: November 2010--March 2011
Curt D. Storlazzi, Michael E. Field, M. Katherine Presto, Peter W. Swarzenski, Joshua B. Logan, Thomas E. Reiss, Timothy C. Elfers, Susan A. Cochran, Michael E. Torresan, Hank Chezar
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1264
Coral reef communities on the Island of Hawaii have been heavily affected by the construction of Kawaihae Harbor in the 1950s and by subsequent changes in land use in the adjacent watershed. Sedimentation and other forms of land-based pollution have led to declines in water quality and coral reef health...
Geology of the Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula region, Alaska: Including the Kenai, Seldovia, Blying Sound, Cordova, and Middleton Island 1:250,000-scale quadrangles
Frederic H. Wilson, Chad P. Hults
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3110
The Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula region includes a significant part of one of the world’s largest accretionary complexes and a small part of the classic magmatic arc geology of the Alaska Peninsula. Physiographically, the map area ranges from the high glaciated mountains of the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges...
Monitoring of endangered Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) in Smith River upstream from the Philpott Reservoir on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property near Martinsville, Virginia
James H. Roberts, Paul L. Angermeier
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1221
The purpose of this study was to continue annual monitoring of Roanoke logperch (Percina rex), an endangered fish, in the Smith River immediately upstream from Philpott Reservoir. This river reach is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which must ensure that appropriate actions are undertaken to aid...
Groundwater status and trends for the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
Erick R. Burns, Daniel T. Snyder, Jonathan V. Haynes, Michael S. Waibel
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5261
Well information and groundwater-level measurements for the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, were compiled from data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and seven other organizations. From the full set of about 60,000 wells and 450,000 water-level measurements a subset of 761 wells within the...
Recent and historic sediment dynamics along Difficult Run, a suburban Virginia Piedmont stream
Cliff R. Hupp, Gregory B. Noe, Edward R. Schenk, Adam J. Benthem
2012, Geomorphology (180-181)
Suspended sediment is one of the major concerns regarding the quality of water entering the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the highest suspended-sediment concentrations occur on Piedmont streams, including Difficult Run, a tributary of the Potomac River draining urban and suburban parts of northern Virginia. Accurate information on catchment level sediment...
Total nitrogen and suspended-sediment loads and identification of suspended-sediment sources in the Laurel Hill Creek watershed, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, water years 2010-11
Ronald A. Sloto, Allen C. Gellis, Daniel G. Galeone
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5250
Laurel Hill Creek is a watershed of 125 square miles located mostly in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, with small areas extending into Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. The upper part of the watershed is on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 303(d) list of impaired streams because of siltation, nutrients, and low...
Response of biological soil crust diazotrophs to season, altered summer precipitation, and year-round increased temperature in an arid grassland of the Colorado Plateau, USA
Chris M. Yeager, Cheryl R. Kuske, Travis D. Carney, Shannon L. Johnson, Lawrence O. Ticknor, Jayne Belnap
2012, Frontiers in Terrestrial Microbiology (3)
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which supply significant amounts of fixed nitrogen into terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (~33Tg y-1), are likely to respond to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. Using nifH gene-based surveys, we explored variation in the diazotrophic community of biocrusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA in...
Wildlife and biological resources: Chapter 5 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Sudeep Chandra, Scott R. Abella, Brandon A. Albrecht, Joseph G. Barnes, E. Cayenne Engel, Steven L. Goodbred, Paul B. Holden, Ron B. Kegerries, Jef R. Jaeger, Erik Orsak, Michael R. Rosen, Jon Sjöberg, Wai Hing Wong
2012, Circular 1381-5
The creation of Lakes Mead and Mohave drastically changed habitats originally found along their region of the historical Colorado River. While still continuing to provide habitat conditions that support a rich diversity of species within the water, along shorelines, and in adjacent drainage areas, the reservoirs contain organisms that are...
Environmental setting of Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Chapter 2 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Kent Turner, Michael R. Rosen, G. Chris Holdren, Steven L. Goodbred, David C. Twichell
2012, Circular 1381-2
Lakes Mead and Mohave provide opportunities for millions of regional, national, and international visitors to enjoy a wide array of water-based recreation in a spectacular desert setting. The national significance of the site’s recreational opportunities and scientific values led to its designation as the nation’s first National Recreation Area in...
Management implications of the science: Chapter 7 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Kent Turner, Steven L. Goodbred, Michael R. Rosen, Jennell M. Miller
2012, Circular 1381-7
Lake Mead, particularly its Boulder Basin, is one of the most intensively monitored reservoirs in the United States. With its importance to societal needs and ecosystem benefits, interest in water quality and water resources of Lake Mead will remain high. A number of agencies have authorities and management interests in...
