Groundwater residence times in glacial aquifers—A new general simulation-model approach compared to conventional inset models
J. Jeffrey Starn, Leon J. Kauffman, Daniel T. Feinstein
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5142
Groundwater is important as a drinking-water source and for maintaining base flow in rivers, streams, and lakes. Groundwater quality can be predicted, in part, by its residence time in the subsurface, but the residence-time distribution cannot be measured directly and must be inferred from models. This report compares residence-time distributions...
Flood-inundation maps for an 8-mile reach of Papillion Creek near Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 2022
Kellan R. Strauch, Christopher M. Hobza
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5054
Digital flood-inundation maps for an 8-mile reach of Papillion Creek near Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, Offutt Air Force Base. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Program website...
Estimating streamflow permanence with the watershed erosion prediction project model: Implications for surface water presence modeling and data collection
Konrad Hafen, Kyle W. Blasch, Paul E. Gessler, Jason B. Dunham, Erin Brooks
2023, Journal of Hydrology (622)
Many data collection efforts and modeling studies have focused on providing accurate estimates of streamflow while fewer efforts have sought to identify when and where surface water is present and the duration of surface water presence in stream channels, hereafter referred...
Pliocene–Pleistocene hydrology and pluvial lake during Marine Isotope Stages 5a and 4, Deep Springs Valley, western Great Basin, Inyo County, California
Jeffrey R. Knott, Shannon A. Mahan, Jordan E. Bright, Lindsey Langer, Adam Ramirez, Kyle McCarty, Anna L. Garcia
2023, Quaternary Research (115) 160-178
Deep Springs Valley (DSV) is a hydrologically isolated valley between the White and Inyo mountains that is commonly excluded from regional paleohydrology and paleoclimatology. Previous studies showed that uplift of Deep Springs ridge (informal name) by the Deep Springs fault defeated streams crossing DSV and hydrologically isolated...
Source contributions to suspended sediment and particulate selenium export from the Loutsenhizer Arroyo and Sunflower Drain watersheds in Colorado
Carleton R. Bern, Cory A. Williams, Christopher G. Smith
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5056
Selenium in aquatic ecosystems of the lower Gunnison River Basin in Colorado is affecting the recovery of populations of endangered, native fish species. Dietary exposure is the primary pathway for bioaccumulation of selenium in fish, and particulate selenium can be consumed directly by fish or by the invertebrates on which...
Viewing river corridors through the lens of critical zone science
Adam Wymore, Adam Ward, Ellen Wohl, Judson Harvey
2023, Frontiers in Water (3)
River corridors integrate the active channels, geomorphic floodplain and riparian areas, and hyporheic zone while receiving inputs from the uplands and groundwater and exchanging mass and energy with the atmosphere. Here, we trace the development of the contemporary understanding of river corridors from the perspectives of geomorphology, hydrology, ecology,...
Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction
Benjamin S. Linhoff, Kimberly R. Beisner, Andrew G. Hunt, Zachary M. Shephard
2023, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (47)
Study regionChaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) is in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A. Its only water supply is in Gallup Sandstone aquifer, stratigraphically surrounded by layers long targeted for oil and natural gas extraction.Study focusTo assess groundwater flow direction, age,...
Satellite precipitation bias estimation and correction using in situ observations and climatology isohyets for the MENA region
Stefanie Kagone, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Kul Bikram Khand, Gabriel B. Senay, Michael R. Van der Valk, Daniel J. Goode, Salam Abu Hantash, Thair M. Al-Momani, Nanor Momejian, Jack R. Eggleston
2023, Journal of Arid Environments (215)
The availability of reliable gridded precipitation datasets is limited around the world, especially in arid regions. In this study, we utilized observations from satellite-based precipitation data and in situ rain gauge observations to determine a suitable precipitation dataset in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. First, we evaluated seven different...
