Flow characteristics and salinity patterns in tidal rivers within the northern Ten Thousand Islands, southwest Florida, water years 2007–19
Amanda C. Booth, Travis M. Knight
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5028
Freshwater flow to the Ten Thousand Islands (TTI) estuary has been altered by the construction of the Tamiami Trail and construction of features in the now defunct Southern Golden Gate Estates development. This development included four associated canals that combine into the Faka Union Canal, which discharges into the TTI...
Satellite remote sensing to assess cyanobacterial bloom frequency across the United States at multiple spatial scales
Megan M. Coffer, Blake Schaeffer, Wilson B. Salls, Erin Urquhart, Keith A. Loftin, Richard P. Stumpf, P. Jeremy Werdell, John A. Darling
2021, Ecological Indicators (128)
Cyanobacterial blooms can have negative effects on human health and local ecosystems. Field monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms can be costly, but satellite remote sensing has shown utility for more efficient spatial and temporal monitoring across the United States....
Initial estimates of net infiltration and irrigation from a soil-water-balance model of the Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study Area
Stephen, M. Westenbroek, Martha G. Nielsen, David E. Ladd
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1008
The Mississippi embayment encompasses about 100,000 square miles and covers parts of eight States. In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey began updating previous work for a part of the embayment known as the Mississippi Alluvial Plain to support informed water use and agricultural policy in the region. Groundwater, water use,...
Arsenic in petroleum-contaminated groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota is predicted to persist for centuries
Brady A. Ziegler, G.-H. Crystal Ng, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Aubrey J. Dunshee, Madeline E. Schreiber
2021, Water (13)
We used a reactive transport model to investigate the cycling of geogenic arsenic (As) in a petroleum-contaminated aquifer. We simulated As mobilization and sequestration using surface complexation reactions with Fe(OH)3 during petroleum biodegradation coupled with Fe-reduction. Model results predict that dissolved As in the plume will exceed the...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills domestic-supply aquifer study units, 2015–17—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Zeno F. Levy, Miranda S. Fram
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5019
Groundwater quality in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills region of California was investigated as part of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP). The region was divided into two study units: the Yuba-Bear watersheds (YBW) study unit and the American-Cosumnes-Mokelumne watersheds (ACMW)...
Geologic influences on the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills
Zeno F. Levy, Miranda S. Fram
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3013
Approximately 2 million California residents depend on groundwater from domestic wells for their drinking-water supply. The State of California, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) to assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply throughout the...
Sampling for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project
Robert H. Kent
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3028
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of human-made chemicals that can persist in the environment. In 2019, the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) added PFAS to the projects’ on-going assessments of the quality of groundwater used for drinking-water...
Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of selected streams near the city of Rittman in Wayne and Medina Counties, Ohio
Chad J. Ostheimer
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5040
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the city of Rittman, Ohio, did a study to provide data to update and expand parts of two Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Studies. The study consisted of hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for selected reaches of...
Discharge data collection and analysis and implications for surface-water/groundwater interactions in the lower Las Vegas Wash, Clark County, Nevada, 2016–18
Jon W. Wilson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5034
The lower Las Vegas Wash represents the terminal surface drainage for the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. In 1997, high concentrations of perchlorate were found in seeps contributing to discharge in this area and traced to an industrial byproduct from manufacturing operations in the mid-1900s at the nearby Basic...
Western pond turtles in the Mojave Desert? A review of their past, present, and possible future
Jeffrey E. Lovich, George T. Jefferson, Robert E. Reynolds, Peter A. Scott, H. Bradley Shaffer, Shellie R. Puffer, Sarah Greely, Kristy L. Cummings, Robert N. Fisher, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Doug Gomez, Morgan Ford, Christopher D Otahal
2021, Vertebrate Zoology (71) 317-334
=The western pond turtle (WPT) was formerly considered a single species (Actinemys or Emys marmorata) that ranged from southern British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, México. More recently it was divided into a northern and a southern species. <abbr id="ABBRID0ESAAC"...
Catch rates for sturgeon chubs and sicklefin chubs in the Upper Missouri River 2004–2016 and correlations with biotic and abiotic variables
Patrick Braaten, David B. Fuller, Tyler M. Haddix, John R. Hunziker, Michael E. Colvin, Luke M. Holmquist, Ryan H. Wilson
2021, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (12) 322-337
A multiweek standardized sampling regime during 2004–2016 in a 60-km reach of the Upper Missouri River assessed reproduction and catch rates for Sturgeon Chub Macrhybopsis gelida and Sicklefin Chub Macrhybopsis meeki. We sampled age-0 Macrhybopsis (primarily Sturgeon Chubs, but potentially including Sicklefin Chubs) all years to indicate successful reproduction, but...
Species mixture effects and climate influence growth, recruitment and mortality in Interior West USA Populus tremuloides-conifer communities
Christopher E. Looney, Wilfred J Previant, John B. Bradford, Linda M Nagel
2021, Journal of Ecology (109) 2934-2949
Tree-species mixture effects (e.g. complementarity and facilitation) have been found to increase individual-tree productivity, lessen mortality and improve recruitment in forests worldwide. By promoting more efficient and complete resource use, mixture effects may also lessen individual-tree-level water stress, thus improving drought resistance. We investigated the influence of mixture effects...
Time marches on, but do the causal pathways driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?
Richard H Walker, Matthew J. Ashton, Matthew J. Cashman, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Kevin P. Krause, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly O. Maloney
2021, Science of the Total Environment (789)
Stream ecosystems are complex networks of interacting terrestrial and aquatic drivers. To untangle these ecological networks, efforts evaluating the direct and indirect effects of landscape, climate, and instream predictors on biological condition through time are needed. We used structural equation modeling and leveraged a...
