A one‐dimensional model for turbulent mixing in the benthic biolayer of stream and coastal sediments
Stanley Grant, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Marco Ghisalberti, Ian Guymer, Fulvio Boano, Kevin Roche, Judson Harvey
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
In this paper, we develop and validate a rigorous modeling framework, based on Duhamel's Theorem, for the unsteady one-dimensional vertical transport of a solute across a flat sediment-water interface (SWI) and through the benthic biolayer of a turbulent stream. The modeling framework is novel in capturing the...
Shaping land use change and ecosystem restoration in a water-stressed agricultural landscape to achieve multiple benefits
Benjamin P. Bryant, T. Rodd Kelsey, Adrian L. Vogl, Stacie A. Wolny, Duncan J. MacEwan, Paul Selmants, Tanushree Biswas, H. Scott Butterfield
2020, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (4)
Irrigated agriculture has grown rapidly over the last 50 years, helping food production keep pace with population growth, but also leading to significant habitat and biodiversity loss globally. Now, in some regions, land degradation and overtaxed water resources mean historical production levels may need to be reduced. We demonstrate how...
Cottonwoods, water, and people-Integrating analysis of tree rings with observations of elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
Shannon M. McNeeley, Jonathan M. Friedman, Tyler A. Beeton, Richard D. Thaxton
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1072
We assessed the history of flow and riparian ecosystem change along the Wind River using cottonwood tree-ring data, streamgage records, historical temperature and precipitation data, drought indices, and local observations and Traditional Ecological Knowledge from elders of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming....
Effects of experimental warming and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities at the Arctic’s edge
Jon M. Davenport, LeeAnn Fishback, Blake R. Hossack
2020, Hydrobiologia (847) 3677-3690
Global warming-related changes to freshwater ecosystems in Arctic and Subarctic regions have been magnified by nutrient input from increasing waterfowl populations. To gain insight into how these changes might affect ecosystem function, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in the Subarctic by enriching N and P (1 ×, 10 ×, and 20 × treatments)...
Exploring the potential of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to measure the extent of chronic disturbance in peatlands: Examples from acid mine drainage and peat fire
Neil Terry, Robert L. Runkel, Dale D. Werkema, Elizabeth Rutila, Xavier Comas, Matthew Warren, Agus Kristiyono, Daniel Murdiyarso
2020, Conference Paper
Peatlands are accumulations of partially decayed organic soil that cover approximately 3% of Earth’s surface and have been shown to serve essential environmental and ecological functions such as sequestering carbon, purifying water, and providing habitat for organisms. However, peatlands are threatened by pressures from agriculture, urban development, mining, and climate...
Science in action or science inaction? Evaluating the implementation of "best available science" in hydropower relicensing
Sarah K. Vogel, Jessica S. Jansujwicz, Carly C. Sponarski, Joseph D. Zydlewski
2020, Energy Policy (143)
Over the next two decades, half of all hydropower projects in the USA will require relicensing by the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC). Relicensing proceedings invoke a range of informational sources and agency regulators are tasked with using the “best available science” (BAS) to make informed decisions about hydropower operations and...
Coarse sediment dynamics in a large glaciated river system: Holocene history and storage dynamics dictate contemporary climate sensitivity
Scott W. Anderson, Kristin L. Jaeger
2020, Geological Society of America Bulletin
The gravel-bedded White River drains a 1279 km2 basin in Washington State, with lowlands sculpted by continental glaciation and headwaters on an actively glaciated stratovolcano. Chronic aggradation along an alluvial fan near the river’s mouth has progressively reduced flood conveyance. In order to better understand how forecasted climate change may influence...
Permafrost hydrogeology
Barret L. Kurylyk, Michelle A. Walvoord
2020, Book chapter, Arctic hydrology, permafrost and ecosystems
Groundwater processes are often overlooked in permafrost environments, but subsurface storage and routing can strongly influence water and biogeochemical cycling in northern catchments. Groundwater flow in permafrost regions is controlled by the temporal and spatial distribution of frozen ground, causing the hydrogeologic framework to be temperature-dependent. Most flow...
