Hydrogeologic characterization of Area B, Fort Detrick, Maryland
Phillip J. Goodling, Brandon J. Fleming, John Solder, Alexander M. Soroka, Jeff P. Raffensperger
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5054
Groundwater in the karst groundwater system at Area B of Fort Detrick in Frederick County, Maryland, is contaminated with chlorinated solvents from the past disposal of laboratory wastes. In cooperation with U.S. Army Environmental Command and U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick, the U.S. Geological Survey performed a 3-year study to...
Forecasting sea level rise-driven inundation in diked and tidally restricted coastal lowlands
Kevin A. Befus, A Kurnizki, Kevin D. Kroeger, Meagan J. Eagle, Timothy P. Smith
2023, Estuaries and Coasts (46) 1157-1169
Diked and drained coastal lowlands rely on hydraulic and protective infrastructure that may not function as designed in areas with relative sea-level rise. The slow and incremental loss of the hydraulic conditions required for a well-drained system make it difficult to identify if and when the flow structures no longer...
So goes the snow: Alaska snowpack changes and impacts on pacific salmon in a warming climate
Jeremy Littell, Joel H. Reynolds, Krista K. Bartz, Stephanie A. McAfee, Gregory D. Hayward
2023, Alaska Park Science (19) 62-75
In Alaska’s watersheds, climate change is altering the nature and role of the snowpack, defined as snow accumulation that melts in spring. Generally, the amount of precipitation that falls as snow and the length of the snow-cover season both decrease as temperatures exceed 0°C (32°F) more frequently. The impacts of...
Magnitude and frequency of floods for rural streams in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, 2017—Results
Toby D. Feaster, Anthony J. Gotvald, Jonathan W. Musser, J. Curtis Weaver, Katharine Kolb, Andrea G. Veilleux, Daniel M. Wagner
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5006
Reliable estimates of the magnitude and frequency of floods are an important part of the framework for hydraulic-structure design and flood-plain management in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Annual peak flows measured at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages are used to compute flood‑frequency estimates at those streamgages. However, flood‑frequency estimates...
Benchmarking high-resolution hydrologic model performance of long-term retrospective streamflow simulations in the contiguous United States
Erin Towler, Sydney Foks, Aubrey L Dugger, Jesse E. Dickinson, Hedeff I. Essaid, David Gochis, Roland J. Viger, Yongxin Zhang
2023, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (27) 1809-1825
Because use of high-resolution hydrologic models is becoming more widespread and estimates are made over large domains, there is a pressing need for systematic evaluation of their performance. Most evaluation efforts to date have focused on smaller basins that have been relatively undisturbed by...
Biogeochemical and hydrologic synergy control mercury fate in an arid land river-reservoir system
Brett Poulin, Michael T. Tate, Jacob M. Ogorek, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Austin K. Baldwin, Alysa Muir Yoder, Reed C. Harris, Jesse Naymik, Nick Gastelecutto, Charles Hoovestol, Christopher F. Larsen, Ralph Myers, George R. Aiken, David P. Krabbenhoft
2023, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts
Reservoirs in arid landscapes provide critical water storage and hydroelectric power but influence the transport and biogeochemical cycling of mercury (Hg). Improved management of reservoirs to mitigate the supply and uptake of bioavailable methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic food webs will benefit from a mechanistic understanding of inorganic divalent Hg...
Summary and conclusions
John A. Izbicki, Krishangi D. Groover, Whitney A. Seymour, David M. Miller, John G. Warden, Laurence G. Miller
2023, Professional Paper 1885-J
Executive SummaryChromium concentrations in rock and aquifer material in Hinkley and Water Valleys in the Mojave Desert, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, are generally low compared to the average chromium concentration of 185 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) in the average bulk continental crust. Chromium concentrations in felsic, coarse-textured...
Sequestration and reoxidation of chromium in experimental microcosms
Laurence G. Miller, Callum E. Bobb, Andrea L. Foster, Emily G. Wright, Stacy C. Bennett, Krishangi D. Groover, John A. Izbicki
2023, Professional Paper 1885-I
Groundwater containing hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), downgradient from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Hinkley compressor station in the Mojave Desert, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, is undergoing bioremediation using added ethanol as a reductant in a volume of the aquifer defined as the in situ reactive zone...
