Hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma
Gary R. Buell, Loren L. Wehmeyer, Daniel L. Calhoun
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1026
A hydrologic and landscape database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges and their contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The database is composed of a set of ASCII files,...
Flood-inundation maps for Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, Atlanta, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3189
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.5-mile reach of the Peachtree Creek from the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge to the Moores Mill Road NW bridge, were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Atlanta, Georgia. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS...
Explaining differences between bioaccumulation measurements in laboratory and field data through use of a probabilistic modeling approach
Henriette Selck, Ken Drouillard, Karen Eisenreich, Albert A. Koelmans, Annemette Palmqvist, Anders Ruus, Daniel Salvito, Irv Schultz, A. Robin Stewart, Annie Weisbrod, Nico W. van den Brink, Martine van den Heuvel-Greve
2012, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (8) 42-63
In the regulatory context, bioaccumulation assessment is often hampered by substantial data uncertainty as well as by the poorly understood differences often observed between results from laboratory and field bioaccumulation studies. Bioaccumulation is a complex, multifaceted process, which calls for accurate error analysis. Yet, attempts to quantify and compare propagation...
Flood-inundation maps for the St. Marys River at Fort Wayne, Indiana
Chad D. Menke, Moon H. Kim, Kathleen K. Fowler
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3205
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9-mile reach of the St. Marys River that extends from South Anthony Boulevard to Main Street at Fort Wayne, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
Endocrine disrupting chemicals in Minnesota lakes - Water-quality and hydrological data from 2008 and 2010
Larry B. Barber, Jeffrey H. Writer, Steffanie K. Keefe, Greg K. Brown, Mark L. Ferrey, Nathan D. Jahns, Richard L. Kiesling, James R. Lundy, Beth H. Poganski, Donald O. Rosenberry, Howard E. Taylor, Olivia P. Woodruff, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1124
Understanding the sources, fate, and effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in aquatic ecosystems is important for water-resource management. This study was conducted during 2008 and 2010 to establish a framework for assessing endocrine disrupting chemicals, and involved a statewide survey of their occurrence in 14 Minnesota lakes and a targeted...
Downscaling future climate scenarios to fine scales for hydrologic and ecological modeling and analysis
Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint
2012, Ecological Processes (1)
Introduction Evaluating the environmental impacts of climate change on water resources and biological components of the landscape is an integral part of hydrologic and ecological investigations, and the resultant land and resource management in the twenty-first century. Impacts of both climate and simulated hydrologic parameters on ecological processes are relevant at...
Exploring changes in the spatial distribution of stream baseflow generation during a seasonal recession
R.A. Payn, M.N. Gooseff, B.L. McGlynn, K.E. Bencala, S.M. Wondzell
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Relating watershed structure to streamflow generation is a primary focus of hydrology. However, comparisons of longitudinal variability in stream discharge with adjacent valley structure have been rare, resulting in poor understanding of the distribution of the hydrologic mechanisms that cause variability in streamflow generation along valleys. This study explores detailed...
Edaphic, salinity, and stand structural trends in chronosequences of native and non-native dominated riparian forests along the Colorado River, USA
David M. Merritt, Patrick B. Shafroth
2012, Biological Invasions (14) 2665-2685
Tamarix spp. are introduced shrubs that have become among the most abundant woody plants growing along western North American rivers. We sought to empirically test the long-held belief that Tamarix actively displaces native species through elevating soil salinity via salt exudation. We measured chemical and physical attributes of soils (e.g., salinity, major cations...
Occurrence of anthropogenic organic compounds and nutrients in source and finished water in the Sioux Falls area, South Dakota, 2009-10
Galen K. Hoogestraat
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5098
Anthropogenic organic compounds (AOCs) in drinking-water sources commonly are derived from municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater sources, and are a concern for water-supply managers. A cooperative study between the city of Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and the U.S. Geological Survey was initiated in 2009 to (1) characterize the occurrence of...
Forty years of vegetation change on the Missouri River floodplain
W. Carter Johnson, Mark D. Dixon, Michael L. Scott, Lisa Rabbe, Gary Larson, Malia Volke, Brett Werner
2012, BioScience (62) 123-135
Comparative inventories in 1969 and 1970 and in 2008 of vegetation from 30 forest stands downstream of Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota showed (a) a sharp decline in Cottonwood regeneration; (b) a strong compositional shift toward dominance by green ash; and (c) large increases in...
A zonal evaluation of intrinsic susceptibility in selected principal aquifers of the United States
Tristan P. Wellman, Leon Kauffman, Brian Clark
2012, Journal of Hydrology (440-441) 36-51
A method was developed to evaluate intrinsic groundwater susceptibility in 11 study areas across the United States. Calibrated groundwater-flow models and a variable-advection particle-tracking scheme that accounts for uncertainty were used to derive ranges of conservative solute concentration and groundwater age within spatially defined zones from solute loading to the...
Arsenic and life: bacterial redox reactions associated with arsenic oxyanions
Ronald S. Oremland
R. Drelich, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Water in Mineral Processing
Groundwater-well data of San Miguel County, New Mexico, 1970-2010
Anne Marie Matherne, Anne M. Stewart
2012, Data Series 686
The hydrologic resources of San Miguel County, New Mexico, are increasingly relied upon to meet growing domestic, livestock, and agricultural needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with San Miguel County, conducted a study during 2010-11 to assess current publicly available information regarding the hydrologic resources of San Miguel County....
