Baseflow age distributions and depth of active groundwater flow in a snow‐dominated mountain headwater basin
Rosemary W.H. Carroll, Andrew H. Manning, Richard G. Niswonger, David W Marchetti, Kenneth H. Williams
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Deeper flows through bedrock in mountain watersheds could be important, but lack of data to characterize bedrock properties limits understanding. To address data scarcity, we combine a previously published integrated hydrologic model of a snow‐dominated, headwater basin of the Colorado River with a new method for dating baseflow age using...
Field comparison of five in situ turbidity sensors
Teri T. Snazelle
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1123
Five commercially available turbidity sensors were field tested by the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility for accuracy and data comparability. The tested sensors were the Xylem EXO (EXO), the Hach Solitax sc (Solitax), the In Situ Aqua TROLL sensor installed onto a TROLL 600 sonde (TROLL 600), the Campbell...
Measured and calculated nitrate and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and loads at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam, S-79, south Florida, 2014-17
Amanda Booth
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1094
The U.S. Geological Survey monitored dissolved nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and calculated loads of these constituents at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) from April 2014 to December 2017. Flows from Lake Okeechobee controlled by S-77, S-78 and S-79 affect water...
Water temperature controls for regulated canyon-bound rivers
Bryce A. Mihalevich, Bethany Neilson, Caleb A. Buahin, Charles B. Yackulic, John C. Schmidt
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Many canyon‐bound rivers have been dammed and downstream flow and water temperatures modified. Climate change is expected to cause lower storage in reservoirs and warmer release temperatures, which may further alter downstream flow and thermal regimes. To anticipate potential future changes, we first need to understand the dominant heat transfer...
Estimating and forecasting spatial population dynamics of apex predators using transnational genetic monitoring
Richard Bischof, Cyril Milleret, Pierre Dupont, Joseph Chipperfield, Mahdieh Tourani, Andres Ordiz, Perry de Valpine, Daniel Turek, J. Andrew Royle, Olivier Gemenez, Oystein Flagstad, Mikael Akesson, Linn Svensson, Henrik Broseth, Jonas Kindberg
2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (11) 30531-30538
The ongoing recovery of terrestrial large carnivores in North America and Europe is accompanied by intense controversy. On the one hand, reestablishment of large carnivores entails a recovery of their most important ecological role, predation. On the other hand, societies are struggling to relearn how to live with apex predators...
Improving the ability to include freshwater wetland plants in process-based models
Amber S. Williams, David M. Mushet, Megan Lang, Gregory W. McCarty, Jill A. Shaffer, Sharon N. Kahara, Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson, James R. Kiniry
2020, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (75) 704-712
Considerable effort and resources have been placed into conservation programs designed to reduce or alleviate negative environmental effects of crop production and into evaluation of the benefits of these programs. Wetlands are an important source of ecosystem services, but modeling wetland plants is an emerging science....
Ungulate migrations of the western United States, Volume 1
Matthew Kauffman, Holly Copeland, Jodi Berg, Scott Bergen, Eric K. Cole, Matthew Cuzzocreo, Sarah Dewey, Julien Fattebert, Jeff Gagnon, Emily R. Gelzer, Chris Geremia, Tabitha A. Graves, Kent Hersey, Mark Hurley, Rusty Kaiser, James Meacham, Jerod Merkle, Arthur Middleton, Tristan Nunez, Brendan Oates, Daniel Olson, Lucas Olson, Hall Sawyer, Cody Schroeder, Scott Sprague, Alethea Steingisser, Mark Thonhoff
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5101
Across the western United States, many ungulate herds must migrate seasonally to access resources and avoid harsh winter conditions. Because these migration paths cover vast landscapes (in other words migration distances up to 150 miles [241 kilometers]), they are increasingly threatened by roads, fencing, subdivisions, and other development. Over the...
Recent and projected precipitation and temperature changes in the Grand Canyon area with implications for groundwater resources
Fred D. Tillman, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Tom Pruitt
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
Groundwater is a critical resource in the Grand Canyon region, supplying nearly all water needs for residents and millions of visitors. Additionally, groundwater discharging at hundreds of spring locations in and near Grand Canyon supports important ecosystems in this mostly arid environment. The security of groundwater supplies is of critical...