Use of boosted regression trees to quantify cumulative instream flow resulting from curtailment of irrigation in the Sprague River basin, Oregon
Tamara M. Wood
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5130
A boosted regression trees (BRT) approach was used to estimate the amount by which streamflow is increased when irrigation is regulated (curtailed) upstream of a streamgage on the Sprague River in southern-central Oregon. The BRT approach differs from most other approaches that require baseline conditions for comparison, where those baseline...
Bathymetric surveys of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana made with a multibeam echosounder, 2016, and comparison with previous surveys
Justin A. Boldt, Zachary W. Martin
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5067
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Citizens Energy Group, conducted a bathymetric survey of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana in April and May of 2016 with a multibeam echosounder. Both reservoirs serve as water supply, flood control, and recreational resources for the city of Indianapolis and the...
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Maria C. Dzul, Charles B. Yackulic, Michael J. Dodrill, Bridget R. Deemer, Theodore Kennedy
2020, Ecological Monographs (91)
Somatic growth exerts strong control on patterns in the abundance of animal populations via effects on maturation, fecundity, and survival rates of juveniles and adults. In this paper, we quantify abiotic and biotic drivers of rainbow trout growth in the Colorado River, AZ, and the resulting impact on spatial and...
Sediment record of mining legacy and water quality from a drinking-water reservoir, Aztec, New Mexico, USA
Johanna M. Blake, Jeb E. Brown, Christina L. Ferguson, Rebecca J. Bixby, Naomi T. Delay
2020, Environmental Earth Sciences (79)
The record of mining legacy and water quality was investigated in sediments collected in 2018 from four trenches in the Aztec, New Mexico, drinking-water reservoir #1. Bulk chemical analysis of sediments with depth in the reservoir revealed variable trace-element (uranium, vanadium, arsenic, copper, sulfur, silver, lead,...
Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon
Vanessa R. von Biela, Lizabeth Bowen, Stephen D. McCormick, Michael P. Carey, Daniel S. Donnelly, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Amy M. Regish, Sarah M. Laske, Randy J Brown, Sean Larson, Stan Zuray, Christian E. Zimmerman
2020, Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (77) 1878-1892
Migrating adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are sensitive to warm water (>18 °C), with a range of consequences from decreased spawning success to early mortality. We examined the proportion of Yukon River Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) exhibiting evidence of heat stress to assess the potential that high temperatures contribute to freshwater...
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
Mark P. Miller, Brian R. Clark, Sandra M. Eberts, Patrick M. Lambert, Patricia Toccalino
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3044
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods and droughts, and aging water delivery systems. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Mission Area has established new strategic priorities that capitalize on...
Drones provide a better method to find nests and estimate nest survival for colonial waterbirds: A demonstration with Western Grebes
Deo Lachman, Courtney J. Conway, Kerri Vierling, Ty Matthews
2020, Wetlands Ecology and Management (28) 837-845
Drone use in wildlife biology has greatly increased as they become cheaper and easier to deploy in the field. In this paper we describe a less invasive method of using drones and exploring their limitations for studying colonial nesting waterbirds. Western Grebes, like most colonial nesting waterbirds, can be very...
Concentrations and size distribution of TiO2 and Ag engineered particles in five wastewater treatment plants in the United States
Md. Mahmudun Nabi, Jingjing Wang, Madeleine Meyer, Marie Noele Croteau, Niveen Ismail, Mohammed Baalousha
2020, Science of the Total Environment (753)
The growing use of engineered particles (e.g., nanosized and pigment sized particles, 1 to 100 nm and 100 to 300 nm, respectively) in a variety of consumer products increases the likelihood of their release into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are an important pathways of introduction of engineered particles to the...
Assessment of dissolved-selenium concentrations and loads in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, as part of the Selenium Management Program, 2011–17
Mark F. Henneberg
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1078
The Gunnison Basin Selenium Management Program implemented a water-quality monitoring network in 2011 to measure concentrations of selenium in the lower Gunnison River Basin in Colorado. Selenium is a trace element that bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains. Selenium is essential for life, but elevated amounts can cause reproductive failure, deformities,...
