Spatial patterns of development drive water use
G.M. Sanchez, J.W. Smith, Adam J. Terando, G. Sun, R.K. Meentemeyer
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 1633-1649
Water availability is becoming more uncertain as human populations grow, cities expand into rural regions and the climate changes. In this study, we examine the functional relationship between water use and the spatial patterns of developed land across the rapidly growing region of the southeastern United States. We quantified the...
Celebrating 50 years of SWIMs (Salt Water Intrusion Meetings)
Vincent E. A. Post, Gualbert Oude Essink, Adam Szymkiewicz, Mark Bakker, Georg Houben, Emilio Custodio, Clifford I. Voss
2018, Hydrogeology Journal (26) 1767-1770
The Salt Water Intrusion Meetings, or SWIMs, are a series of meetings that focus on seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers and other salinisation processes. 2018 marks the 50th year of the SWIM and the 25th biennial meeting. The SWIM proceedings record half a century of research progress on site characterisation,...
A history of trade routes and water-level regulation on waterways in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, USA
Victoria G. Christensen, Andrew E. LaBounty
2018, Conference Paper, World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
Unlike most national parks, main access to Voyageurs National Park is by boat. This remote system of interconnected waterways along the USA-Canada border was an important transportation route for thousands of years of American Indian occupation, leading up to and including the trade route of the voyageurs, or French-Canadian fur...
GIS-based method for estimating surficial groundwater levels in coastal Virginia using limited information
R.D. Johnson, David J. Sample, Kurt J. McCoy
2018, Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering (144) 1-14
In many coastal areas, high water tables are present, complicating installation of some stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that rely on infiltration. Regional estimates of the seasonal high water table (SHWT) often rely on sources such as soil surveys taken over a decade ago; these data are static and do...
Preliminary geologic framework developed for a proposed environmental monitoring study of a deep, unconventional Marcellus Shale drill site, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Robert G. Stamm
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1057
BackgroundIn the fall of 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was afforded an opportunity to participate in an environmental monitoring study of the potential impacts of a deep, unconventional Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing site. The drill site of the prospective case study is the “Range Resources MCC Partners L.P. Units...
On the feasibility of real-time mapping of the geoelectric field across North America
Jeffrey J. Love, E. Joshua Rigler, Anna Kelbert, Carol A. Finn, Paul A. Bedrosian, Christopher C. Balch
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1043
A review is given of the present feasibility for accurately mapping geoelectric fields across North America in near-realtime by modeling geomagnetic monitoring and magnetotelluric survey data. Should this capability be successfully developed, it could inform utility companies of magnetic-storm interference on electric-power-grid systems. That real-time mapping of geoelectric fields is...
On the petrographic distinction of bituminite from solid bitumen in immature to early mature source rocks
Paul C. Hackley, Brett J. Valentine, Javin J. Hatcherian
2018, International Journal of Coal Geology (196) 232-245
The oil-prone maceral bituminite (and its equivalents: ‘amorphous organic matter’, ‘sapropelinite’, ‘amorphinite’, etc.) converts to petroleum during thermal maturation of source rocks, resulting in formation of a mobile saturate-rich hydrocarbon and a polar-rich residue of solid bitumen. Evidence of this transition is preserved in immature to early mature source rocks (e.g., Alum, Bakken,...
Against the current— The Mojave River from sink to source: The 2018 Desert Symposium field trip road log
David M. Miller, R.E. Reynolds, Krishangi D. Groover, David C. Buesch, H. J. Brown, Geoffrey Cromwell, Jill N. Densmore, A.L. Garcia, D. Hughson, J.R. Knott, Jeffrey E. Lovich
2018, Conference Paper, Against the Current: The Mojave River from Sink to Source; 2018 Desert Symposium
The Mojave River evolved over the past few million years by “fill and spill” from upper basins near its source in the Transverse Ranges to lower basins. Each newly “spilled into” basin in the series? sustained a long-lived lake but gradually filled with Mojave River sediment, leading to spill to...
