Assessing cyanobacterial frequency and abundance at surface waters near drinking water intakes across the United States
Megan Coffer, Blake A. Schaeffer, Katherine Foreman, Alex Porteous, Keith A. Loftin, Richard Stumpf, Jeremy Werdell, Erin Urquhart, Ryan Albert, John Darling
2021, Water Research (201)
This study presents the first large-scale assessment of cyanobacterial frequency and abundance of surface water near drinking water intakes across the United States. Public water systems serve drinking water to nearly 90% of the United States population. Cyanobacteria and their toxins may degrade the quality of finished drinking water and...
Borehole analysis, single-well aquifer testing, and water quality for the Burnpit well, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
William G. Eldridge, Galen K. Hoogestraat, Steven E. Rice
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5059
Mount Rushmore National Memorial (hereafter referred to as “the memorial”), in western South Dakota, is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) and includes 1,278 acres of land in the east-central part of the Black Hills. An ongoing challenge for NPS managers at the memorial is providing water from sustainable...
Metal accumulation varies with life history, size, and development of larval amphibians
Kelly L. Smalling, Emily Bea Oja, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jon D Davenport, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead, Kenzi M Stemp, Brian J. Tornabene, Zachary J Bunnell, Blake R. Hossack
2021, Environmental Pollution (287)
Amphibian larvae are commonly used as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health because they are susceptible to contaminants. However, there is limited information on how species characteristics and trophic position influence contaminant loads in larval amphibians. Importantly, there remains a...
Sources and risk factors for nitrate and microbial contamination of private household wells in the fractured dolomite aquifer of northeastern Wisconsin
Mark A. Borchardt, Joel P. Stokdyk, Burney A Kieke, Maureen A. Muldoon, Susan K. Spencer, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Davina Bonness, Randall J. Hunt, Tucker R. Burch
2021, Environmental Health Perspectives (129)
Background:Groundwater quality in the Silurian dolomite aquifer in northeastern Wisconsin, USA, has become contentious as dairy farms and exurban development expand.Objectives:We investigated private household wells in the region, determining the extent, sources, and risk factors of nitrate and microbial contamination.Methods:Total coliforms, Escherichia...
Quantitative microbial risk assessment for contaminated private wells in the fractured dolomite aquifer of Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
Tucker R. Burch, Joel P. Stokdyk, Susan K. Spencer, Burney A Kieke, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Maureen A. Muldoon, Mark A. Borchardt
2021, Environmental Health Perspectives (129)
Background:Private wells are an important source of drinking water in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. Due to the region’s fractured dolomite aquifer, these wells are vulnerable to contamination by human and zoonotic gastrointestinal pathogens originating from land-applied cattle manure and private septic systems.Objective:We determined the magnitude...
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2020
Elaiya R. Jurney, Meghan T. Bell
2021, Data Series 1139
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti...
Mapping the vulnerability of giant sequoias after extreme drought in California using remote sensing
Andres Baeza, Roberta E. Martin, Nathan L. Stephenson, Adrian Das, Paul Hardwick, Koren R. Nydick, Jeff Mallory, Michèle Slaton, Kirk Evans, Gregory P. Asner
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
Between 2012 and 2016, California suffered one of the most severe droughts on record. During this period Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoias) in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI), California, USA experienced canopy water content (CWC) loss, unprecedented foliage senescence, and, in a few cases, death. We...
Surficial geology of the northern San Luis Valley, Saguache, Fremont, Custer, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Conejos, and Costilla Counties, Colorado
Chester A. Ruleman, Theodore R. Brandt
2021, Scientific Investigations Map 3475
The San Luis Valley and associated underlying basin of south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico is the largest structural and hydrologic basin of the Rio Grande Rift and fluvial system. The surrounding San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains reveal evidence of widespread volcanism and transtensional tectonism beginning in...
Identification of bacteria in groundwater used for domestic supply in the southeast San Joaquin Valley, California, 2014
Carmen A. Burton, Christine J. Lawrence
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5030
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in California. Water-borne diseases caused by microbial contamination are a growing concern. The MI test, a membrane filtration method for the chromogenic/fluorogenic detection of total coliforms and Escherichia coli, was used for samples collected January to April 2014 from 42 domestic wells...