Distribution and transport of Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, larvae in northern Puget Sound, Washington, USA
S.K. Grossman, Eric E. Grossman, Julie S. Barber, S.K. Gamblewood, Sean C. Crosby
2020, Journal of Shellfish Research (39) 215-233
As efforts for restoring Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) populations have expanded, there is an increased need to understand local factors that could influence the long-term success of these projects. To address concerns over potential limitations to recruitment at a restoration site in northern Puget Sound, Washington, USA, a study was...
Flood-frequency estimation for very low annual exceedance probabilities using historical, paleoflood, and regional information with consideration of nonstationarity
Karen R. Ryberg, Kelsey A. Kolars, Julie E. Kiang, Meredith L. Carr
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5065
Streamflow estimates for floods with an annual exceedance probability of 0.001 or lower are needed to accurately portray risks to critical infrastructure, such as nuclear powerplants and large dams. However, extrapolating flood-frequency curves developed from at-site systematic streamflow records to very low annual exceedance probabilities (less than 0.001) results in...
Development of regional skew coefficients for selected flood durations in the Columbia River Basin, northwestern United States and British Columbia, Canada
Greg D. Lind, Jonathan R. Lamontagne, Adam J. Stonewall
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5073
Flood-frequency (hereinafter frequency) estimates provide information used to design, operate, and maintain hydraulic structures such as bridges and dams. Failures of these structures could cause catastrophic loss of property, life, or both. In addition to frequency estimates that use annual peak streamflow, frequency estimates of flood durations are required to...
Acute and chronic toxicity of nickel and zinc to a laboratory cultured mayfly (Neocloeon triangulifer) in aqueous but fed exposures
David J. Soucek, Amy Dickinson, Christan E. Schlekat, Eric Van Genderen, Edward J. Hammer
2020, Extramural-Authored Publication Paper
Aquatic insects are poorly represented in water quality criteria, and previous studies have suggested a lack of sensitivity in acute toxicity tests despite observational studies demonstrating the contrary. Our objectives were to determine the toxicity of nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) to the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer in fed acute (96-h) and chronic...
Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United States
Landon Marston, Gambhir Lamsal, Zachary H. Ancona, Peter V Caldwell, Brian Richter, Benjamin Ruddell, Richard Rushforth, Kyle F. Davis
2020, Environmental Research Letters (15)
Nearly one-sixth of U.S. river basins are unable to consistently meet societal water demands while also providing sufficient water for the environment. Water scarcity is expected to intensify and spread as populations increase, new water demands emerge, and climate changes. Improving water productivity by meeting realistic benchmarks for all water...
Groundwater upwelling regulates thermal hydrodynamics and salmonid movements during high-temperature events at a montane tributary confluence
Thomas David Ritter, Alexander V. Zale, Grant Grisak, Michael J. Lance
2020, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (149) 600-619
The Smith River is a popular recreational sport fishery in western Montana, but salmonid abundances there are thought to be artificially limited by riparian land-use alterations, irrigation water withdrawals, and high summer water temperatures. We used integrated networks of temperature loggers, PIT tag antenna stations, and in situ temperature mapping...
Stratigraphic units of shallow unconsolidated deposits in Deadwood, South Dakota, delineated by real-time kinematic surveys
Wyatt S. Tatge, Colton J. Medler, William G. Eldridge, Joshua F. Valder
2020, Scientific Investigations Map 3459
The City of Deadwood, South Dakota, has been working on a new archeological investigation in preparation for economic growth and expansion within the city limits, through the Deadwood Historic Preservation Office. During the excavation process, buried artifacts and historical features from the late 1800s have been uncovered. The stratigraphy of...
Effects of urbanization on water quality in the Edwards aquifer, San Antonio and Bexar County, Texas
Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove, Keith E. Mecum
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3028
OverviewContinuous water-quality monitoring data and chemical analysis of surface-water and groundwater samples collected during 2017–19 in the recharge zone of the Edwards aquifer were used to develop a better understanding of the surface-water/groundwater connection in and around Bexar County in south-central Texas. This fact sheet is provided to inform water-resource...
