Laboratory experiments of volcanic ash resuspension by wind
Vicken Etyemezian, Jack Gillies, Larry G. Mastin, Alice Crawford, Robert Hasson, Alexa R. Van Eaton, G. Nikolich
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres (124) 9534-9560
Fresh volcanic eruption deposits tend to be loose, bare, and readily resuspended by wind. Major resuspension events in Patagonia, Iceland, and Alaska have lofted ash clouds with potential to impact aircraft, infrastructure, and downwind communities. However, poor constraints on this resuspension process limit our ability to model...
Hydrologic balance, water quality, chemical-mass balance, and geochemical modeling of hyperalkaline ponds at Big Marsh, Chicago, Illinois, 2016–17
Amy M. Gahala, Robert R. Seal, II, Nadine M. Piatak
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5078
Hyperalkaline (pH greater than 12) ponds and groundwater exist at Big Marsh near Lake Calumet, Chicago, Illinois, a site used by the steel industry during the mid-1900s to deposit steel- and iron-making waste, in particular, slag. The hyperalkaline ponds may pose a hazard to human health and the environment. The...
Development and evaluation of a record extension technique for estimating discharge at selected stream sites in New Hampshire
Scott A. Olson, Abraham J. Meyerhofer
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5066
Daily mean discharges are needed for rivers in New Hampshire for the management of instream flows. It is impractical, however, to continuously gage all streams in New Hampshire, and at many sites where information is needed, the discharge data required do not exist. For such sites, techniques for estimating discharge...
Invertebrate prey contributions to juvenile Coho Salmon diet from riparian habitats along three Alaska streams: Implications for environmental change
Jess Grunblatt, Benjamin E. Meyer, Mark S. Wipfli
2019, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (34) 617-631
Stream fish rely on a mix of terrestrial and aquatic prey sources. While the importance of terrestrial invertebrates as a food source for stream fish is well documented, the role of aquatic insects that emerge from the stream as winged adult insects (aquatic winged adults) and return to the stream...
Flood-inundation maps for a 23-mile reach of the Medina River at Bandera, Texas, 2018
Namjeong Choi, Frank L. Engel
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5067
In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District and the Texas Water Development Board, studied floods through the period of record to create a library of flood-inundation maps for the Medina River at Bandera, Texas. Digital flood-inundation maps for a...
Flood warning toolset for the Medina River in Bandera County, Texas
Frank L. Engel, Namjeong Choi
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3043
OverviewFloods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. The Medina River in Bandera County, Texas, is in the Edwards Plateau, where high-intensity rain rates and steep terrain frequently contribute to severe flash flooding capable of causing loss of life and property. For example, the July...
The hydrologic benefits of wetland and prairie restoration in western Minnesota—Lessons learned at the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, 2002–15
Timothy K. Cowdery, Catherine A. Christenson, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5041
Conversion of agricultural lands to wetlands and native prairie is widely viewed as beneficial because it can restore natural ecological and hydrologic functions. Some of these functions, such as reduced peak flows and improved water quality, are often attributed to restoration; however, such benefits have not been quantified at a...
An evaluation of sedatives for use in transport of juvenile endangered fishes in plastic bags
Laura A. Tennant, Ben M. Vaage, David L. Ward
2019, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (10) 532-543
Trucks and aircraft typically transport rare or endangered fishes in large unsealed tanks containing large volumes of water (typically hundreds of liters) during conservation efforts. Ornamental fishes, however, are commonly sent by mail in small sealed plastic bags filled with oxygen, minimal water, and a small amount of sedative to...
Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse
Heidi E. Anderson, Lindsey K. Alberson, David Walters
2019, Ecosphere (10)
Spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions can prolong food availability by desynchronizing the timing of ephemeral, high‐magnitude resource pulses. Spatial patterns of water temperature are highly variable among rivers as determined by both natural and anthropogenic features, but the influence of this variability on freshwater resource pulse phenology is poorly documented....