Bend-scale geomorphic classification and assessment of the Lower Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mississippi River for application to pallid sturgeon management
Robert B. Jacobson, Michael E. Colvin, Edward A. Bulliner, Darcy Pickard, Caroline M. Elliott
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5069
Management actions intended to increase growth and survival of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) age-0 larvae on the Lower Missouri River require a comprehensive understanding of the geomorphic habitat template of the river. The study described here had two objectives relating to where channel-reconfiguration projects should be located to optimize effectiveness....
Development of a United States community shear wave velocity profile database
Sean K. Ahdi, Shamsher Sadiq, Okan Ilhan, Yousef Bozorgnia, Youssef M. A. Hashash, Dong Youp Kwak, Duhee Park, Alan Yong, Jonathan P. Stewart
2018, Conference Paper
We present the details of a multi-institutional effort to develop an open-access shear-wave velocity (VS) profile database (PDB), which will include a public repository for VS profile data in the United States. VS profiles are an essential resource for ground motion modeling and other applications. The minimum requirements for a site to be included...
Ongoing bedrock incision of the Fortymile River driven by Pliocene–Pleistocene Yukon River capture, eastern Alaska, USA, and Yukon, Canada
Adrian Bender, Richard O. Lease, Lee B. Corbett, Paul R. Bierman, Marc Caffee
2018, Geology (46) 635-638
Quantification of river incision via process rate laws represents a key goal of geomorphic research, but such models often fail to reproduce traits of natural rivers responding to base-level lowering. The Fortymile River flows from eastern Alaska in the United States to the Yukon...
The influence of neap-spring tidal variation and wave energy on sediment flux in salt marsh tidal creeks
Jessica R. Lacy, Matthew C. Ferner, John C. Callaway
2018, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (43) 2384-2396
Sediment flux in marsh tidal creeks is commonly used to gage sediment supply to marshes. We conducted a field investigation of temporal variability in sediment flux in tidal creeks in the accreting tidal marsh at China Camp State Park adjacent to northern San Francisco Bay. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), velocity,...
Injection-induced moment release can also be aseismic
Arthur McGarr, Andrew J. Barbour
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 5344-5351
The cumulative seismic moment is a robust measure of the earthquake response to fluid injection for injection volumes ranging from 3100 to about 12 million m3. Over this range, the moment release is limited to twice the product of the shear modulus and the volume of injected fluid. This relation...
Quantifying relative importance: Computing standardized effects in models with binary outcomes
James B. Grace, Darren Johnson, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes
2018, Ecosphere (9)
Scientists commonly ask questions about the relative importances of processes, and then turn to statistical models for answers. Standardized coefficients are typically used in such situations, with the goal being to compare effects on a common scale. Traditional approaches to obtaining standardized coefficients were developed with idealized Gaussian variables in...
Water-table and potentiometric-surface altitudes in the upper glacial, Magothy, and Lloyd aquifers of Long Island, New York, April–May 2016
Michael D. Como, Jason S. Finkelstein, Simonette L. Rivera, Jack Monti Jr., Ronald Busciolano
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3398
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State and local agencies, systematically collects groundwater data at varying measurement frequencies to monitor the hydrologic conditions on Long Island, New York. Each year during April and May, the U.S. Geological Survey completes a synoptic survey of water levels to define the spatial...
Direct channel precipitation and storm type influence short-term fallout radionuclide assessment of sediment source
Diana Karwan, James Pizzuto, Rolf Aalto, Julia Marquard, Adrian Harpold, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Delphia Levia, Courtney Siegert, Anthony K. Aufdenkampe
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 4579-4594
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and their ratios, such as Beryllium‐7 (7Be) and excess Lead‐210 (210Pbxs), have been used to determine suspended sediment source and age in catchments. These models are based on numerous assumptions, for example, that channel deposition of FRNs from precipitation is negligible in comparison to their delivery to...
Storm impacts on hydrodynamics and suspended-sediment fluxes in a microtidal back-barrier estuary
Daniel J. Nowacki, Neil K. Ganju
2018, Marine Geology (404) 1-14
Recent major storms have piqued interest in understanding the responses of estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment transport to these events. To that end, flow velocity, wave characteristics, and suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) were measured for 11 months at eight locations in Chincoteague Bay, MD/VA, USA, a shallow back-barrier estuary. Daily breezes and...