Predevelopment water levels, groundwater recharge, and selected hydrologic properties of aquifer materials, Hinkley and Water Valleys, California
Krishangi D. Groover, John A. Izbicki, Whitney A. Seymour, Anthony A. Brown, Randall E. Bayless, Carole D. Johnson, Katherine L. Pappas, Gregory A. Smith, Dennis A. Clark, Joshua Larsen, Meghan C. Dick, Lorraine E. Flint, Christina L. Stamos, John G. Warden
2023, Professional Paper 1885-H
Hydrologic and geophysical data were collected to support updates to an existing groundwater-flow model of Hinkley Valley, California, in the Mojave Desert about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. These data provide information on predevelopment (pre-1930) water levels, groundwater recharge, and selected hydrologic properties of aquifer materials.A predevelopment groundwater-level...
Evaluation of natural and anthropogenic (human-made) hexavalent chromium
John A. Izbicki, John G. Warden, Krishangi D. Groover, Whitney A. Seymour
2023, Professional Paper 1885-G
Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), was released between 1952 and 1964 from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Hinkley compressor station, in the Mojave Desert about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic data from more than 100 wells collected between March 2015 and November 2017 were...
Environmental tracers of groundwater source, age, and geochemical evolution
John G. Warden, John A. Izbicki, Jurgen Sultenfuss, Kathleen Scheiderich, John Fitzpatrick
2023, Professional Paper 1885-F
Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), was discharged in cooling wastewater to unlined surface ponds from 1952 to 1964 and reached the underlying unconsolidated aquifer at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Hinkley compressor station in the Mojave Desert, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. A suite of environmental tracers was...
The concept of land bridge marshes in the Mississippi River Delta and implications for coastal restoration
John W. Day, Robert R. Twilley, Angelina Freeman, Brady Couvillion, Tracy Quirk, Navid H. Jafari, Giulio Mariotti, Rachael Hunter, Charles Norman, G. Paul Kemp, John R. White, Ehab Meselhe
2023, Nature Based Solutions (3)
Louisiana has high coastal wetland loss rates due to natural processes such as subsidence and anthropogenic activities such as construction of river levees and dams, pervasive alteration of surface hydrology by local industries such as oil and gas, and navigation. With...
Quantifying uncertainty in coastal salinity regime for biological application using quantile regression
Simeon Yurek, Micheal S Allen, Mitchell J. Eaton, David Chagaris, Nathan Reaver, Julien Martin, Peter C Frederick, Mark Dehaven
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Salinity regimes in coastal ecosystems are highly dynamic and driven by complex geomorphic and hydrological processes. Estuarine biota are generally adapted to salinity fluctuation, but are vulnerable to salinity extremes. Characterizing coastal salinity regime for ecological studies therefore requires representing extremes of salinity ranges...
Hydrology, water-quality, and watershed characteristics in 15 watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia, water years 2002–20
Brent T. Aulenbach, Joshua C. Henley, Kristina G. Hopkins
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5035
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, established the Long-Term Trend Monitoring program in 1996 to monitor and analyze the hydrologic and water-quality conditions in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Gwinnett County is a suburban to urban area northeast of the city of Atlanta in north-central...
An integrated hydrologic model to support the Central Platte Natural Resources District Groundwater Management Plan, central Nebraska
Jonathan P. Traylor, Moussa Guira, Steven M. Peterson
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5024
The groundwater and surface-water supply of the Central Platte Natural Resources District supports a large agricultural economy from the High Plains aquifer and Platte River, respectively. This study provided the Central Platte Natural Resources District with an advanced numerical modeling tool to assist with the update of their Groundwater Management...
Water balance characterization of the early 21st century drought in the western United States
Gregory J. McCabe, David M. Wolock
2023, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (59) 1041-1050
Monthly temperature and precipitation data for 923 United States Geological Survey 8-digit hydrologic units are used as inputs to a monthly water balance model to compute monthly actual evapotranspiration, soil moisture storage, and runoff across the western United States (U.S.) for the period 1900 through...
Stream corridor sources of suspended sediment and sediment-bound phosphorus from an urban tributary to the Great Lakes
James D. Blount, Leah Lenoch, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SEDHYD 2023
Potential sources of suspended sediment and sediment-bound phosphorus (sedP) were studied in the Kinnickinnic River (51 square kilometers), a heavily urbanized tributary to Lake Michigan (90% urban land use) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The river is 60% concrete lined channels, with few unlined reaches. From September 2019 through August 2020, an...