Paleoclimate of the subtropical Andes during the latest Miocene, Lauca Basin, Chile
Melina Feitl, Andrea Kern, Amanda Jones, Sherilyn Fritz, Paul E. Baker, Joeckel . R.M., Wout Salenbien, Debra A. Willard
2019, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (534)
Uplift of the Andean Cordillera during the Miocene and Pliocene produced large-scale changes in regional atmospheric circulation that impacted local ecosystems. The Lauca Basin (northern Chilean Altiplano) contains variably fluvial and lacustrine sedimentary sequences spanning the interval from 8.7 to 2.3 Ma....
Mechanisms of methane hydrate formation in geological systems
Kehua You, Peter B. Flemings, Alberto Malinverno, Timothy Collett, Kristopher Darnell
2019, Reviews of Geophysics (57) 1146-1196
Natural gas hydrates are ice-like mixtures of gas (mostly methane) and water that are widely found in sediments along the world’s continental margins and within and beneath permafrost in a near-surface depth interval where the pressure is sufficiently high and temperature sufficiently low for gas hydrate to be stable. Beneath...
Small ponds in headwater catchments are a dominant influence on regional nutrient and sediment budgets
Noah Schmadel, Judson Harvey, Gregory E. Schwarz, Richard Alexander, Jesus D. Gomez-Velez, Durelle Scott, Scott W. Ator
2019, Geophysical Research Letters (46) 9669-9677
Small ponds—farm ponds, detention ponds, or impoundments below 0.01 km2—serve important human needs throughout most large river basins. Yet the role of small ponds in regional nutrient and sediment budgets is essentially unknown, currently making it impossible to evaluate their management potential to achieve water quality objectives. Here we used...
Urban stormwater: An overlooked pathway of extensive mixed contaminants to surface and groundwaters in the United States
Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Larry B. Barber, D.S. Burden, William T. Foreman, Kenneth J. Forshay, Edward Furlong, Justin F. Groves, Michelle L. Hladik, Matthew E. Hopton, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Steffanie H. Keefe, David Krabbenhoft, Richard Lowrance, Kristin Romanok, David L. Rus, William R. Selbig, Brad Williams, Paul Bradley
2019, Environmental Science & Technology (53) 10070-10081
Increasing global reliance on stormwater control measures to reduce discharge to surface water, increase groundwater recharge, and minimize contaminant delivery to receiving waterbodies necessitates improved understanding of stormwater-contaminant profiles. A multi-agency study of organic and inorganic chemicals in urban stormwater from 50 runoff events at 21 sites across the United...
SUTRA, a model for saturated-unsaturated, variable-density groundwater flow with solute or energy transport—Documentation of generalized boundary conditions, a modified implementation of specified pressures and concentrations or temperatures, and the lake capability
Alden M. Provost, Clifford I. Voss
2019, Techniques and Methods 6-A52
Version 3.0 of the SUTRA groundwater modeling program offers three new capabilities: generalized boundary conditions, a modified implementation of specified pressures and concentrations or temperatures, and lakes. Two new types of “generalized” boundary conditions facilitate simulation of a wide range of hydrologic processes that interact with the groundwater model, such...
A space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent
Shiqi Fang, Dario Del Giudice, Donald Scavia, Caren E. Binding, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Mary Anne Evans, Joseph Guinness, Thomas H. Johengen, Daniel R Obenour
2019, Science of the Total Environment (695)
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in intensity across many waterbodies worldwide, including the western basin of Lake Erie. Substantial efforts have been made to track these blooms using in situ sampling and remote sensing. However, such measurements do not fully capture HAB spatial and temporal dynamics due to...
Offshore shallow structure and sediment distribution, Punta Gorda to Point Arena, Northern California
Jeffrey W. Beeson, Samuel Y. Johnson
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1072
This publication consists of two map sheets that display shallow geologic structure, along with sediment distribution and thickness, for an approximately 150-km-long offshore section of the northern California coast between Punta Gorda and Point Arena. Each map sheet includes three maps at scales of either 1:100,000 or 1:200,000, and together...
