Potential evapotranspiration and continental drying
Paul C.D. Milly, Krista A. Dunne
2016, Nature Climate Change (6) 946-949
By various measures (drought area and intensity, climatic aridity index, and climatic water deficits), some observational analyses have suggested that much of the Earth’s land has been drying during recent decades, but such drying seems inconsistent with observations of dryland greening and decreasing pan evaporation. ‘Offline’ analyses of climate-model...
NGWA workshop on “Making Groundwater Sustainable”
Leonard F. Konikow
2016, Sustainable Water Resources Management (2) 119-120
No abstract available....
Hydrogeologic controls on groundwater discharge and nitrogen loads in a coastal watershed
Chrtopher J. Russoniello, Leonard F. Konikow, Kevin D. Kroeger, Cristina Fernandez, A. Scott Andres, Holly A. Michael
2016, Journal of Hydrology (538) 783-793
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a small portion of the global water budget, but a potentially large contributor to coastal nutrient budgets due to high concentrations relative to stream discharge. A numerical groundwater flow model of the Inland Bays Watershed, Delaware, USA, was developed to identify the primary hydrogeologic factors...
Actively heated high-resolution fiber-optic-distributed temperature sensing to quantify streambed flow dynamics in zones of strong groundwater upwelling
Martin A. Briggs, Sean F. Buckley, Amvrossios C. Bagtzoglou, Dale D. Werkema, John W. Lane Jr.
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 5179-5194
Zones of strong groundwater upwelling to streams enhance thermal stability and moderate thermal extremes, which is particularly important to aquatic ecosystems in a warming climate. Passive thermal tracer methods used to quantify vertical upwelling rates rely on downward conduction of surface temperature signals. However, moderate to high groundwater flux rates...
Predicting arsenic in drinking water wells of the Central Valley, California
Joseph D. Ayotte, Bernard T. Nolan, JoAnn M. Gronberg
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 7555-7563
Probabilities of arsenic in groundwater at depths used for domestic and public supply in the Central Valley of California are predicted using weak-learner ensemble models (boosted regression trees, BRT) and more traditional linear models (logistic regression, LR). Both methods captured major processes that affect arsenic concentrations, such as the chemical...
Validation of a stream and riparian habitat assessment protocol using stream salamanders in the southwest Virginia coalfields
Sara E. Sweeten, W. Mark Ford
2016, Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (5) 45-66
Within the central Appalachia Coalfields, the aquatic impacts of large-scale land uses, such as surface mining, are of particular ecological concern. Identification and quantification of land use impacts to aquatic ecosystems are a necessary first step to aid in mitigation of negative consequences to biota. However, quantifying physical environmental quality...
Potential carbon emissions dominated by carbon dioxide from thawed permafrost soils
Christina Schädel, Martin K.-F. Bader, Edward A.G. Schuur, Christina Biasi, Rosvel Bracho, Petr Capek, Sarah De Baets, Katerina Diakova, Jessica Ernakovich, Cristian Estop-Aragones, David E. Graham, Iain P. Hartley, Colleen M. Iversen, Evan S. Kane, Christian Knoblauch, Massimo Lupascu, Pertti J. Martikainen, Susan M. Natali, Richard J. Norby, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Taniya Roy Chowdhury, Hana Santruckova, Gaius Shaver, Victoria L. Sloan, Claire C. Treat, Merritt R. Turetsky, Mark P. Waldrop, Kimberly P. Wickland
2016, Nature Climate Change (6) 950-953
Increasing temperatures in northern high latitudes are causing permafrost to thaw, making large amounts of previously frozen organic matter vulnerable to microbial decomposition. Permafrost thaw also creates a fragmented landscape of drier and wetter soil conditions that determine the amount and form (carbon dioxide (CO2), or methane (CH4)) of carbon (C) released...
Bayesian nitrate source apportionment to individual groundwater wells in the Central Valley by use of elemental and isotopic tracers
Katherine M Ransom, Mark N. Grote, Amanda Deinhart, Gary Eppich, Carol Kendall, Matthew E. Sanborn, A. Kate Sounders, Joshua Wimpenny, Qing-zhu Yin, Megan B. Young, Thomas Harter
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 5577-5597
Groundwater quality is a concern in alluvial aquifers that underlie agricultural areas, such as in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Shallow domestic wells (less than 150 m deep) in agricultural areas are often contaminated by nitrate. Agricultural and rural nitrate sources include dairy manure, synthetic fertilizers, and septic waste....
