Development of a CE-QUAL-W2 temperature model for Crystal Springs Lake, Portland, Oregon
Norman L. Buccola, Adam J. Stonewall
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1076
During summer 2014, lake level, streamflow, and water temperature in and around Crystal Springs Lake in Portland, Oregon, were measured by the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to better understand the effect of the lake on Crystal Springs Creek and Johnson Creek downstream....
Storm-event-transport of urban-use pesticides to streams likely impairs invertebrate assemblages
Kurt D. Carpenter, Kathryn Kuivila, Michelle Hladik, Tana Haluska, Michael B. Cole
2016, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (188)
Insecticide use in urban areas results in the detection of these compounds in streams following stormwater runoff at concentrations likely to cause toxicity for stream invertebrates. In this 2013 study, stormwater runoff and streambed sediments were analyzed for 91 pesticides dissolved in water and 118 pesticides on sediment. Detections included...
A partial exponential lumped parameter model to evaluate groundwater age distributions and nitrate trends in long-screened wells
Bryant C. Jurgens, John Karl Bohlke, Leon J. Kauffman, Kenneth Belitz, Bradley K. Esser
2016, Journal of Hydrology (543) 109-126
A partial exponential lumped parameter model (PEM) was derived to determine age distributions and nitrate trends in long-screened production wells. The PEM can simulate age distributions for wells screened over any finite interval of an aquifer that has an exponential distribution of age with depth. The PEM has...
Groundwater geochemical and selected volatile organic compound data, Operable Unit 1, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, Washington, July 2015
Raegan L. Huffman
2016, Data Series 998
Previous investigations indicate that concentrations of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) are substantial in groundwater beneath the 9-acre former landfill at Operable Unit 1, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, Washington. The U.S. Geological Survey has continued to monitor groundwater geochemistry to ensure that conditions remain favorable for contaminant...
Estimating national water use associated with unconventional oil and gas development
Janet M. Carter, Kathleen M. Macek-Rowland, Joanna N. Thamke, Gregory C. Delzer
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3032
The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) goals are to provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the water resources of the United States and assist in the determination of the quantity and quality of water that is available for beneficial uses. These...
Changes in habitat availability for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Oncorhychus spp.) following estuary restoration
Christopher S. Ellings, Melanie J. Davis, Eric E. Grossman, Sayre Hodgson, Kelley L. Turner, Isa Woo PR, Glynnis Nakai, Jean E. Takekawa, John Y. Takekawa
2016, Restoration Ecology (24) 415-427
The restoration of the Nisqually River Delta (Washington, U.S.A.) represents one of the largest efforts toward reestablishing the ecosystem function and resilience of modified habitat in the Puget Sound, particularly for anadromous salmonid species. The opportunity for outmigrating salmon to access and benefit from the expansion of available tidal habitat...
Where is the hot rock and where is the ground water— Using CSAMT to map beneath and around Mount St. Helens
Jeff Wynn, Adam R. Mosbrucker, Herbert Pierce, Kurt R. Spicer
2016, Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics (21) 79-87
We have observed several new features in recent controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) soundings on and around Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA. We have identified the approximate location of a strong electrical conductor at the edges of and beneath the 2004–08 dome. We interpret this conductor to be hot brine...
Ecology of nonnative Siberian prawn (Palaemon modestus) in the lower Snake River, Washington, USA
John M. Erhardt, Kenneth F. Tiffan
2016, Aquatic Ecology (50) 607-621
We assessed the abundance, distribution, and ecology of the nonnative Siberian prawn Palaemon modestus in the lower Snake River, Washington, USA. Analysis of prawn passage abundance at three Snake River dams showed that populations are growing at exponential rates, especially at Little Goose Dam where over 464,000 prawns were collected...
Building science-based groundwater tools and capacity in Armenia for the Ararat Basin
Janet M. Carter, Joshua F. Valder, Mark T. Anderson, Patrick Meyer, Jo L. Eimers
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3033
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began a study in 2016 to help build science-based groundwater tools and capacity for the Ararat Basin in Armenia. The growth of aquaculture and other uses in the Ararat Basin has been accompanied by increased withdrawals of groundwater,...
Conditions and processes affecting sand resources at archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor below Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona
Amy E. East, Brian D. Collins, Joel B. Sankey, Skye C. Corbett, Helen C. Fairley, Joshua J. Caster
2016, Professional Paper 1825
This study examined links among fluvial, aeolian, and hillslope geomorphic processes that affect archeological sites and surrounding landscapes in the Colorado River corridor downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona. We assessed the potential for Colorado River sediment to enhance the preservation of river-corridor archeological resources through aeolian sand deposition...
Depth calibration of the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar, EAARL-B
C. Wayne Wright, Christine J. Kranenburg, Rodolfo J. Troche, Richard W. Mitchell, David B. Nagle
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1048
Introduction The original National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) was extensively modified to increase the spatial sampling density and to improve performance in water ranging from 3 to 44 meters (m). The new (EAARL-B) sensor features a higher spatial density that was achieved by optically...
Regional oxygen reduction and denitrification rates in groundwater from multi-model residence time distributions, San Joaquin Valley, USA
Christopher T. Green, Bryant C. Jurgens, Yong Zhang, Jeffrey Starn, Michael J. Singleton, Bradley K. Esser
2016, Journal of Hydrology (145) 47-55
Rates of oxygen and nitrate reduction are key factors in determining the chemical evolution of groundwater. Little is known about how these rates vary and covary in regional groundwater settings, as few studies have focused on regional datasets with multiple tracers and methods of analysis that account for effects of...