Modeling thermal dynamics of active layer soils and near-surface permafrost using a fully coupled water and heat transport model
Yueyang Jiang, Qianlai Zhuang, Jonathan A. O’Donnell
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (117)
Thawing and freezing processes are key components in permafrost dynamics, and these processes play an important role in regulating the hydrological and carbon cycles in the northern high latitudes. In the present study, we apply a well-developed soil thermal model that fully couples heat and water transport, to simulate the...
Chiral pesticides: Identification, description, and environmental implications
Elin M. Ulrich, Candice N. Morrison, Michael R. Goldsmith, William T. Foreman
2012, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (217) 1-74
Anthropogenic chemicals, including pesticides, are a major source of contamination and pollution in the environment. Pesticides have many positive uses: increased food production, decreased damage to crops and structures, reduced disease vector populations, and more. Nevertheless, pesticide exposure can pose risks to humans and the environment, so various mitigation strategies...
Hydrogeology, water chemistry, and transport processes in the zone of contribution of a public-supply well in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2007-9
Laura M. Bexfield, Bryant C. Jurgens, Dianna M. Crilley, Scott C. Christenson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5182
The National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) of the U.S. Geological Survey began a series of groundwater studies in 2001 in representative aquifers across the Nation in order to increase understanding of the factors that affect transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants (TANC) to public-supply wells. One of 10 regional-scale TANC...
Quantifying components of the hydrologic cycle in Virginia using chemical hydrograph separation and multiple regression analysis
Ward E. Sanford, David L. Nelms, Jason P. Pope, David L. Selnick
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5198
This study by the U.S. Geological Survey, prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, quantifies the components of the hydrologic cycle across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Long-term, mean fluxes were calculated for precipitation, surface runoff, infiltration, total evapotranspiration (ET), riparian ET, recharge, base flow (or groundwater discharge)...
Relations between precipitation, groundwater withdrawals, and changes in hydrologic conditions at selected monitoring sites in Volusia County, Florida, 1995--2010
Louis C. Murray Jr.
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5075
A study to examine the influences of climatic and anthropogenic stressors on groundwater levels, lake stages, and surface-water discharge at selected sites in northern Volusia County, Florida, was conducted in 2009 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Water-level data collected at 20 monitoring sites (17 groundwater and 3 lake sites) in...
Hydrogeologic characteristics and water quality of a confined sand unit in the surficial aquifer system, Hunter Army Airfield, Chatham County, Georgia
Gerard Gonthier
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5082
An 80-foot-deep well (36Q397, U.S. Geological Survey site identification 320146081073701) was constructed at Hunter Army Airfield to assess the potential of using the surficial aquifer system as a water source to irrigate a ballfield complex. A 300-foot-deep test hole was drilled beneath the ballfield complex to characterize the lithology and...
Soil greenhouse gas fluxes during wetland forest retreat along the Lower Savannah River, Georgia (USA)
Ken W. Krauss, Julie L. Whitbeck
2012, Wetlands (32) 73-81
Tidal freshwater forested wetlands (tidal swamps) are periodically affected by salinity intrusion at seaward transitions with marsh, which, along with altered hydrology, may affect the balance of gaseous carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses from soils. We measured greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) from healthy, moderately degraded, and degraded...
Evaluation of NDVI to assess avian abundance and richness along the upper San Pedro River
T.M. McFarland, Charles van Riper III, G. E. Johnson
2012, Journal of Arid Environments (77) 45-53
Remote-sensing models have become increasingly popular for identifying, characterizing, monitoring, and predicting avian habitat but have largely focused on single bird species. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been shown to positively correlate with avian abundance and richness and has been successfully applied to southwestern riparian systems which are...
Vulnerability of riparian ecosystems to elevated CO2 and climate change in arid and semiarid western North America
Laura G. Perry, Douglas C. Andersen, Lindsay V. Reynolds, S. Mark Nelson, Patrick B. Shafroth
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 821-842
Riparian ecosystems, already greatly altered by water management, land development, and biological invasion, are being further altered by increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) and climate change, particularly in arid and semiarid (dryland) regions. In this literature review, we (1) summarize expected changes in [CO2], climate, hydrology, and water management in...
A brief history and summary of the effects of river engineering and dams on the Mississippi River system and delta
Jason S. Alexander, Richard C. Wilson, W. Reed Green
2012, Circular 1375
The U.S. Geological Survey Forecast Mekong project is providing technical assistance and information to aid management decisions and build science capacity of institutions in the Mekong River Basin. A component of this effort is to produce a synthesis of the effects of dams and other engineering structures on large-river hydrology,...
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf?
L. David Mech
2012, Biological Conservation (150) 143-149
Historically the wolf (Canis lupus) was hated and extirpated from most of the contiguous United States. The federal Endangered Species Act fostered wolf protection and reintroduction which improved the species' image. Wolf populations reached biological recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest, and the animal has been delisted...
Hydrologic conditions controlling runoff generation immediately after wildfire
Brian A. Ebel, John A. Moody, Deborah A. Martin
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
We investigated the control of postwildfire runoff by physical and hydraulic properties of soil, hydrologic states, and an ash layer immediately following wildfire. The field site is within the area burned by the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire in Colorado, USA. Physical and hydraulic property characterization included ash thickness, particle size...