Acid mine drainage
Jerry M. Bigham, Charles A. Cravotta
2016, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Soil Science, Third Edition
Acid mine drainage (AMD) consists of metal-laden solutions produced by the oxidative dissolution of iron sulfide minerals exposed to air, moisture, and acidophilic microbes during the mining of coal and metal deposits. The pH of AMD is usually in the range of 2–6, but mine-impacted waters at circumneutral pH (5–8)...
Planetary caves’ role in astronaut bases and the search for life
J. Judson Wynne, Timothy N. Titus, Penelope J. Boston
2016, Eos, Earth and Space Science News (97)
Planetary caves are practically everywhere. Scientists have identified more than 200 lunar and more than 2000 Martian cave-related features. They’ve also found vents and fissures associated with water ice plumes on Saturnian, Jovian, and Neptunian moons. Recently, primary vents of two possible cryovolcanoes were identified on Pluto....
A long-term study of ecological impacts of river channelization on the population of an endangered fish: Lessons learned for assessment and restoration
James H. Roberts, Gregory B. Anderson, Paul L. Angermeier
2016, Water (8) 1-38
Projects to assess environmental impact or restoration success in rivers focus on project-specific questions but can also provide valuable insights for future projects. Both restoration actions and impact assessments can become “adaptive” by using the knowledge gained from long-term monitoring and analysis to revise the actions, monitoring, conceptual model, or...
Common carp disrupt ecosystem structure and function through middle-out effects
Mark A. Kaemingk, Jeffrey C. Jolley, Craig P. Paukert, David W. Willis, Kjetil R. Henderson, Richard S. Holland, Greg A. Wanner, Mark L. Lindvall
2016, Marine and Freshwater Research (68) 718-731
Middle-out effects or a combination of top-down and bottom-up processes create many theoretical and empirical challenges in the realm of trophic ecology. We propose using specific autecology or species trait (i.e. behavioural) information to help explain and understand trophic dynamics that may involve complicated and non-unidirectional trophic interactions. The common...
The impact of onsite wastewater disposal systems on groundwater in areas inundated by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey
Irene Fisher, Patrick J. Phillips, Kaitlyn Colella, Shawn C. Fisher, Tristen N. Tagliaferri, William T. Foreman, Edward T. Furlong
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (107) 509-517
Coastal onsite wastewater disposal systems (OWDS) were inundated by Hurricane Sandy's storm tide. This study compares the shallow groundwater quality (nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones) downgradient of OWDS before and after Hurricane Sandy, where available, and establishes a baseline for wastewater influence on groundwater in coastal communities inundated by Hurricane Sandy....
Comparison of wastewater-associated contaminants in the bed sediment of Hempstead Bay, New York, before and after Hurricane Sandy
Shawn C. Fisher, Patrick J. Phillips, Bruce J. Brownawell, James Browne
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (107) 499-508
Changes in bed sediment chemistry of Hempstead Bay (HB) have been evaluated in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which resulted in the release of billions of liters of poorly-treated sewage into tributaries and channels throughout the bay. Surficial grab samples (top 5 cm) collected before and (or) after Hurricane...
Flood-inundation maps for Lake Champlain in Vermont and in northern Clinton County, New York
Robert H. Flynn, Laura Hayes
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5060
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximately100-mile length of Lake Champlain in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties in Vermont and northern Clinton County in New York were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the International Joint Commission (IJC). The flood-inundationmaps, which can be accessed through...
Updated logistic regression equations for the calculation of post-fire debris-flow likelihood in the western United States
Dennis M. Staley, Jacquelyn A. Negri, Jason W. Kean, Jayme L. Laber, Anne C. Tillery, Ann M. Youberg
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1106
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can generate dangerous flash floods and debris flows. To reduce public exposure to hazard, the U.S. Geological Survey produces post-fire debris-flow hazard assessments for select fires in the western United States. We use...
