Peak streamflow and stages at selected streamgages on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and Arkansas, May to June 2019
Jason M. Lewis, A.R. Trevisan
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1129
As much as 22 inches of rain fell in Oklahoma in May 2019, resulting in historic flooding along the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and Arkansas. The flooding along the Arkansas River and its tributaries that began in May continued into June 2019. Peaks of record were measured at 12 U.S....
Remote sensing of tracer dye concentrations to support dispersion studies in river channels
Carl J. Legleiter, Richard R. McDonald, Jonathan M. Nelson, Paul J. Kinzel, Ryan L. Perroy, Donghae Baek, Il Won Seo
2019, Journal of Ecohydraulics (4) 131-146
In river channels the flow field influences the dispersion of biota, contaminants, and other suspended or dissolved materials. Insight on patterns and rates of dispersion can be gained by injecting a pulse of visible dye and observing spatial and temporal variations in dye concentration as the pulse moves downstream. We...
Phenotypic plasticity or a reproductive dead end? Primnoa pacifica (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea) in the southeastern Alaska region
Rhian G. Waller, Robert P. Stone, Lauren Rice, Julia Johnstone, Ashley M. Rossin, Elise Hartill, Keri Feehan, Cheryl Morrison
2019, Frontiers in Marine Science (6)
Red tree corals (Primnoa pacifica) are abundant in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, from the glacial fjords of Southeast Alaska where they emerge to as shallow as 6 m, to the continental shelf edge and seamounts where they are more commonly found at depths greater than 150 –...
Shallow-water foraminifera and other microscopic biota of Clipperton Island, tropical eastern Pacific
Mary McGann, Robert W Schmieder, Louis-Philippe Loncke
2019, Atoll Research Bulletin (626)
The recent foraminiferal fauna and associated microbiota of Clipperton Island (10.2833°N, 109.2167°W) were investigated at 20 sites collected in the intertidal zone around the perimeter of the island and from the edge of the inner brackish-water lagoon. Due to the island’s geographic location in a low productivity zone, a lack...
A parametric numerical analysis of factors controlling ground ruptures caused by groundwater pumping
Matteo Frigo, Massimiliano Ferronato, Jun Yu, Shujun Ye, Devin Galloway, Dora Carreon-Freyre, Pietro Teatini
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 9500-9518
A modeling analysis is used to investigate the relative susceptibility of various hydrogeologic configurations to aseismic rupture generation due to deformation of aquifer systems accompanying groundwater pumping. An advanced numerical model (GEPS3D) is used to simulate rupture generation and propagation for three typical processes: (i) reactivation of a preexisting...
Geospatial scaling of runoff and erosion modeling in the Chihuahuan Desert
Grady Ball, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin
2019, Applied Engineering in Agriculture (5) 733-743
Large-scale assessments of rangeland runoff and erosion require methods to extend plot-scale parameterizations to large areas. In this study, Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) parameters were developed from plot-scale foliar and ground-cover transect data for an arid, grass-shrub rangeland in southern New Mexico, and a method was assessed to...
Potentiometric surface of groundwater-level altitudes near the planned Highway 270 bypass, east of Hot Springs, Arkansas, July–August 2017
Anna M. Nottmeier, Phillip D. Hays
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3444
The Ouachita Mountains aquifer system potentiometric-surface map is one component of the Hot Springs Bypass Groundwater Monitoring Project. The potentiometric-surface map provides a baseline assessment of shallow groundwater levels and flow directions before the construction of the Arkansas Department of Transportation planned extension of the Highway 270 bypass, east of...
Heterogeneity in hyporheic flow, pore water chemistry, and microbial community composition in an alpine streambed
A.R. Nelson, A. Sawyer, R. Gabor, C. Saup, S. Bryant, K. Harris, Martin A. Briggs, Kenneth Williams, M. J. Wilkins
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (124) 3465-3478
The hyporheic zone, where surface water and groundwater mix, is an important microbial habitat where biogeochemical reactions influence water quality. We show that spatial variability in hyporheic flow in the East River near Crested Butte, Colorado, drives heterogeneity in streambed geochemical conditions and microbial community assemblages, but the diversity of...