Freshwater wrack along Great Lakes coasts harbors Escherichia coli: Potential for bacterial transfer between watershed environments
Meredith Nevers, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley Spoljaric, Dawn A. Shively, Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 760-767
We investigated the occurrence, persistence, and growth potential of Escherichia coli associated with freshwater organic debris (i.e., wrack) frequently deposited along shorelines (shoreline wrack), inputs from rivers (river CPOM), and parking lot runoffs (urban litter). Samples were collected from 9 Great Lakes beaches, 3 creeks, and 4 beach parking lots....
Effects of variations in flow characteristics through W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam on downstream water quality in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary and in McIntyre Creek in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, southern Florida, 2010–13
Amanda Booth, Lars E. Soderqvist, Travis M. Knight
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5033
The U.S. Geological Survey studied water-quality trends at the mouth of McIntyre Creek, an entry point to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, to investigate correlations between flow rates and volumes through the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam and water-quality constituents inside the refuge from March 2010 to December...
Hydrogeochemistry and coal-associated bacterial populations from a methanogenic coal bed
Elliott P. Barnhart, Edwin P. Weeks, Elizabeth Jones, Daniel J. Ritter, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Arthur C. Clark, Leslie F. Ruppert, Alfred B. Cunningham, David S. Vinson, William H. Orem, Matthew W. Fields
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (162) 14-26
Biogenic coalbed methane (CBM), a microbially-generated source of natural gas trapped within coal beds, is an important energy resource in many countries. Specific bacterial populations and enzymes involved in coal degradation, the potential rate-limiting step of CBM formation, are relatively unknown. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has established a field...
Quantifying resilience
Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler
2016, Journal of Applied Ecology (53) 617-624
The biosphere is under unprecedented pressure, reflected in rapid changes in our global ecological, social, technological and economic systems. In many cases, ecological and social systems can adapt to these changes over time, but when a critical threshold is surpassed, a system under stress can undergo catastrophic change and reorganize...
Decadal-scale export of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from the Susquehanna River basin, USA: Analysis and synthesis of temporal and spatial patterns
Qian Zhang, William P. Ball, Douglas L. Moyer
2016, Science of the Total Environment (563-564) 1016-1029
The export of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment (SS) is a long-standing management concern for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA. Here we present a comprehensive evaluation of nutrient and sediment loads over the last three decades at multiple locations in the Susquehanna River basin (SRB), Chesapeake's largest tributary...
Modeled effects of soil acidification on long-term ecological and economic outcomes for managed forests in the Adirondack region (USA)
Jesse Caputo, Colin M. Beier, Timothy J. Sullivan, Gregory B. Lawrence
2016, Science of the Total Environment (565) 401-411
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is among the most ecologically and economically important tree species in North America, and its growth and regeneration is often the focus of silvicultural practices in northern hardwood forests. A key stressor for sugar maple (SM) is acid rain, which depletes base cations from poorly-buffered forest...
Long-term trends in naturalized rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations in the upper Esopus Creek, Ulster County, New York, 2009–15
Scott D. George, Barry P. Baldigo
2016, Data Series 992
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, surveyed fish communities annually on the main stem and tributaries of the...
QRev—Software for computation and quality assurance of acoustic doppler current profiler moving-boat streamflow measurements—User’s manual for version 2.8
David S. Mueller
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1052
The software program, QRev computes the discharge from moving-boat acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements using data collected with any of the Teledyne RD Instrument or SonTek bottom tracking acoustic Doppler current profilers. The computation of discharge is independent of the manufacturer of the acoustic Doppler current profiler because QRev applies...
Latest Miocene-earliest Pliocene evolution of the ancestral Rio Grande at the Española-San Luis Basin boundary, northern New Mexico
Daniel J. Koning, Scott B. Aby, V. J. Grauch, Matthew J. Zimmerer
2016, New Mexico Geology (38) 24-49
We use stratigraphic relations, paleoflow data, and 40Ar/39Ar dating to interpret net aggradation, punctuated by at least two minor incisional events, along part of the upper ancestral Rio Grande fluvial system between 5.5 and 4.5 Ma (in northern New Mexico). The studied fluvial deposits, which we informally call the...
Climate regulates alpine lake ice cover phenology and aquatic ecosystem structure
Daniel L. Preston, Nel Caine, Diane M. McKnight, Mark W. Williams, Katherina Hell, Matthew P. Miller, Sarah J. Hart, Pieter T.J. Johnson
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 5353-5360
High-elevation aquatic ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, yet relatively few records are available to characterize shifts in ecosystem structure or their underlying mechanisms. Using a long-term dataset on seven alpine lakes (3126 to 3620 m) in Colorado, USA, we show that ice-off dates have shifted seven days earlier over...
The importance of base flow in sustaining surface water flow in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Matthew P. Miller, Susan G. Buto, David D. Susong, Christine Rumsey
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 3547-3562
The Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need...
Ephemerality of discrete methane vents in lake sediments
Benjamin P. Scandella, Liam Pillsbury, Thomas Weber, Carolyn D. Ruppel, Harold F. Hemond, Ruben Juanes
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 4374-4381
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas whose emission from sediments in inland waters and shallow oceans may both contribute to global warming and be exacerbated by it. The fraction of methane emitted by sediments that bypasses dissolution in the water column and reaches the atmosphere as bubbles depends on the...
Three-dimensional flow structure and patterns of bed shear stress in an evolving compound meander bend
Frank L. Engel, Bruce L. Rhoads
2016, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (41) 1211-1226
Compound meander bends with multiple lobes of maximum curvature are common in actively evolving lowland rivers. Interaction among spatial patterns of mean flow, turbulence, bed morphology, bank failures and channel migration in compound bends is poorly understood. In this paper, acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements of the three-dimensional (3D)...