Airborne geophysical surveys of the lower Mississippi Valley demonstrate system-scale mapping of subsurface architecture
Burke J. Minsley, James R. Rigby, Stephanie R. James, Bethany L. Burton, Katherine J. Knierim, Michael Pace, Paul A. Bedrosian, Wade Kress
2021, Communications Earth & Environment (2)
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain hosts one of the most prolific shallow aquifer systems in the United States but is experiencing chronic groundwater decline. The Reelfoot rift and New Madrid seismic zone underlie the region and represent an important and poorly understood seismic hazard. Despite its societal and economic importance, the...
Hydrology of annual winter water level drawdown regimes in recreational lakes of Massachusetts, United States
Jason R. Carmignani, Allison H. Roy, Jason Stolarski, Todd Richards
2021, Lake and Reservoir Management (37) 339-359
Annual winter water level drawdown (WD) is a common lake management strategy to maintain recreational value by controlling nuisance macrophytes and preventing ice damage to shoreline infrastructure in lakes of the northeastern United States. The state of Massachusetts provides general guidelines for lake managers to implement and practice WDs. However,...
Survey of fish assemblages in the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek, New York, 2017–19
Dylan R. Winterhalter, Scott D. George, Barry P. Baldigo
2021, Data Series 1137
Streams in the Catskill Mountains region of New York provide many important ecological and economic services, including recreational angling and serving as a drinking water supply to New York City. Many streams in this region were adversely affected by acid deposition during the late 20th century, impairing water quality and...
Refining sampling protocols for cavefishes and cave crayfishes to account for environmental variation
J.B. Mouser, Shannon K. Brewer, M.L. Niemiller, M. Mollenhauer, Van Den Bussche
2021, Subterranean Biology (39) 79-105
Subterranean habitats support a diverse array of organisms and represent imperative habitats in many conservation strategies; however, subterranean habitats are one of the most difficult environments to study. Accounting for variable sampling detection is necessary to properly evaluate conservation options for rare species such as karst and other groundwater organisms....
Climate impacts on source contributions and evaporation to flow in the Snake River Basin using surface water isoscapes (δ2H and δ18O)
Grace Windler, J. Renee Brooks, Henry M. Johnson, Randy Comeleo, Rob Coulombe, Gabriel J. Bowen
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
Rising global temperatures are expected to decrease the precipitation amount that falls as snow, causing greater risk of water scarcity, groundwater overdraft, and fire in areas that rely on mountain snowpack for their water supply. Streamflow in large river basins varies with the amount, timing, and type of precipitation, evapotranspiration,...
The North American Breeding Bird Survey in Mexico, 2008 to 2018—A status report
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity
2021, Circular 1479
Collection of avian population data has repeatedly been identified as a high priority for bird conservation in Mexico. To meet this need, in 2008 the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), a volunteer-based survey, was expanded to include northern Mexico. The BBS in Mexico (Mexican BBS) is managed by the...
Demography of the Oregon spotted frog along a hydrologically modified river
Jennifer Rowe, Adam Duarte, Christopher Pearl, Brome McCreary, Patricia Haggerty, John Jones, Michael J. Adams
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Altered flow regimes can contribute to dissociation between life history strategies and environmental conditions, leading to reduced persistence reported for many wildlife populations inhabiting regulated rivers. The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is a threatened species occurring in floodplains, ponds, and wetlands in the Pacific Northwest...
Permafrost thaw in northern peatlands: Rapid changes in ecosystem and landscape functions
David Olefeldt, Liam Hefferman, Miriam C. Jones, A. Britta Sannel, Claire C. Treat, Merritt R. Turetsky
2021, Book chapter, Ecosystem collapse and climate change
Peatlands within the northern permafrost region cover approximately 2 million km2 and are characterized by organic soils that can be several meters thick, and a fine-scale mosaic of permafrost and non-permafrost landforms interspersed by shallow ponds and lakes. Ongoing permafrost thaw is transforming these peatlands, causing abrupt changes to their morphology,...