Santa Barbara area coastal ecosystem vulnerability assessment
M.R. Myers, D.R. Cayan, S.F. Iacobellis, J.M. Melack, R.E. Beighley, Patrick L. Barnard, J.E. Dugan, H.M. Page
2019, Report
The Santa Barbara Area Coastal Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment (SBA CEVA) is a multidisciplinary research project that investigates future changes to southern Santa Barbara County climate, beaches, watersheds, wetland habitats and beach ecosystems. The target audience is local land use planners and decision makers. The main objective is to provide information that assists the Cities...
Field trip guide to Mount St. Helens, Washington—Recent and ancient volcaniclastic processes and deposits
Richard B. Waitt, Jon J. Major, Richard P. Hoblitt, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Michael A. Clynne
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5022-E
This field guide explores volcanic effusions, sediments, and landforms at Mount St. Helens in Washington. A detailed synopsis outlines the eruptive history of Mount St. Helens from about 300,000 years ago through 1980 and beyond.The five days in the field include about 28 stops and 12 potential stops. Exposures in...
Differentiating sediment sources using sediment fingerprinting techniques, in the Sprague River Basin, South-Central Oregon
Liam N. Schenk, Tessa M. Harden, Julia K. Kelson
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1120
Identifying sources of sediment to streams in the Sprague River Basin, in south-central Oregon, is important for restoration efforts that are focused on reducing sediment erosion and transport. Reducing sediment loads in these streams also contributes to compliance with the total maximum daily load reduction requirements for total phosphorus...
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2017 annual report
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
2019, Circular 1456
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, conducts research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. This report summarizes the activities and findings of YVO during the year 2017,...
Advances in quantifying streamflow variability across continental scales: 2. Improved model regionalization and prediction uncertainties using hierarchical Bayesian methods
Richard B. Alexander, Gregory E. Schwarz, Elizabeth W. Boyer
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 11061-11087
The precise estimation of process effects in hydrological models requires applying models to large scales with extensive spatial variability in controlling factors. Despite progress in large‐scale applications of hydrological models in conterminous United States (CONUS) river basins, spatial constraints in model parameters have prevented the interbasin...
Trace metal and nutrient loads from groundwater seepage into the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River near Smelterville, northern Idaho, 2017
Lauren M. Zinsser
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5113
The Coeur d’Alene mining district in northern Idaho historically was a globally important source of lead, zinc, and silver, but over 100 years of mining has left a legacy of metals contamination in the Coeur d’Alene River valley. Previous studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and others have indicated...
Using the STARS Model to evaluate the effects of two proposed projects for the long-term operation of State Water Project Incidental Take Permit Application and CEQA compliance
Russell W. Perry, Amy C. Hansen, Scott D. Evans, Tobias J. Kock
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1127
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) requested analysis of juvenile Chinook salmon survival in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (henceforth identified as “the Delta”) as part of an effects analysis that will be included in an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) Application. This application is in compliance with the...
Fishway entrance gate experiments with adult American Shad
Kevin Mulligan, Alexander J. Haro, Brett Towler, Bryan Sojkowski, John Noreika
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 10839-10855
The goal of this multiyear study was to examine how changes to an upstream fishway entrance impacted the passage rate of adult American shad (Alosa sapidissima). We evaluated a total of nine treatment conditions that consisted of three fishway entrance gate types and three submergence depths (i.e., the water surface...
Review of and recommendations for monitoring contaminants and their effects in the San Francisco Bay−Delta
Richard E Connon, Simone Hasenbein, Susanne M. Brander, Helen C. Poynton, Erika B Holland, Daniel Schlenk, James Orlando, Michelle L. Hladik, Tracy K. Collier, Nathaniel L Scholz, John P Incardona, Nancy D. Denslow, Amro Hamdoun, Sascha Nicklisch, Natalia Garcia-Reyero, Edward J. Perkins, Evan P Gallagher, Xin Deng, Dan Wang, Stephanie Fong, Richard S Breuer, Mehrdad Hajibabei, James B Brown, John K Colbourne, Thomas M Young, Gary Cherr, Andrew Whitehead, Anne E. Todgham
2019, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (17)
Legacy and current-use contaminants enter into and accumulate throughout the San Francisco Bay−Delta (Bay−Delta), and are present at concentrations with known effects on species important to this diverse watershed. There remains major uncertainty and a lack of focused research able to address and provide understanding of effects across multiple biological...