Continuous stream discharge, salinity, and associated data collected in the lower St. Johns River and its tributaries, Florida, 2017
Patrick J. Ryan
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1078
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, plans to deepen the St. Johns River channel in Jacksonville, Florida, from 40 to 47 feet along 13 miles of the river channel, beginning at the mouth of the river at the Atlantic Ocean, to accommodate larger, fully loaded cargo vessels. The...
The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center—Sound science to serve the American Southwest
Southwest Biological Science Center Staff
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3041
Home to Arches, Grand Canyon, and Saguaro National Parks, among others, the American Southwest’s landscapes are as fragile as they are iconic. Energy development, water security, and grassland restoration are important to the region as it experiences population growth and increased demand for resources. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Southwest Biological...
Molecular identification of fecal contamination in the Elks Run Watershed, Jefferson County, West Virginia, 2016–17
W. Bane Schill, Deborah D. Iwanowicz
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1064
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study using modern methods of molecular analysis aimed at attempting to identify the source(s) of fecal contamination that had been identified in previous studies conducted by the West Virginia Conservation Agency in the Elk Run watershed, Jefferson County, West Virginia. Water samples from multiple...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals in ambient sediment at mussel biomonitoring sites, Puget Sound, Washington
Renee K. Takesue, Pamela L. Campbell‐Swarzenski, Kathleen E. Conn
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1087
Caged mussels used as biomonitors can provide insights about ambient contaminant assemblages and spatial patterns, sources of contaminants, and contaminant exposure risks for consumers of wild and farmed mussels. This study explored the potential role of ambient sediment in the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and...
Optimum electrofishing waveforms and parameters to induce a capture-prone response in juvenile Grass Carp
Andrew S Briggs, Jan C. Dean, James C. Boase, Patrick Kocovsky, James A. Luoma
2019, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (39) 705-713
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are a non-native species to North America that were first introduced for vegetation control in the 1960s. However, wild-reproducing Grass Carp can negatively impact aquatic habitats and aquatic communities by consuming substantial amounts of aquatic vegetation and increasing turbidity. Numerous fisheries techniques have been...
Spatial distribution of water level impact to back-barrier bays
Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Neil K. Ganju, Zafer Defne, Richard P. Signell
2019, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (19) 1823-1838
Water level in semi-enclosed bays, landward of barrier islands, is mainly driven by offshore sea level fluctuations that are modulated by bay geometry and bathymetry, causing spatial variability in the ensuing response (transfer). Local wind setup can have a secondary role that depends on wind speed, fetch, and relative orientation...
Monitoring of endangered Klamath Basin suckers translocated from Lake Ewauna to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014−2017
Nathan V. Banet, David A. Hewitt
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1085
Data from a 4-year capture and transport program were used to assess translocation as a management strategy for two long-lived, federally endangered catostomids in the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon. Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers, two species endemic to the Klamath Basin, were translocated from Lake...
Potential shifts in zooplankton community structure in response to changing ice regimes and hydrologic connectivity
John R. Beaver, Christopher D. Arp, Claudia E. Tausz, Benjamin M. Jones, Matthew S. Whitman, Thomas R. Renicker, Erin E Samples, David M Ordosch, Kyle C. Scotese
2019, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (51) 327-345
Changing Arctic climate may alter freshwater ecosystems as a result of warmer surface waters, longer open-water periods, reduced wintertime lake ice growth, and altered hydrologic connectivity. This study aims to characterize zooplankton community composition and size structure in the context of hydrologic connectivity and ice regimes in Arctic lakes. Between...
The effects of seasonal temperature and photoperiod manipulation on reproduction in the eastern elliptio Elliptio complanata
Carrie J. Blakeslee, William A. Lellis
2019, Journal of Shellfish Research (38) 379-384
The eastern elliptio Elliptio complanata is a species of freshwater mussel common to streams and rivers of the Atlantic Coast. Egg fertilization, larval brooding, and glochidial release are reported to occur within a period of several weeks during early to midsummer. In this study, mussels were exposed to manipulated photoperiod and water...