The role of lithology and climate on bedrock river incision and terrace development along the Buffalo National River, Arkansas
Kathleen Rodrigues, Amanda Keen-Zebert, Stephanie Shepherd, Mark R. Hudson, Charles J. Bitting, Bradley G. Johnson, Abigail Langston
2023, Quaternary Research (115) 179-193
The Buffalo National River in northwest Arkansas preserves an extensive Quaternary record of fluvial bedrock incision and aggradation across lithologies of variable resistance. In this work, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to strath and fill terraces along the Buffalo River to elucidate the role of lithology and climate...
High voltage: The molecular properties of redox-active dissolved organic matter in northern high-latitude lakes
Martin R. Kurek, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Natalie A. Nichols, Gregory K. Druschel, Kimberly Wickland, Mark M. Dornblaser, Robert G. Striegl, Sydney F. Niles, Amy M. McKenna, Pieter J.K Aukes, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Chao Wang, Laurence C. Smith, Sherry L. Schiff, David Butman, Robert G.M. Spencer
2023, Environmental Science & Technology (57) 8617-8627
Redox-active functional groups in dissolved organic matter (DOM) are crucial for microbial electron transfer and methane emissions. However, the extent of aquatic DOM redox properties across northern high-latitude lakes and their relationships with DOM composition have not been thoroughly described. We quantified...
Elevated road segment (ERS) passage design may provide enhanced connectivity for amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals
Cheryl S. Brehme, Stephanie Barnes, Brittany Ewing, Philip Robert Gould, Cassie Vaughan, Michael Hobbs, Charles Tornaci, Sarah Holm, Hanna Sheldon, Jon Fiutak, Robert N. Fisher
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (11)
Introduction: Designs for safe and effective road crossing structures for small animals are typically under-road microtunnels and culverts which have varying levels of effectiveness reported in the scientific literature. Many species, particularly migratory amphibians, may have limited ability to find and use passages if they are too far apart, resulting...
Comparison of historic to future without action (FWOA) land change
Brady Couvillion
2023, Report, 2023 Coastal Master Plan
One of the primary purposes of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan Integrated Compartment Model (ICM) is to forecast potential changes in coastal wetland area under varying environmental and restoration scenarios. To validate the model performance, historical analyses of observed wetland changes are needed for comparison to hindcast model runs. To...
The truth is in the stream: Use of tracer techniques and synoptic sampling to evaluate metal loading and remedial options in a hydrologically complex setting
Robert L. Runkel, Philip Verplanck, Katherine Walton-Day, R. Blaine McCleskey, Patrick Byrne
2023, Science of the Total Environment (876)
Two synoptic sampling campaigns were conducted to quantify metal loading to Illinois Gulch, a small stream affected by historical mining activities. The first campaign was designed to determine the degree to which Illinois Gulch loses water to the underlying mine workings, and to determine the effect of these losses on observed metal loads....
Sensitivity of the Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration equation to meteorological variables for Puerto Rico
Michelle M. Irizarry-Ortiz, Eric Harmsen
2023, Hydrology (10)
Spatiotemporal variations in reference evapotranspiration (ETo) are sensitive to the meteorological data used in its estimation. The sensitivity of the ASCE standardized ETo equation to meteorological variables from GOES-PRWEB dataset was evaluated for the island of Puerto Rico. Island wide, ETo is most sensitive to daily mean relative humidity (RHmean), followed...
Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in Pennsylvania surface waters: A statewide assessment, associated sources, and land-use relations
Sara E. Breitmeyer, Amy Williams, Joseph W. Duris, Lee W. Eicholtz, Dustin R. Shull, Timothy A. Wertz, Emily Woodward
2023, Science of the Total Environment (888)
The objectives of this study are to identify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Pennsylvania surface waters, corresponding associations with potential sources of PFAS contamination (PSOC) and other parameters, and compare raw surface water concentrations to human and ecological benchmarks. Surface water samples from...
Flood-inundation maps for the Muddy River, near Moapa, Nevada
Christopher M. Morris, Hampton K. Childres
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5033
The Muddy River provides habitat for several wildlife and endemic aquatic species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Near Moapa, Nevada, in the Bureau of Land Management’s Muddy River Floodplain Restoration Project Area, a previously constructed levee on the east side of the river alters the natural hydrology and decreases...