A conceptual workflow for projecting future riverine and coastal flood hazards to support the federal flood risk management standard
Jory Seth Hecht, Douglas C. Marcy, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Lauren Schmied, Faith Fitzpatrick, Nicole E.M. Kinsman, Maria G. Honeycutt, Mason Jr., Joseph Krolak, William C. Veatch, Julia G. Prokopec, Harvie Pollard, Allen C. Gellis, Daniel Sharar-Salgado, Edward Clark, Christopher P. Weaver
2023, Conference Paper, SEDHYD 2023
In 2021, the reinstatement of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) required federally funded projects to recognize potential increases in flood hazards over their service lives due to climate change or local anthropogenic perturbations. Recognizing that the state of the science had advanced since the implementation guidelines for this standard...
Effects of climate change on the hydrologic and hydraulic response of the Caulks Creek basin, Wildwood, Missouri
Jessica Z. LeRoy, David C. Heimann, Tyler Joseph Burk, Charles V. Cigrand, Kyle D. Hix
2023, Conference Paper, SEDHYD 2023
The city of Wildwood, Missouri, has identified fluvial erosion along Caulks Creek as a management priority due to potential effects to infrastructure and property. The upper and middle reaches of Caulks Creek flow intermittently (only immediately after precipitation), whereas the lower reach flows perennially. This study examines the effects of...
Regional streamflow drought forecasting in the Colorado River Basin using Deep Neural Network models
Scott Douglas Hamshaw, Phillip J. Goodling, Konrad Hafen, John C. Hammond, Ryan R. McShane, Roy Sando, Apoorva Ramesh Shastry, Caelan E. Simeone, David Watkins, Elaheh White, Michael Wieczorek
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SEDHYD 2023
Process-based, large-scale (e.g., conterminous United States [CONUS]) hydrologic models have struggled to achieve reliable streamflow drought performance in arid regions and for low-flow periods. Deep learning has recently seen broad implementation in streamflow prediction and forecasting research projects throughout the world with performance often equaling or exceeding that of process-based...
Sediment sources and connectivity linked to hydrologic pathways and geomorphic processes: A conceptual model to specify sediment sources and pathways through space and time
Jong Cho, Diana Karwan, Katherine Skalak, James Pizzuto, Max Huffman
2023, Conference Paper, SEDHYD 2023
Sediment connectivity is a framework for transfer and storage of sediment among different geomorphic compartments across upland and channel network of the catchment sediment cascade. Sediment connectivity and dysconnectivity (i.e., source delivery and storage processes) are linked to the water cycle and hydrologic systems with the associated multiscale interactions with...
Evaluation of hydrologic processes in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer using uranium and strontium isotopes, Idaho National Laboratory, eastern Idaho
Gordon W. Rattray, James B. Paces
2023, Professional Paper 1837-D
Waste constituents discharged to the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) pose risks to the water quality of the aquifer. To understand these risks, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, is conducting geochemical studies to better understand...
Determining three-dimensional hydrologic processes in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer using geochemical mass-balance modeling, Idaho National Laboratory, eastern Idaho, with contributions by Treinen, K.C.
Gordon W. Rattray
2023, Professional Paper 1837-C
Waste constituents discharged to the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) pose risks to the water quality of the aquifer. To understand these risks, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, used geochemical mass-balance modeling to identify three-dimensional...
Assessment of riparian vegetation patterns and change downstream from Glen Canyon Dam from 2014 to 2019
Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Barbara E. Ralston
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1026
Changes in riparian vegetation cover and composition occur in relation to flow regime, geomorphic template, and climate, and can have cascading effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Tracking such changes over time is therefore an important part of monitoring the condition and trajectory of riparian ecosystems. Maintaining diverse, self-sustaining riparian...
Data integration reveals dynamic and systematic patterns of breeding habitat use by a threatened shorebird
Kristen S. Ellis, Michael J. Anteau, Garrett J. MacDonald, Rose J. Swift, Megan M. Ring, Dustin L. Toy, Mark H. Sherfy, Max Post van der Burg
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Incorporating species distributions into conservation planning has traditionally involved long-term representations of habitat use where temporal variation is averaged to reveal habitats that are most suitable across time. Advances in remote sensing and analytical tools have allowed for the integration of dynamic processes into species distribution...
