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...
Arsenic and life: bacterial redox reactions associated with arsenic oxyanions
Ronald S. Oremland
R. Drelich, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Water in Mineral Processing
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Factors controlling nitrate fluxes in groundwater in agricultural areas
Lixia Liao, Christopher T. Green, Barbara A. Bekins, J.K. Böhlke
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
The impact of agricultural chemicals on groundwater quality depends on the interactions of biogeochemical and hydrologic factors. To identify key processes affecting distribution of agricultural nitrate in groundwater, a parsimonious transport model was applied at 14 sites across the U.S. Simulated vertical profiles of NO3-, N2 from denitrification, O2, Cl-,...
Optimizing bankfull discharge and hydraulic geometry relations for streams in New York state
Christiane I. Mulvihill, Barry P. Baldigo
2012, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (48) 449-463
This study analyzes how various data stratification schemes can be used to optimize the accuracy and utility of regional hydraulic geometry (HG) models of bankfull discharge, width, depth, and cross-sectional area for streams in New York. Topographic surveys and discharge records from 281 cross sections at 82 gaging stations with...
Natural hazards science strategy
Robert R. Holmes Jr., Lucile M. Jones, Jeffery C. Eidenshink, Jonathan W. Godt, Stephen H. Kirby, Jeffrey J. Love, Christina A. Neal, Nathaniel G. Plant, Michael L. Plunkett, Craig S. Weaver, Anne Wein, Suzanne C. Perry
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1088
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in natural hazards is to develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation. The costs and consequences of natural hazards can be enormous, and each year more people and infrastructure are at risk....
Strategic directions for U.S. Geological Survey water science, 2012-2022 - Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the Nation
Eric J. Evenson, Randall C. Orndorff, Charles D. Blome, John Karl Böhlke, Paul K. Hershberger, Victoria E. Langenheim, Gregory J. McCabe, Scott E. Morlock, Howard W. Reeves, James P. Verdin, Holly S. Weyers, Tamara M. Wood
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1066
Executive Summary This report expands the Water Science Strategy that was begun in the USGS Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges—U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). The report looks at the relevant issues facing society and develops a strategy built around observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering...
Modelling rating curves using remotely sensed LiDAR data
Marcus Nathanson, Jason W. Kean, Thomas J. Grabs, Jan Seibert, Hjalmar Laudon, Steve W. Lyon
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 1427-1434
Accurate stream discharge measurements are important for many hydrological studies. In remote locations, however, it is often difficult to obtain stream flow information because of the difficulty in making the discharge measurements necessary to define stage-discharge relationships (rating curves). This study investigates the feasibility of defining rating curves by using...
Dam-breach analysis and flood-inundation mapping for Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka near Lawton, Oklahoma
Samuel H. Rendon, Chad E. Ashworth, S. Jerrod Smith
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5026
Dams provide beneficial functions such as flood control, recreation, and reliable water supplies, but they also entail risk: dam breaches and resultant floods can cause substantial property damage and loss of life. The State of Oklahoma requires each owner of a high-hazard dam, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency defines...
Spatially telescoping measurements for improved characterization of groundwater-surface water interactions
Colin Kikuchi, Ty P.A. Ferre, Jeffery M. Welker
2012, Journal of Hydrology (446-447) 1-12
The suite of measurement methods available to characterize fluxes between groundwater and surface water is rapidly growing. However, there are few studies that examine approaches to design of field investigations that include multiple methods. We propose that performing field measurements in a spatially telescoping sequence improves measurement flexibility and accounts...
Reconstruction of past methane availability in an Arctic Alaska wetland indicates climate influenced methane release during the past ~12,000 years
Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Pohlman, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Peter Langdon, Miriam Jones, Katey M. Walter Anthony, Kevin W. Becker, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs, Marcus Elvert
2012, Journal of Paleolimnology (48) 27-42
Atmospheric contributions of methane from Arctic wetlands during the Holocene are dynamic and linked to climate oscillations. However, long-term records linking climate variability to methane availability in Arctic wetlands are lacking. We present a multi-proxy ~12,000 year paleoecological reconstruction of intermittent methane availability from a radiocarbon-dated sediment core (LQ-West) taken...