No evidence for cottonwood forest decline along a flow-augmented western U.S. river
Cetan Christensen, Gabrielle L. Katz, Jonathan M. Friedman, Miranda D. Redmond, Andrew S. Norton
2023, River Research and Applications (39) 1602-1615
In contrast to many other arid region rivers, streamflow in the South Platte River is heavily augmented by trans-basin water imports and irrigation return flows. Hydrological changes began in the 1880s, resulting in channel narrowing and the development of a continuous Populus-Salix forest by the mid-twentieth century. We assessed the composition, structure...
Generating a reference flow network with improved connectivity to support durable data integration and reproducibility in the coterminous US
David L. Blodgett, J. Michael Johnson, Andrew R. Bock
2023, Environmental Modelling and Software (165)
This report presents a reference flow network for the conterminous United States that is built from the best available information from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The work is intended to support durable data integration and reproducibility. Originating...
Watershed carbon yield derived from gauge observations and river network connectivity in the United States
Han Qiu, Xuesong Zhang, Anni Yang, Kimberly Wickland, Edward G. Stets, Min Chen
2023, Scientific Data (10)
River networks play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Although global/continental scale riverine carbon cycle studies demonstrate the significance of rivers and streams for linking land and coastal regions, the lack of spatially distributed riverine carbon load data represents a gap for quantifying riverine carbon net gain or...
Evaluating drivers of hydrology, water quality, and benthic macroinvertebrates in streams of Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007–18
James S. Webber, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Aaron J. Porter, John D. Jastram
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5027
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with Fairfax County, Virginia, to establish a long-term water-resources monitoring program to evaluate the hydrology, water quality, and ecology of Fairfax County streams and the watershed-scale effects of management practices. Fairfax County uses a variety of management practices, policies, and programs to protect...
Measuring basin-scale aquifer storage change and mapping specific yield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, with repeat microgravity data
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Meghan T. Bell
2023, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (47)
Study RegionThe groundwater basin underlying the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.Study FocusThe study focuses on changes in groundwater storage and how those changes relate to groundwater-level changes. Groundwater storage change was measured using repeat microgravity at 35...
Guidance for parameterizing post-fire hydrologic models with in situ infiltration measurements
T. Liu, Luke A. McGuire, Ann Youberg, Alexander N. Gorr, Francis K. Rengers
2023, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (48) 2368-2386
Wildfire can alter soil-hydraulic properties, often resulting in an increased prevalence of infiltration-excess overland flow and greater potential for debris-flow hazards. Mini disk tension infiltrometers (MDIs) can be used to estimate soil hydraulic properties, such as field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) and wetting front potential...
Implications of fire-induced evapotranspiration shifts for recharge-runoff generation and vegetation conversion in the western United States
Natalie M. Collar, Brian A. Ebel, Samuel Saxe, Ashley J. Rust, Terri S. Hogue
2023, Journal of Hydrology X (621)
Wildfire has been shown to increase, decrease, or have no detectable effect on actual evapotranspiration (ETa) fluxes in the western United States. Where disturbance-induced shifts are significant, source-water hydrology may be impacted as ETa constitutes the largest outgoing water flux in...
Colorado River Basin
Anya Metcalfe, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Morgan Ford, Theodore Kennedy
Michael D. Delong, Timothy D. Jardine, Arthur C. Benke, Colbert E. Cushing, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Rivers of North America
The Colorado River is often referred to as “the lifeblood of the west.” The basin supplies municipal water to nearly 40 million people and irrigates approximately 22,000 km2 of agricultural lands. Twenty-two major rivers converge with the Colorado after it begins its descent from the Rocky Mountains and winds through the plateaus...
Development of an integrated hydrologic flow model of the Rio San Jose Basin and surrounding areas, New Mexico
Andre B. Ritchie, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Amy E. Galanter, Allison K. Flickinger, Andrew J. Robertson, Donald S. Sweetkind
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5028
The Rio San Jose Integrated Hydrologic Model (RSJIHM) was developed to provide a tool for analyzing the hydrologic system response to historical water use and potential changes in water supplies and demands in the Rio San Jose Basin. The study area encompasses about 6,300 square miles in west-central New Mexico...