Using remote sensing products to predict recovery of vegetation across space and time following energy development
Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell, Daniel Manier, Collin Homer, Patrick J. Anderson
2020, Ecological Indicators (110)
Using localized studies to understand how ecosystems recover can create uncertainty in recovery predictions across landscapes. Large archives of remote sensing data offer opportunities for quantifying the spatial and temporal factors influencing recovery at broad scales and predicting recovery. For example, energy production is a widespread and expanding land use...
Quality assurance/quality control procedure for New Jersey’s water-use data for the New Jersey Water Transfer Data System (NJWaTr)
Jennifer L. Shourds
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1085
This report is an instructional reference document that describes methods developed and used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC) to assure the quality and completeness of water-use data as provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Bureau of Water Allocation. These...
Trends in recent historical and projected climate data for the Colorado River Basin and potential effects on groundwater availability
Fred D. Tillman, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Tom Pruitt
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5107
Understanding recent historical and projected trends in precipitation and temperature in the Colorado River Basin, and estimating what the projected changes in these climate parameters may mean for groundwater resources in the region, is important for water managers and policymakers to sustainably manage water resources in the basin. Historical (1896–2019)...
History of U.S. Geological Survey scientific peer review and approval, 1879–2019
Keith Kirk, Carolyn Reid, Sandra Cooper
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3050
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior, has valued and used a scientific peer review and approval process since its creation in 1879. Bureau approval, formerly called Director’s approval, has been described in several USGS documents since 1900, and peer review has been...
Spatial variability in seasonal snowpack trends across the Rio Grande headwaters (1984 - 2017)
Graham A. Sexstone, Colin A. Penn, Glen Liston, Kelly Gleason, C. David Moeser, David W. Clow
2020, Journal of Hydrometeorology (21) 2713-2733
This study evaluated the spatial variability of trends in simulated snowpack properties across the Rio Grande headwaters of Colorado using the SnowModel snow evolution modeling system. SnowModel simulations were performed using a grid resolution of 100 m and 3-hourly time step over a 34-yr period (1984–2017). Atmospheric forcing was provided...
Trihalomethane precursors: Land use hot spots, persistence during transport, and management options
Robert S. Eckard, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Brian A. Pellerin, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Peter J. Hernes
2020, Science of the Total Environment (742)
To meet drinking water regulations, rather than investing in costly treatment plant operations, managers can look for ways to improve source water quality; this requires understanding watershed sources and fates of constituents of concern. Trihalomethanes (THMs) are one of the major classes of regulated disinfection byproducts, formed when a specific fraction of the organic...
Shorebird reproductive response to exceptionally early and late springs varies across sites in Arctic Alaska
Rebecca L McGuire, Richard B. Lanctot, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Joe Liebezeit
2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (8)
While increases in overall temperatures are widely reported in the Arctic, large inter-annual variation in spring weather, with extreme early and late conditions, is also occurring. Using data collected from three sites in Arctic Alaska, we explored how shorebird breeding density, nest initiation, nest synchrony, nest survival, and...
Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA
Pamela L. Nagler
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1129
This report provides the best estimates of riparian area evapotranspiration (ET) on the rivers and streams of the Navajo Nation by (1) quantifying the natural riparian vegetation water use within the Little Colorado River watershed using a literature search for comparable riparian ET estimates, and (2) in conjunction with the...
High prevalence of biliary neoplasia in white perch Morone americana: Potential roles of bile duct parasites and environmental contaminants
Mark A Matsche, Vicki S. Blazer, Erin Pulster, Patricia M. Mazik
2020, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (141) 195-224
Recent surveys of white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay, USA, revealed a high prevalence of hepatic and biliary lesions, including neoplasia, and bile duct parasites. Here, we describe lesions in the liver and gallbladder and evaluate for statistical associations among lesions, parasites, and biomarkers of chemical exposure in fish from 2...
Comparison of groundwater storage changes from GRACE satellites with monitoring and modeling of major U.S. aquifers
Ashraf Rateb, Bridget R. Scanlon, Donald R. Pool, Alexander Y. Sun, Zizhan Zhang, Jianli Chen, Brian R. Clark, Dianna M. Crilley, Connor J. Haugh, Christopher M. Hobza, Mary C Hill, Virginia L. McGuire, Meredith Reitz, Hannes Muller Schmied Schmied, Edwin H. Sutanudjaja, Sean Swenson, David Wiese, Youlong Xia, Wesley O. Zell
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
GRACE satellite data are widely used to estimate groundwater storage (GWS) changes in aquifers globally; however, comparisons with GW monitoring and modeling data are limited. Here we compared GWS changes from GRACE over 15 yr (2002–2017) in 14 major U.S. aquifers with groundwater-level (GWL) monitoring data in ~23,000...