Regional variability in bed-sediment concentrations of wastewater compounds, hormones and PAHs for portions of coastal New York and New Jersey impacted by hurricane Sandy
Patrick J. Phillips, Cathy A Gibson, Shawn C. Fisher, Irene Fisher, Timothy J. Reilly, Kelly L. Smalling, Kristin M. Romanok, William T. Foreman, Rhiannon C. ReVello, Michael J. Focazio, Daniel K. Jones
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (107) 489-498
Bed sediment samples from 79 coastal New York and New Jersey, USA sites were analyzed for 75 compounds including wastewater associated contaminants, PAHs, and other organic compounds to assess the post-Hurricane Sandy distribution of organic contaminants among six regions. These results provide the first assessment of wastewater compounds, hormones, and...
Application of SPARROW modeling to understanding contaminant fate and transport from uplands to streams
Scott Ator, Ana Maria Garcia
2016, JAWRA (52) 685-704
Understanding spatial variability in contaminant fate and transport is critical to efficient regional water-quality restoration. An approach to capitalize on previously calibrated spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) models to improve the understanding of contaminant fate and transport was developed and applied to the case of nitrogen in the 166,000 km2 Chesapeake Bay watershed....
Understanding the hydrologic impacts of wastewater treatment plant discharge to shallow groundwater: Before and after plant shutdown
Laura E. Hubbard, Steffanie H. Keefe, Dana W. Kolpin, Larry B. Barber, Joseph W. Duris, Kasey J. Hutchinson, Paul M. Bradley
2016, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology (2) 864-874
Effluent-impacted surface water has the potential to transport not only water, but wastewater-derived contaminants to shallow groundwater systems. To better understand the effects of effluent discharge on in-stream and near-stream hydrologic conditions in wastewater-impacted systems, water-level changes were monitored in hyporheic-zone and shallow-groundwater piezometers in a reach of Fourmile Creek...
Completion summary for boreholes TAN-2271 and TAN‑2272 at Test Area North, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining, Roy C. Bartholomay, Mary Hodges
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5088
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, drilled and constructed boreholes TAN-2271 and TAN-2272 for stratigraphic framework analyses and long-term groundwater monitoring of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeast Idaho. Borehole TAN-2271 initially was cored...
Three-dimensional visualization maps of suspended-sediment concentrations during placement of dredged material in 21st Avenue West Channel Embayment, Duluth-Superior Harbor, Duluth, Minnesota, 2015
Joel T. Groten, Christopher A. Ellison, Mollie H. Mahoney
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5086
Excess sediment in rivers and estuaries poses serious environmental and economic challenges. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) routinely dredges sediment in Federal navigation channels to maintain commercial shipping operations. The USACE initiated a 3-year pilot project in 2013 to use navigation channel dredged material to aid in restoration...
Adjusting annual maximum peak discharges at selected stations in northeastern Illinois for changes in land-use conditions
Thomas M. Over, Riki J. Saito, David T. Soong
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5049
The effects of urbanization on annual maximum peak discharges in northeastern Illinois and nearby areas from 1945 to 2009 were analyzed with a two-step longitudinal-quantile linear regression approach. The peak discharges were then adjusted to 2010 land-use conditions. The explanatory variables used were daily precipitation at the time of the...
Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013–15
Marshall L. Williams, Dorene E. MacCoy
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1098
Mercury (Hg) analyses were conducted on samples of sport fish and water collected from selected sampling sites in Brownlee Reservoir and the Boise and Snake Rivers to meet National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements for the City of Boise, Idaho, between 2013 and 2015. City of...
Using macroinvertebrate assemblages and multiple stressors to infer urban stream system condition: A case study in the central US
John W. Nichols, Jason A. Hubbart, Barry C. Poulton
2016, Urban Ecosystems (19) 679-704
Characterizing the impacts of hydrologic alterations, pollutants, and habitat degradation on macroinvertebrate species assemblages is of critical value for managers wishing to categorize stream ecosystem condition. A combination of approaches including trait-based metrics and traditional bioassessments provides greater information, particularly in anthropogenic stream ecosystems where traditional approaches can be confounded...
Saharan dust nutrients promote Vibrio bloom formation in marine surface waters
Jason R. Westrich, Alina M. Ebling, William M. Landing, Jessica L. Joyner, Keri M. Kemp, Dale W. Griffin, Erin K. Lipp
2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (113) 5964-5969
Vibrio is a ubiquitous genus of marine bacteria, typically comprising a small fraction of the total microbial community in surface waters, but capable of becoming a dominant taxon in response to poorly characterized factors. Iron (Fe), often restricted by limited bioavailability and low external supply, is an essential micronutrient that can...
