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Stream ecosystems face continuous pressures from multiple anthropogenic stressors that reshape biological communities and impact ecosystem health and services. Managers can encounter challenges in stewarding ecosystems threatened by multiple stressors, in part because most multiple stressor studies are experimental and, while valuable, offer limited management relevance in targeting these stressors...

Potentiometric-surface and depth-to-water maps for spring 2022 were created for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVA) using groundwater-altitude data from 1,136 wells completed in the MRVA and from the altitude of the top of the water surface in area rivers from 160 streamgages. The potentiometric-surface and depth-to-water maps for...

Each year, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel collect approximately 52,000 water-quality samples from rivers and streams across the United States. Several samplers are used by the USGS for water-quality sample collection in riverine environments. These samplers are coated with Plasti Dip to protect the exterior of the sampler; however, Plasti...

This review assesses gaps in water quality modeling, emphasizing opportunities to improve next-generation models that are essential for managing water quality and are integral to meeting goals of scientific and management agencies. In particular, this paper identifies gaps in water quality modeling capabilities that, if addressed, could support assessments, projections,...

ObjectiveWe evaluated white light as a potential guidance cue for juvenile Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus in a natural setting as well as the effect of water velocity (0.25-, 0.50-, 0.75-, and 1.0-m/s test velocities) on light guidance behavior in a controlled laboratory flume, and characterized emigration timing and...

The 2018–2023 phreatomagmatic eruptions at Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska produced abundant long-period (LP) seismicity, harmonic and broadband tremor, and explosion signals over several well-monitored periods of eruption and quiescence. The corresponding dataset provides an excellent opportunity to investigate precursory and syn-eruptive geophysical signals of long-lived phreatomagmatic eruptions using multiparameter observations. We generated...

Landslide assessments typically focus on the mechanical properties of the basal shear zone, but lateral faults are frequently overlooked, possibly due to their lower normal stresses and variably saturated conditions. Using double-cylinder shear experiments on wet granular systems as analogs for landslide lateral faults, we observe anomalous shear stress variations...

An improved understanding of hydrologic responses to changing climatic conditions is needed to better inform water management practices. East Canyon Creek, a perennial, snowmelt-dominated stream in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah, is subjected to increasing development and demands on water in the Snyderville Basin and adjacent areas. In this...

Marine birds in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have long been poorly studied. Given statutory obligations to protect migratory birds and endangered species, three broad-scale vessel and aerial programs initiated since 2010 have now surveyed the entire northern Gulf. Vessel coverage alone exceeds 700 d and 74,000 km of observer...

River ice plays a critical role in controlling streamflow in cold regions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) qualifies affected water-level measurements and inferred streamflow by ice conditions at a date later than the day of the actual measurements. This study introduces a novel computer vision-based framework, River Ice-Network (RIce-Net), that...

Nitrogen transported along groundwater flow paths in coastal aquifers can contribute substantially to nitrogen loading into surface water receptors, particularly in hydrologic systems dominated by groundwater discharge. Nitrogen entrained in the aquifer is a function of land use and associated nitrogen sources at the time of groundwater recharge, which may...

The richness and abundance of freshwater mussels in the Big Darby Creek Basin has declined in recent decades, according to survey results published by the Ohio Biological Survey. In October 2016, a major mussel die-off of undetermined cause reportedly affected over 50 miles of Big Darby Creek; however, fishes and...

The Gunnison River and many tributaries in the Upper Gunnison River Basin provide water to irrigate agricultural crops. The application of irrigation water can recharge some aquifers locally by water percolating below the root zone and eventually flowing back to the stream or river through the subsurface. Diverting surface water...

Before implementing nontoxic shot requirements for hunting waterfowl and American coots Fulica americana in the United States in 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitored lead poisoning in waterfowl on federal and state wildlife hunting areas during 1983-1986. Federal and state collaborators collected gizzards and livers from 9,029 hunter-killed waterfowl (10...

The ecological significance of the reef-building elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, is threatened by heat-stress-induced mortality. The intensity and duration of the ocean heatwave affecting Dry Tortugas National Park in the summer of 2023 was historically unprecedented in its early timing and maximum temperatures reached and resulted in 100% A. palmata mortality. To understand...

Tapwater (TW) safety and sustainability are priorities in the United States. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substance(s) (PFAS) contamination is a growing public-health concern due to prolific use, widespread TW exposures, and mounting human-health concerns. Historically-rural, actively-urbanizing communities that rely on surficial-aquifer private wells incur elevated risks of unrecognized TW exposures, including PFAS, due...

The geologic history and anthropogenic modifications of Minnesota’s Wild Rice River have caused major morphological adjustments, which induce erosion and excess fluvial sediment transport. The excess sediment deposits in the lower Wild Rice River, exacerbating flooding. To help mitigate these problems, the Wild Rice Watershed District has future plans to...

An ecological threshold is the point at which a comparatively small environmental change triggers an abrupt and disproportionately large ecological response. In the face of accelerating climate change, there is concern that abrupt ecosystem transformations will become more widespread as critical ecological thresholds are crossed. There has been ongoing debate,...

Increasing hydrologic volatility—more extreme rain, and larger variations between wet and dry years—has become apparent in some regions, but few data exist to determine how intensifying hydrologic extremes affect sedimentary systems. Using uniquely high-resolution records of fluvial suspended sediment and coastal morphology, we quantify sedimentary responses from a steep, 357-km2 watershed...

As oceans warm, harmful algal blooms (HABs) are expected to increase, including blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia, a diatom that produces domoic acid (DA), which is a potent neurotoxin. Regulatory limits for human consumption (0.075–0.1 mg/kg/day; acute exposure) exist for the Pacific razor clam; however, fisheries currently do not have regulatory limits...

Water temperature can vary substantially even across short distances within the same sub-watershed. Accurate prediction of stream water temperature at fine spatial resolutions (i.e., fine scales, ≤ 1 km) enables precise interventions to maintain water quality and protect aquatic habitats. Although spatiotemporal models have made substantial progress in spatially coarse...

Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. are globally distributed protozoan parasites that can cause gastrointestinal disease in humans and animals. These zoonotic parasites and their ecological relationships have been understudied in Alaska and elsewhere, despite being identified as priority zoonotic pathogens. We aimed to detect and characterize Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. in...

Identifying and quantifying preferential flow (PF) through soil—the rapid movement of water through spatially-distinct pathways in the subsurface—is vital to understanding how the hydrologic cycle responds to climate, land cover, and anthropogenic changes. In recent decades, methods have been developed that use measured soil moisture time series to identify PF....

Increased lake eutrophication, influenced by changing climate and land use, alters aquatic cycling and bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg). Additionally, seasonally dynamic lake circulation and plankton community composition can confound our ability to predict changes in biological Hg concentrations and sources. To assess temporal variation, we examined seasonal total Hg (THg)...

We described abundance and source of soft, fine-grained, streambed sediment and associated phosphorus (sed-P) during summer low flow in Little Flatrock Creek (LFR), a channelized tributary of the Maumee River and western Lake Erie. Reach-level assessments compared streambed-sediment storage to streambank erosion. Streambed sediment was fingerprinted and analyzed for sed-P...