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...
Climate change risks to freshwater subsistence fisheries in Arctic Alaska: Insights and uncertainty from broad whitefish Coregonus nasus
Jason C. Leppi, Daniel J. Rinella, Mark S. Wipfli, Anna K. Liljedahl, Andrew C. Seitz, Jeffrey A. Falke
2023, Fisheries Magazine (48) 295-306
Arctic freshwater ecosystems and fish populations are largely shaped by seasonal and long-term watershed hydrology. In this paper, we hypothesize how changing air temperature and precipitation will alter freeze and thaw processes, hydrology, and instream habitat to assess potential indirect effects, such as the change...
User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products
Katherine R. Barnhart, Veronica Romero, Katherine R. Clifford
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1025
Debris flows are a type of mass movement that is more likely after wildfires, and while existing hazard assessments evaluate the rainfall intensities that are likely to trigger debris flows, no operational hazard assessment exists for identifying the areas where they will run out after initiation. Fifteen participants who work...
U.S. Geological Survey and Blackfeet Water Department Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana
Sean M. Lawlor, Rodney R. Caldwell, Timothy T. Bartos, Brett Price
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3012
The Blackfeet Nation seeks an increased scientific understanding of the water resources within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of northwestern Montana. Hydrologic information is needed to better inform water-management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation implements the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact, initiates new water-use projects, and improves the Blackfeet Irrigation Project.The U.S....
Flood-frequency analysis in the Midwest: Addressing potential nonstationarity of annual peak-flow records
Mackenzie K. Marti, Karen R. Ryberg, Sara B. Levin
2023, Newsletter
Flood-frequency analysis is essential in numerous water-resource management applications, including critical structure design and flood-plain mapping. A basic assumption within Bulletin 17C [1], the standardized guidelines for conducting flood-frequency analysis, is that basins without major hydrologic alterations, such as regulation or urbanization, exhibit stationary statistical properties of the distribution of...
Dynamics of streamflow permanence in a headwater network: Insights from catchment-scale model simulations
D. Tyler Mahoney, J.R. Christensen, H.E. Golden, C.R. Lane, G.R. Evenson, Elaheh White, K.M. Fritz, E D’Amico, Chris D. Barton, Tanja N. Williamson, Kenton Sena, C.T. Agouridis
2023, Journal of Hydrology (620)
The hillslope and channel dynamics that govern streamflow permanence in headwater systems have important implications for ecosystem functioning and downstream water quality. Recent advancements in process-based, semi-distributed hydrologic models that build upon empirical studies of streamflow permanence in well-monitored headwater catchments...
Diverse portfolios: Investing in tributaries for restoration of large river fishes in the Anthropocene
Kristen L. Bouska, Brian D. Healy, Michael J. Moore, Corey Garland Dunn, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Craig P. Paukert
2023, Frontiers in Environmental Science (11)
Rehabilitation of large Anthropocene rivers requires engagement of diverse stakeholders across a broad range of sociopolitical boundaries. Competing objectives often constrain options for ecological restoration of large rivers whereas fewer competing objectives may exist in a subset of tributaries. Further, tributaries contribute toward building a “portfolio” of river...
A framework for estimating global river discharge from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission
Michael Durand, Colin Gleason, Tamlin Pavelsky, Renato Frasson, Michael Turmon, Cedric H. David, Elizabeth Altenau, Nikki Tebaldi, Kevin Larnier, Jerome Monnier, Pierre Olivier Malaterre, Hind Oubanas, George Allen, Brian Astifan, Craig Brinkerhoff, Paul Bates, David M. Bjerklie, Stephen Coss, Robert W. Dudley, Luciana Fengolio, Pierre-Andre Garambois, Augusto Getirana, Peirong Lin, Steven A. Margulis, Pascal Matte, J.Toby Minear, Aggrey Muhebwa, Ming Pan, Daniel L. Peters, Ryan Riggs, Safat Sikder, Travis Simmons, Cassie Stuurman, Jay Taneja, Angelica Tarpanelli, Kerstin Schulze, Mohammad Tourian, Jida Wang
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will vastly expand measurements of global rivers, providing critical new data sets for both gaged and ungaged basins. SWOT discharge products (available approximately 1 year after launch) will provide discharge for all river that reaches wider than 100 m. In this...
Uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by fish, mussel, and passive samplers in mobile laboratory exposures using groundwater from a contamination plume at a historical fire training area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Larry B. Barber, Heidi M. Pickard, David A. Alvarez, Jitka Becanova, Steffanie H. Keefe, Denis R. LeBlanc, Rainer Lohmann, Jeffery A. Steevens, Alan M. Vajda
2023, Environmental Science and Technology (57) 5544-5557
Aqueous film-forming foams historically were used during fire training activities on Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and created an extensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) groundwater contamination plume. The potential for PFAS bioconcentration from exposure to the contaminated groundwater, which discharges to...
Evaluation of potential stresses and hydrologic conditions driving water-level fluctuations in well ER-5-3-2, Frenchman Flat, southern Nevada
Tracie R. Jackson, Rebecca J. Frus
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5132
Well ER-5-3-2 is part of a well network designed to monitor long-term water levels and radionuclide concentrations downgradient from underground nuclear tests that occurred in Frenchman Flat, an area of the U.S. Department of Energy Nevada National Security Site in southern Nevada. Interpretation of monitoring records for well ER-5-3-2 was...
Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of snow refugia in the rain-snow transition zone of north-central Idaho
Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden, Adrienne M. Marshall, Leona K. Svancara, Katie Dugger, Timothy E. Link
2023, Environmental Research Letters (18)
Knowledge of snow cover distribution and disappearance dates over a wide range of scales is imperative for understanding hydrological dynamics and for habitat management of wildlife species that rely on snow cover. Identification of snow refugia, or places with relatively late snow disappearance dates (SDDs) compared to...
Integrating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to constrain estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange
Joan Casas-Ruiz, Pascal Bodmer, Kelly Ann Bona, David Butman, Mathilde Couturier, Erik J.S. Emilson, Kerri Finlay, Helene Genet, Daniel B. Hayes, Jan Karlsson, David Pare, Changhui Peng, Robert G. Striegl, Jackie Webb, Xinyuan Wei, Sue Ziegler, Paul Del Giorgio
2023, Nature Communications (14)
In this Perspective, we put forward an integrative framework to improve estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange based on the accumulation of carbon in the landscape as constrained by its lateral export through rivers. The framework uses the watershed as the fundamental spatial unit and integrates all...
Assessing potential effects of climate change on highway-runoff flows and loads in southern New England by using planning-level space-for-time analyses
Lillian C. Jeznach, Gregory E. Granato, Daniel Sharar-Salgado, Susan C. Jones, Daniel Imig
2023, Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (2677) 570-581
Transportation agencies need information about the potential effects of climate change on the volume, quality, and treatment of stormwater to mitigate potential effects of runoff on receiving waters. To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal Highway Administration used the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project...
Application of geophysical methods to enhance aquifer characterization and groundwater-flow model development, Des Moines River alluvial aquifer, Des Moines, Iowa, 2022
Judith C. Thomas, Morgan A. Spring, Lance R. Gruhn, Emilia L. Bristow
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3006
Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) is one of the largest water providers in Iowa and as population growth continues, demand for drinking water is increasing. DMWW uses groundwater and surface water as raw water sources to supply the City of Des Moines and surrounding communities. In response to current and...
Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis
Connor M. Smith, James E. Faulds, Stephen C. Brown, Mark Coolbaugh, Jacob DeAngelo, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Erick R. Burns, Drew Lorenz Siler, Sven Treitel, Eli Mlawsky, Michael Fehler, Chen Gu, Bridget F. Ayling
2023, Geothermics (111)
Play fairway analysis (PFA) is commonly used to generate geothermal potential maps and guide exploration studies, with a particular focus on locating and characterizing blind geothermal systems. This study evaluates the application of machine learning techniques to PFA in the Great...