Floodplain inundation spectrum across the United States
Durelle T. Scott, Jesus D. Gomez-Velez, C. Nathan Jones, Judson Harvey
2019, Nature Communications (10)
Floodplain inundation poses both risks and benefits to society. In this study, we characterize floodplain inundation across the United States using 5800 stream gages. We find that between 4% and 12.6% of a river’s annual flow moves through its floodplains. Flood duration and magnitude is greater in...
Response of nitrogen loading to the Chesapeake Bay to source reduction and land use change scenarios: A SPARROW‐informed analysis
Matthew P. Miller, Paul D. Capel, Ana M. Garcia, Scott W. Ator
2019, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (56) 100-112
In response to concerns regarding the health of streams and receiving waters, the United States Environmental Protection Agency established a total maximum daily load for nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for which practices must be in place by 2025 resulting in an expected 25% reduction in load from 2009...
Instructions for running the analytical code PAT (Purge Analyzer Tool) for computation of in-well time of travel of groundwater under pumping conditions
P.T. Harte, B. J. Huffman, Tomas Perina, Herb Levine, Daewon Rojas-Mickelson
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1104
IntroductionUnderstanding the optimal time needed to purge a well while pumping to collect a representative groundwater sample requires an understanding of groundwater flow in wells (in-well flow). Parameters that affect in-well flow include the hydraulic properties of the aquifer, well construction, drawdown from pumping, and pump rate. The time of...
Using stream-side groundwater discharge for geochemical exploration in mountainous terrain
Andrew H. Manning, Jean M. Morrison, Richard B. Wanty, Christopher T. Mills
2019, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (209)
Groundwater chemistry has been predominantly used in geochemical exploration studies to identify mineralized targets concealed under transported cover in areas with gentle topography. Another potentially valuable ap-plication that has received little attention is using groundwater chemistry to identify deposits concealed within mountain ridges. A number of geochemical exploration studies have...
Using the STARS model to evaluate the effects of the proposed action for the reinitiation of consultation on the coordinated long-term operation of the Central Valley and State Water Project
Russell W. Perry, Adam C. Pope, Vamsi K. Sridharan
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1125
In 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and California Department of Water Resources requested a reinitiation of consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act on the coordinated long-term operations of the Central Valley and State Water Projects. This resulted in a Biological Assessment released by USBR in...
Wind sheltering impacts on land-atmosphere fluxes over fens
Jessica Turner, Ankur R. Desai, Jonathan Thom, Kimberly P. Wickland, Brent Olson
2019, Frontiers in Environmental Science
Wetlands and their ability to mitigate climate change motivates restorative and protective action; however, scientific understanding of land-atmosphere interactions is restricted by our limited continuous observations of gaseous fluxes. Many wetlands are small in spatial scale and embedded in forested landscapes. Yet, little is known about how the relative sheltering...
Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2018
Robert T. Kay
2019, Data Series 1119
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, designed and operates a network of monitoring stations on streams and springs throughout Missouri known as the Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring Network. During water year 2018 (October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018), water-quality data were collected at...
Interglacial paleoclimate in the Arctic
Thomas M. Cronin, Katherine Keller, Jesse R. Farmer, Morgan Schaller, Matt O’Regan, Robert K. Poirier, Helen Coxall, Gary S. Dwyer, Henning Bauch, Ingalise G. Kindstedt, Martin Jakobsson, R. E. Marzen, Emiliano Santin
2019, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology (34) 1959-1979
Marine Isotope Stage 11 from ~424 to 374 ka experienced peak interglacial warmth and highest global sea level ~410–400 ka. MIS 11 has received extensive study on the causes of its long duration and warmer than Holocene climate, which is anomalous in the last half million years. However, a major...