Hydrology and management of Lakes Mead and Mohave within the Colorado River Basin: Chapter 3 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
G. Chris Holdren, Todd Tietjen, Kent Turner, Jennell M. Miller
2012, Circular 1381-3
The Colorado River Basin covers parts of seven States: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California; at 1,450 mi (2,333.5 km) in length, the Colorado River is the seventh longest river in the United States (fig. 3-1). The Bureau of Reclamation has the responsibility for management of this...
A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Michael R. Rosen, Kent Turner, Steven L. Goodbred, Jennell M. Miller
2012, Circular 1381
Lakes Mead and Mohave, which are the centerpieces of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, provide many significant benefits that have made the modern development of the Southwestern United States possible. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir by volume in the nation and it supplies critical storage of water supplies for...
Lake water quality: Chapter 4 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Todd Tietjen, G. Chris Holdren, Michael R. Rosen, Ronald J. Veley, Michael J. Moran, Brett Vanderford, Wai Hing Wong, Douglas D. Drury
2012, Circular 1381-4
Given the importance of the availability and quality of water in Lake Mead, it has become one of the most intensely sampled and studied bodies of water in the United States. As a result, data are available from sampling stations across the lake (fig. 4-1 and see U.S. Geological Survey...
Threats and stressors to the health of the ecosystems of Lakes Mead and Mohave: Chapter 6 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave
Michael R. Rosen, Steven L. Goodbred, Wai Hing Wong, Reynaldo Patiño, Kent Turner, Craig J. Palmer, Peggy Roefer
2012, Circular 1381-6
Ecosystem impacts from visitor activities or natural environmental change are important concerns in all units of the National Park system. Possible impacts to aquatic ecosystems at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) are of particular concern because of the designation of Lakes Mead and Mohave as critical habitat for the...
Introduction and summary of findings
Kent Turner, Michael R. Rosen, Steven L. Goodbred, Jennell M. Miller
2012, Circular 1381-1
Lakes Mead and Mohave, which are the centerpieces of Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA), provide many significant benefits that have made the modern development of the Southwestern United States possible. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir by volume in the nation and it supplies critical storage of water supplies...
Methods to characterize environmental settings of stream and groundwater sampling sites for National Water-Quality Assessment
Naomi Nakagaki, Kerie J. Hitt, Curtis V. Price, James A. Falcone
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5194
Characterization of natural and anthropogenic features that define the environmental settings of sampling sites for streams and groundwater, including drainage basins and groundwater study areas, is an essential component of water-quality and ecological investigations being conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment program. Quantitative characterization of...
Sampling history and 2009--2010 results for pesticides and inorganic constituents monitored by the Lake Wales Ridge Groundwater Network, central Florida
Anne F. Choquette, R. Scott Freiwald, Carol L. Kraft
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1231
The Lake Wales Ridge Monitoring (LWRM) Network was established to provide a long-term record of water quality of the surficial aquifer in one of the principal citrus-production areas of Florida. This region is underlain by sandy soils that contain minimal organic matter and are highly vulnerable to leaching of chemicals...
Sediment dynamics in the restored reach of the Kissimmee River Basin, Florida: A vast subtropical riparian wetland
E.R. Schenk, C.R. Hupp, A. Gellis
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 1753-1767
Historically, the Kissimmee River Basin consisted of a broad nearly annually inundated riparian wetland similar in character to tropical Southern Hemisphere large rivers. The river was channelized in the 1960s and 1970s, draining the wetland. The river is currently being restored with over 10 000 hectares of wetlands being reconnected to...
Geologic map of Three Sisters volcanic cluster, Cascade Range, Oregon
Wes Hildreth, Judy Fierstein, Andrew T. Calvert
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3186
The cluster of glaciated stratovolcanoes called the Three Sisters—South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister—forms a spectacular 20-km-long reach along the crest of the Cascade Range in Oregon. The three eponymous stratocones, though contiguous and conventionally lumped sororally, could hardly display less family resemblance. North Sister (10,085 ft), a monotonously...
Low-flow frequency and flow duration of selected South Carolina streams in the Saluda, Congaree, and Edisto River basins through March 2009
Toby D. Feaster, Wladmir B. Guimaraes
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1253
Part of the mission of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is to protect and preserve South Carolina's water resources. Doing so requires an ongoing understanding of streamflow characteristics of the rivers and streams in South Carolina. A particular...