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
2023, Frontiers in Water (5)
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related...
Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY
Robin L. Glas, Jory Seth Hecht, Amy E. Simonson, Christopher L. Gazoorian, Christopher Schubert
2023, Journal of Hydrology (618)
The magnitude and variability of floods have increased for many nontidal streams on Long Island (LI), NY since the mid-20th century. One of the most densely populated regions of the United States, LI has experienced amplified floods in step with increases in impervious land cover,...
Investigating hydrologic alteration in the Pearl and Pascagoula River basins using rule-based model trees
Victor L. Roland II, Elena Crowley-Ornelas, Kirk D. Rodgers
2023, Environmental Software and Modelling (163)
Anthropogenic hydrologic alteration threatens the health of riverine ecosystems. Machine learning algorithms that employ the use of model trees to predict hydrologic alteration are underrepresented in related literature. This study assesses hydrologic alteration in the Pearl and Pascagoula River basins using modeled...
2022 drought in New England
Dee-Ann E. Crozier, James M. LeNoir, Pamela J. Lombard
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5016
Introduction During April through September 2022, much of New England experienced a short but extreme hydrologic drought that was similar to the drought of 2020. By August 2022, Providence, Rhode Island, was declared a Federal disaster area, and New London and Windham counties in Connecticut were declared natural disaster areas. Mandatory...
Hydrologic effects of possible changes in water-supply withdrawals from, and effluent recharge to, the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, Winslow Township, Camden County, New Jersey
Glen B. Carleton, Daryll A. Pope
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5002
Winslow Township and the Camden County Municipal Utility Authority (CCMUA) developed a plan to shut down the Winslow sewage-treatment facility and associated effluent infiltration facility and transfer the effluent to the CCMUA sewage-treatment facility on the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey. Winslow Township reduced groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey...
Hydrologic modeling and river corridor applications of HY_Features concepts
David L. Blodgett, J. Michael Johnson, Andrew R. Bock, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Martin R Wernimont
2023, Report
The WaterML2: Part 3 - Surface Hydrology Features (HY_Features) Conceptual Model was published by OGC in 2018. This report documents the use of HY_Features concepts in support of two key tasks: (1) local to continental hydrologic modeling; and (2) referencing river corridor data to hydrographic networks. The presented use...
A river basin spatial model to quantitively advance understanding of riverine tree response dynamics to water availability and hydrological management
Tanya M. Doody, Sicong Gao, Willem Vervoot, Jodie Pritchard, Michah Davies, Martin Nolan, Pamela L. Nagler
2023, The Journal of Environmental Management (332)
Ecological condition continues to decline in arid and semi-arid river basins globally due to hydrological over-abstraction combined with changing climatic conditions. Whilst provision of water for the environment has been a primary approach to alleviate ecological decline, how to accurately monitor changes in riverine...
Unravelling the influence of landscape alteration from flow alteration on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage response in the Delaware River Basin
Jonathan G. Kennen, Thomas F. Cuffney
2023, Ecohydrology (16)
Quantifying the effects of streamflow alteration on assemblage response is central to understanding the role humans play in shaping aquatic environments. These changes represent a level of complexity that impedes developing quantitative links between flow and ecological response because stream hydrology is strongly intertwined with natural and anthropogenic factors. Better...
Large increases in methane emissions expected from North America’s largest wetland complex
Sheel Bansal, Max Post van der Burg, Rachel Fern, John Jones, Rachel Lo, Owen P. McKenna, Brian Tangen, Zhen Zhang, Robert A. Gleason
2023, Science Advances (9)
Natural methane (CH4) emissions from aquatic ecosystems may rise because of human-induced climate warming, although the magnitude of increase is highly uncertain. Using an exceptionally large CH4 flux dataset (~19,000 chamber measurements) and remotely sensed information, we modeled plot- and landscape-scale wetland CH4 emissions from the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), North America’s...