Extreme events trigger terrestrial and marine ecosystem collapses: A tale of two regions
Katinka X. Ruthrof, Joseph B. Fontaine, David D. Breshears, Jason P. Field, Craig D. Allen
2021, Book chapter, Ecosystem collapse and climate change
We outline the multiple, cross-scale, and complex consequences of terrestrial and marine ecosystem heatwaves in two regions on opposite sides of the planet: the southwestern USA and southwestern Australia, both encompassing Global Biodiversity Hotspots, and where ecosystem collapses or features of it have occurred in the past two decades. We...
Comparison of historical water temperature measurements with landsat analysis ready data provisional surface temperature estimates for the Yukon River in Alaska
Carson Baughman, Jeff Conaway
2021, Remote Sensing (13)
Water temperature is a key element of freshwater ecological systems and a critical element within natural resource monitoring programs. In the absence of in situ measurements, remote sensing platforms can indirectly measure water temperature over time and space. The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has processed archived Landsat...
Sediment transport, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen responses to annual streambed drawdowns for downstream fish passage in a flood control reservoir
Liam N. Schenk, Heather M. Bragg
2021, Journal of Environmental Management (295)
Sediment transport, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen were evaluated during six consecutive water years (2013–2018) of drawdowns of a flood control reservoir in the upper Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. The drawdowns were conducted to allow volitional passage of endangered juvenile chinook salmon through the dam's regulating outlets by lowering the reservoir elevation...
Egg retention of high-latitude sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Pilgrim River, Alaska, during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Michael P. Carey, Vanessa R. von Biela, Ashley Dunker, Kevin D. Keith, Merlyn Schelske, Charlie Lean, Christian E. Zimmerman
2021, Polar Biology (44) 1643-1654
Ocean and freshwater conditions can influence spawning success of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) by governing the energy content of fish at the start of and during the spawning migration. Ocean conditions determine the energy stores of fish at the freshwater entry, while freshwater conditions determine how quickly stored energy is depleted...
New geochemical tools for investigating resource and energy functions at deep-sea cold seeps using amino-acid δ15N in chemosymbiotic mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi)
Natasha Vokhshoori, Matt McCarthy, Hilary Close, Amanda Demopoulos, Nancy G. Prouty
2021, Geobiology (19) 601-617
In order to reconstruct the ecosystem structure of chemosynthetic environments in the fossil record, geochemical proxies must be developed. Here, we present a suite of novel compound-specific isotope parameters for tracing chemosynthetic production with a focus on understanding nitrogen dynamics in deep-sea cold seep environments. We examined the chemosymbiotic bivalve Bathymodiolus...
Nutrient limitation of algae and macrophytes in streams: Integrating laboratory bioassays, field experiments, and field data
Christopher A. Mebane, Andrew M. Ray, Amy M Marcarelli
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Successful eutrophication control strategies need to address the limiting nutrient. We conducted a battery of laboratory and in situ nutrient-limitation tests with waters collected from 9 streams in an agricultural region of the upper Snake River basin, Idaho, USA. Laboratory tests used the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata, the macrophyte Lemna minor (duckweed) with...
Land-based sediment sources and transport to southwest Puerto Rico coral reefs after Hurricane Maria, May 2017 to June 2018
Renee K. Takesue, Clark E. Sherman, Aaron O. Reyes, Olivia M. Cheriton, Natalia I. Ramirez, Roberto Viqueira Rios, Curt D. Storlazzi
2021, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (259)
The effects of runoff from land on nearshore ecosystems, including coral reef communities, are influenced by both sediment supply and removal by coastal processes. Integrated studies across the land-sea interface describing sources and transport of terrestrial sediment and its nearshore fate allow reef protection initiatives to target key onshore and offshore areas....
Regional occurrence of aqueous tungsten and relations with antimony, arsenic and molybdenum concentrations (Sardinia, Italy)
Rosa Cidu, Riccardo Biddau, Franco Frau, Richard Wanty, Stefano Naitza
2021, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (229)
Tungsten (W) is rarely found in natural waters, yet it can be introduced into the food chain and cause potentially toxic effects. Uptake of W by plants and vegetables, or trace presence of W in drinking water are...
