Water resources of Parowan Valley, Iron County, Utah
Thomas M. Marston
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5033
Parowan Valley, in Iron County, Utah, covers about 160 square miles west of the Red Cliffs and includes the towns of Parowan, Paragonah, and Summit. The valley is a structural depression formed by northwest-trending faults and is, essentially, a closed surface-water basin although a small part of the valley at...
Predicting redox-sensitive contaminant concentrations in groundwater using random forest classification
Anthony J. Tesoriero, Jo Ann M. Gronberg, Paul F. Juckem, Matthew P. Miller, Brian P. Austin
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 7316-7331
Machine learning techniques were applied to a large (n > 10,000) compliance monitoring database to predict the occurrence of several redox-active constituents in groundwater across a large watershed. Specifically, random forest classification was used to determine the probabilities of detecting elevated concentrations of nitrate, iron, and arsenic in the Fox, Wolf, Peshtigo,...
Habitat use by juvenile salmonids in Lake Ontario tributaries-species, age, diel and seasonal effects
James H. Johnson, James E. McKenna Jr.
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 963-969
Understanding the habitat needs of fish and how these requirements may change seasonally over a 24-h period is important, especially for highly managed sport species. Consequently, we examined the diel and seasonal habitat use of four juvenile salmonid species in streams in the Lake Ontario watershed. For juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo...
Low-flow frequency and flow-duration characteristics of selected streams in Alabama through March 2014
Toby D. Feaster, Kathyrn G. Lee
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5083
Low-flow statistics are needed by water-resource engineers, planners, and managers to protect and manage the water resources of Alabama. The accuracy of these statistics is influenced by such factors as length of record and specific hydrologic conditions measured in those records. As such, it is generally recommended that flow statistics...
Geochemical and hydrologic factors controlling subsurface transport of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Andrea K. Weber, Larry B. Barber, Denis R. LeBlanc, Elsie M. Sunderland, Chad D. Vecitis
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 4269-4279
Growing evidence that certain poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are associated with negative human health effects prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue lifetime drinking water health advisories for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in 2016. Given that groundwater is a major source of drinking water, the...
Spectrally monitoring the response of the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis to altered precipitation regimes
Kristina E. Young, Sasha C. Reed
2017, Scientific Reports (7)
Climate change is expected to impact drylands worldwide by increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. These effects have known feedbacks to the functional roles of dryland biological soil crust communities (biocrusts), which are expected to undergo significant climate-induced changes in community structure and function. Nevertheless, our ability to monitor the...
Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, James L. Bodkin, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Esler
2017, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (147) 27-35
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged a wide range of natural resources, including intertidal communities, and post-spill studies demonstrated acute and chronic exposure and injury to an array of species. Standard toxicological methods to evaluate petroleum contaminants have assessed tissue burdens, with fewer assays providing indicators of health or physiology, particularly...
Evidence for degassing of fresh magma during the 2004-2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Subtle signals from the hydrothermal system
Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, Kurt R. Spicer, Andrew G. Hunt, Peter J. Kelly
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (343) 109-121
Results from chemical and isotopic analyses of water and gas collected between 2002 and 2016 from sites on and around Mount St. Helens are used to assess magmatic degassing related to the 2004-2008 eruption. During 2005 the chemistry of hot springs in The Breach of Mount St. Helens showed no...
Polar bears experience skeletal muscle atrophy in response to food deprivation and reduced activity in winter and summer
John P. Whiteman, Henry J. Harlow, George M. Durner, Eric V. Regehr, Bryan C. Rourke, Manuel Robles, Steven C. Amstrup, Merav Ben-David
2017, Conservation Physiology (5)
When reducing activity and using stored energy during seasonal food shortages, animals risk degradation of skeletal muscles, although some species avoid or minimize the resulting atrophy while experiencing these conditions during hibernation. Polar bears may be food deprived and relatively inactive during winter (when pregnant females hibernate and hunting success...
Landslide monitoring in the Atlantic Highlands area, New Jersey
Pamela A. Reilly, Francis X. Ashland, Alex R. Fiore
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3068
Shallow and deep-seated landslides have occurred episodically on the steep coastal bluffs of the Atlantic Highlands area (Boroughs of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands) in New Jersey. The oldest documented deep-seated landslide occurred in April 1782 and significantly changed the morphology of the bluff. However, recent landslides have been mostly shallow...
Preliminary assessment of a water-quality monitoring program for total maximum daily loads in Johnson County, Kansas, January 2015 through June 2016
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Chelsea R. Paxson
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5089
Municipalities in Johnson County in northeastern Kansas are required to implement stormwater management programs to reduce pollutant discharges, protect water quality, and comply with applicable water-quality regulations in accordance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for stormwater discharge. To this end, municipalities collect grab samples at streams entering and...
Design and methods of the Pacific Northwest Stream Quality Assessment (PNSQA), 2015
Rich W. Sheibley, Jennifer L. Morace, Celeste A. Journey, Peter C. Van Metre, Amanda H. Bell, Naomi Nakagaki, Daniel T. Button, Sharon L. Qi
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1103
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project conducted the Pacific Northwest Stream Quality Assessment (PNSQA) to investigate stream quality across the western part of the Pacific Northwest. The goal of the PNSQA was to assess the health of streams in the region by characterizing...