Warm water temperatures and shifts in seasonality increase trout recruitment but only moderately decrease adult size in western North American tailwaters
Kimberly L. Dibble, Charles B. Yackulic, Theodore A. Kennedy
2018, Environmental Biology of Fishes (101) 1269-1283
Dams throughout western North America have altered thermal regimes in rivers, creating cold, clear “tailwaters” in which trout populations thrive. Ongoing drought in the region has led to highly publicized reductions in reservoir storage and raised concerns about potential reductions in downstream flows. Large changes in riverine thermal regimes may...
Fish-habitat relationships along the estuarine gradient of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California: Implications for habitat restoration
Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Denise D. Colombano, J. Louise Conrad, Andrew Sih
2018, Estuaries and Coasts (41) 2389-2409
Estuaries are highly variable environments where fish are subjected to a diverse suite of habitat features (e.g., water quality gradients, physical structure) that filter local assemblages from a broader, regional species pool. Tidal, climatological, and oceanographic phenomena drive water quality gradients and, ultimately, expose individuals to other habitat features (e.g.,...
Faunal and stable isotopic analyses of benthic foraminifera from the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California, USA
Mary McGann, James E. Conrad
2018, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (150) 92-117
We investigated the benthic foraminiferal faunal and stable carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of a 15-cm push core (NA075-092b) obtained on a Telepresence-Enabled cruise to the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California. The seep core was taken at a depth of 973 m in the vicinity of a...
Contemporary fluvial geomorphology and suspended sediment budget of the partly confined, mixed bedrock-alluvial South River, Virginia, USA
James E. Pizzuto, Michael A. O’Neal, Pramenath Narinesingh, Katherine Skalak, Dajana Jurk, Suzann Collins, Jacquelyn Calder
2018, GSA Bulletin (130) 1859-1874
We developed a conceptual model and suspended sediment budget for a 38 km reach of the fifth-order South River, Virginia, for the past 75 yr. Bedrock, terraces, and alluvial fans confine 64% of the channel’s lateral boundaries, while bedrock exposures impose vertical confinement along 37% of the channel. Bedrock exposures...
Limited hatchery introgression into wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations despite reoccurring stocking
Shannon L. White, William L. Miller, Stephanie A. Dowell, Meredith L. Bartron, Tyler Wagner
2018, Evolutionary Applications (11) 1567-1581
Due to increased anthropogenic pressures on many fish populations, supplementing wild populations with captive‐raised individuals has become an increasingly common management practice. Stocking programs can be controversial due to uncertainty about the long‐term fitness effects of genetic introgression on wild populations. In particular, introgression between hatchery and wild individuals can...
Spatial variability and macro‐scale drivers of growth for native and introduced Flathead Catfish populations
Danielle L. Massie, Geoffrey Smith, Timothy F. Bonvechio, Aaron J. Bunch, David O. Lucchesi, Tyler Wagner
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 554-565
Quantifying spatial variability in fish growth and identifying large‐scale drivers of growth are fundamental to many conservation and management decisions. Although fish growth studies often focus on a single population, it is becoming increasingly clear that large‐scale studies are likely needed for addressing transboundary management needs. This is particularly true...
Extreme drought alters frequency and reproductive success of floaters in Willow Flycatchers
Tad Theimer, Mark K. Sogge, Suzanne N. Cardinal, Scott L. Durst, Eben H. Paxton
2018, The Auk (135) 647-656
Changes in habitat quality, including those caused by extreme events like droughts and floods, could alter costs and benefits of territoriality and thereby the prevalence and reproductive consequences for individuals capable of breeding that do not do so (floaters). We studied floating behavior in a population of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers...
Groundwater flux estimation in streams: A thermal equilibrium approach
Yan Zhou, Garey A. Fox, Ron B. Miller, Robert Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer
2018, Journal of Hydrology (561) 822-832
Stream and groundwater interactions play an essential role in regulating flow, temperature, and water quality for stream ecosystems. Temperature gradients have been used to quantify vertical water movement in the streambed since the 1960s, but advancements in thermal methods are still possible. Seepage runs are a method commonly used to...