Development and testing of species-specific quantitative PCR assays for environmental DNA applications
Katy E. Klymus, Dannise Vannesa Ruiz-Ramos, Nathan Thompson, Catherine A. Richter
2020, JOVE Journal Of Visualized Experiments (165)
New, non-invasive methods for detecting and monitoring species presence are being developed to aid in fisheries and wildlife conservation management. The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) samples for detecting macrobiota is one such group of methods that is rapidly becoming popular and being implemented in national management programs. Here we...
Soil moisture product validation good practices protocol, version 1.0
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Bagher Bayat, Ahmad Al Bitar, Aaron Berg, Rajat Bindlish, Heye Reemt Bogena, John D. Bolton, Francois Cabot, Todd Caldwell, Steven Chan, Andreas Colliander, Wade Crow, Narendra Das, Gabrielle De Lannoy, Wouter Dorigo, Steven R. Evett, Alexander Gruber, Sebastian Hahn, Thomas Jagdhuber, Scott F. Jones, Yann Kerr, Seung-bum Kim, Christian Koyama, Mehmed Kurum, Ernesto Lopez-Baeza, Francesco Mattia, Kaighin A. McColl, Susanne Mecklenburg, Binayak Mohanty, Peggy O’Neill, Dani Or, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Maria Piles, Rolf H. Reichle, Nemesio Rodriguez-Fernandez, Christoph Rudiger, Tracy Scanlon, Robert C. Schwartz, Daniel Spengler, Prashant K. Srivastava, Swati Suman, Robin van der Schalie, Wolfgang Wagner, Urs Wegmuller, Jean-Pierre Wigneron, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson, editor(s)
2020, Report
The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) included soil moisture in the list of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) to express its important role in Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycle. Soil moisture has a major impact on agriculture, land surface hydrology, weather, and climate forecasting. This document is a community-based effort to provide recommendations...
Technical overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Warren C. Day
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3055
The Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in response to a Federal directive calling on various Federal agencies to address potential vulnerabilities in the Nation’s supply of critical mineral resources. The primary purpose of this initiative is to identify potentially mineralized areas containing...
Effects of a crude-oil recovery remediation system operated 1999–2003 on groundwater plumes and unsaturated-zone vapor concentrations at a crude-oil spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota
Geoffrey N. Delin, William N. Herkelrath, Jared J. Trost
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5111
A crude-oil spill occurred in 1979 when a pipeline burst near Bemidji, Minnesota. More than 70 percent of the 1.7 million liters of spilled crude oil was removed shortly thereafter. In response to a requirement by the State regulatory agency to remove the remaining crude to a sheen in all...
Spatial and temporal patterns in streamflow, water chemistry, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007–18
Aaron J. Porter, James S. Webber, Jonathan W. Witt, John D. Jastram
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5061
Urbanization substantially alters the landscape in ways that can impact stream hydrology, water chemistry, and the health of aquatic communities. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are the primary tools used to mitigate the effects of urban stressors such as increased runoff, decreased baseflow, and increased nutrient and sediment transport. To...
Focused fluid flow and methane venting along the Queen Charlotte fault, offshore Alaska (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
Nancy G. Prouty, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, J. Vaughn Barrie, Brian D. Andrews, Rachel Lauer, Gary Greene, James E. Conrad, Thomas Lorenson, Michael D. Law, Diana Sahy, Kim Conway, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell
2020, Geosphere (16) 1336-1357
Fluid seepage along obliquely deforming plate boundaries can be an important indicator of crustal permeability and influence on fault-zone mechanics and hydrocarbon migration. The ~850-km-long Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is the dominant structure along the right-lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates offshore southeastern Alaska...
Regional regression equations for estimation of four hydraulic properties of streams at approximate bankfull conditions for different ecoregions in Texas
William H. Asquith, John D. Gordon, David S. Wallace
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5086
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, assessed statistical relations between hydraulic properties of streams at approximate bankfull conditions for different ecological regions (ecoregions) in Texas. Data from more than 103,000 records of measured discharge and ancillary hydraulic properties were assembled from summaries of...