Maintenance of influenza A viruses and antibody response in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled during the non-breeding season in Alaska
Timothy J. Spivey, Mark S. Lindberg, Brandt W. Meixell, Kyle R. Smith, Wendy Blay Puryear, Kimberly R. Davis, Jonathan A. Runstadler, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
Prevalence of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in northern-breeding waterfowl has previously been reported to reach an annual peak during late summer or autumn; however, little is known about IAV infection dynamics in waterfowl populations persisting at high-latitude regions such as Alaska, during winter. We captured mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) throughout...
Change in morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York between 2011 and 2014: Analysis of hurricane impact
William C. Schwab, Wayne E. Baldwin, John C. Warner, Jeffrey H. List, Jane F. Denny, Maria Liste Munoz, Ilgar Safak
2017, Marine Geology (391) 48-64
Seafloor mapping investigations conducted on the lower shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York in 2011 and 2014, the period encompassing the impacts of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, provide an unprecedented perspective regarding regional inner continental shelf sediment dynamics during large storm events. Analyses of these studies demonstrate that...
Delineation of salt water intrusion through use of electromagnetic-induction logging: A case study in Southern Manhattan Island, New York
Frederick Stumm, Michael D. Como
2017, Water (9) 1-17
Groundwater with chloride concentrations up to 15,000 mg/L has intruded the freshwater aquifer underlying southern Manhattan Island, New York. Historical (1940–1950) chloride concentration data of glacial aquifer wells in the study area indicate the presence of four wedges of saltwater intrusion that may have been caused by industrial pumpage. The...
Quantitative microbial risk assessment for spray irrigation of dairy manure based on an empirical fate and transport model
Tucker R. Burch, Susan K. Spencer, Joel P. Stokdyk, Burney A Kieke, Rebecca A Larson, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Ana M Rule, Mark A. Borchardt
2017, Environmental Health Perspectives (125) 1-11
BACKGROUND: Spray irrigation for land-applying livestock manure is increasing in the United States as farms become larger and economies of scale make manure irrigation affordable. Human health risks from exposure to zoonotic pathogens aerosolized during manure irrigation are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to a) estimate human health risks...
Balancing habitat delivery for breeding marsh birds and nonbreeding waterfowl: An integrated waterbird management and monitoring approach at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
Brian W. Loges, James E. Lyons, Brian G. Tavernia
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1051
The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR) in the Mississippi River flood plain of eastern Missouri provides high quality emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat benefitting both nesting marsh birds and migrating waterfowl. Staff of CCNWR manipulate water levels and vegetation in the 17 units of the CCNWR to provide conditions...
Depth of the vadose zone controls aquifer biogeochemical conditions and extent of anthropogenic nitrogen removal
Beata Szymczycha, Kevin D. Kroeger, John Crusius, John F. Bratton
2017, Water Research (123) 794-801
We investigated biogeochemical conditions and watershed features controlling the extent of nitrate removal through microbial dinitrogen (N2) production within the surficial glacial aquifer located on the north and south shores of Long Island, NY, USA. The extent of N2 production differs within portions of the...
Climate scenarios for the Truckee-Carson River system
Michael D. Dettinger, Kelley Sterle, Karen Simpson, Loretta Singletary, Kelsey Fitzgerald, Maureen McCarthy
2017, Report
In this study, the scenarios ultimately take the form of gridded, daily (maximum and minimum) temperatures and precipitation totals spanning the entire Truckee-Carson River System, from which meteorological inputs to various hydrologic, water-balance and watermanagement models can be extracted by other parts of the Water for the Seasons project and...
Small mammals as indicators of climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem change
Andrew G. Hope, Eric Waltari, Nathan R. Morse, M.J. Flamme, Sandra L. Talbot, Joseph A. Cook
2017, Alaska Park Science (16) 72-78
Climate is a driving evolutionary force for biodiversity in high-latitude Alaska. This region is complex and dynamic with high annual variation in temperature and light. Through deeper time, Alaska has experienced major climate extremes over much longer periodicity. For example, the Quaternary Period (the last ~2.5 million years), commonly known...
Flood-inundation maps for the Wabash River at Memorial Bridge at Vincennes, Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler, Chad D. Menke
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5073
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 10.2-mile reach of the Wabash River from Sevenmile Island to 3.7 mile downstream of Memorial Bridge (officially known as Lincoln Memorial Bridge) at Vincennes, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The...
Acid Deposition
Gregory B. Lawrence
2017, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Geochemistry
No abstract available...
U.S. Geological Survey Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
John D. Jastram
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3059
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. In support of this mission, the USGS...
Characterization and origin of brines from the Bakken-Three Forks petroleum system in the Williston Basin, USA
Zell E. Peterman, Joanna N. Thamke, Kiyoto Futa, Thomas A. Oliver
2017, Mountain Geologist (54) 203-221
Brine (also referred to as ‘produced water’) samples were collected from 28 wells producing oil from the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken and Three Forks Formations in the Williston Basin of eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The samples were analyzed for major ions, trace metals, stable isotopes, and strontium isotopes. The brines in...
Observed correlation between the depth to base and top of gas hydrate occurrence from review of global drilling data
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett
2017, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (18) 2543-2561
A global inventory of data from gas hydrate drilling expeditions is used to develop relationships between the base of structure I gas hydrate stability, top of gas hydrate occurrence, sulfate-methane transition depth, pressure (water depth), and geothermal gradients. The motivation of this study is to provide first-order estimates of the...