Environmental conditions associated with occurrences of the threatened Yaqui Catfish in the Yaqui River Basin, Mexico
T. Hafen, A.T. Taylor, D.A. Hendrickson, D.R. Stewart, James M. Long
2021, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (41) S54-S63
The Yaqui Catfish Ictalurus pricei is an understudied species, with limited information available on its ecology, distribution, and local habitat use. Native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Yaqui Catfish populations are declining, which has prompted listing of the species as threatened in the United States and as a species...
Effect of groundwater withdrawals, river stage, and precipitation on water-table elevations in the Iowa River alluvial aquifer near Tama, Iowa, 2017–20
Lance R. Gruhn, Adel E. Haj
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1019
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is the only federally recognized Tribe in the State of Iowa and is commonly known as the Meskwaki Nation. The Tribe owns more than 8,100 acres, referred to as the “Meskwaki Settlement.” The Meskwaki Settlement uses a well field that...
Improving flood-frequency analysis with a 4,000-year record of flooding on the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
Tessa M. Harden, Jim E. O'Connor, Meredith L. Carr, Mackenzie Keith
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5138
This comprehensive field study applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern streamflow records and historical flood accounts. The overall approach was to (1) develop a flood...
Sediment budget for watersheds of West Maui, Hawaii
Jonathan D. Stock, Corina Cerovski-Darriau
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5133
Episodic runoff brings suspended sediment to West Maui’s nearshore waters, turning them from blue to brown. This pollution degrades the ecological, cultural, and recreational value of these iconic nearshore waters. We used mapping, monitoring, and modeling to identify and quantify the watershed sources for fine sediment that pollutes the nearshore...
Repeated large-scale mechanical treatment of invasive Typha under increasing water levels promotes floating mat formation and wetland methane emissions
Olivia Fayne Johnson, Abha Panda, Shane C. Lishawa, Beth A. Lawrence
2021, Science of the Total Environment (790)
Invasive species management typically aims to promote diversity and wildlife habitat, but little is known about how management techniques affect wetland carbon (C) dynamics. Since wetland C uptake is largely influenced by water levels and highly productive plants, the interplay of hydrologic extremes and <a class="topic-link" title="Learn more about invasive species from...
An empirically based simulation model to inform flow management for endangered species conservation
Timothy E. Walsworth, Phaedra E. Budy
2021, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (78) 1770-1781
Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic...
Science needs of southeastern grassland species of conservation concern: A framework for species status assessments
Reed F. Noss, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Dwayne Estes, Theo Witsell, K. Gregg Elliott, Daniel S. Adams, Matthew A. Albrecht, Ryan P. Boyles, Patrick J. Comer, Chris Doffitt, Don Faber-Langendoen, JoVonn G. Hill, William C. Hunter, Wesley M. Knapp, Mike Marshall, Milo Pyne, Jason R. Singhurst, Christopher Tracey, Jeffrey L. Walck, Alan Weakley
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1047
The unglaciated southeastern United States is a biodiversity hotspot, with a disproportionate amount of this biodiversity concentrated in grasslands. Like most hotspots, the Southeast is also threatened by human activities, with the total reduction of southeastern grasslands estimated as 90 percent (upwards to 100 percent for some types) and with...
Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements offshore of Matanzas Inlet, Florida, 2018
Marinna A. Martini, Ellyn Montgomery, Steven E. Suttles, John C. Warner
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1014
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and technical staff deployed instrumented underwater platforms and buoys to collect oceanographic and atmospheric data at two sites near Matanzas Inlet, Florida, on January 24, 2018, and recovered them on April 13, 2018. Matanzas Inlet is a natural, unmaintained inlet on the Florida Atlantic coast...
Characterization of factors affecting groundwater levels in and near the former Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, South Dakota, water years 1956–2017
Kristen J. Valseth, Daniel G. Driscoll
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5151
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, completed a study to characterize water-level fluctuations in observation wells relative to driving factors that affect water levels in and near the historical 1867 boundary of the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation. The study investigated concerns regarding potential effects...
Use of an artificial stream to monitor avoidance behavior of larval sea lamprey in response to TFM and niclosamide
Nicholas Schloesser, Michael A. Boogaard, Todd Johnson, Courtney A. Kirkeeng, Justin R. Schueller, Richard A. Erickson
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) 1192-1199
The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) has been used in liquid form to control larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Great Lakes tributaries since the late 1950s. In the 1980s a dissolvable TFM bar was developed as a supplemental tool for application to small tributaries as a deterrent to larvae seeking water...
Flood of June 30–July 1, 2018, in the Fourmile Creek Basin, near Ankeny, Iowa
Padraic S. O’Shea, Jared C. Vegrzyn, Kimberlee K. Barnes
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1044
Major flooding occurred June 30–July 1, 2018, in the Fourmile Creek Basin in central Iowa after thunderstorm activity over the region. The largest recorded 24-hour precipitation total at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather station was 8.72 inches in Ankeny, Iowa, and 7.54 inches in Des Moines, Iowa. A...
Forest evapotranspiration dynamics over a fragmented forest landscape under drought in southwestern Amazonia
Izaya Numata, Kul Bikram Khand, Jeppe Kjaersgaard, Mark A. Cochrane, Sonaira S. Silva
2021, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (306)
Ongoing climate change and human conversion of forests to other land uses alter regional evapotranspiration dynamics and, consequently, impact associated hydrological systems in Amazonia. We studied the effects of drought and fragmentation on forest evapotranspiration using the surface energy balance-based model METRIC (Mapping Evapotranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized...
