Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California: 2014
Daniel J. Cain, Janet K. Thompson, Jeff Crauder, Francis Parcheso, A. Robin Stewart, Amy E. Kleckner, Jessica Dyke, Michelle I. Hornberger, Samuel N. Luoma
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1199
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer (km) south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco...
Temporal geochemical variations in above- and below-drainage coal mine discharge
Jill E. Burrows, Stephen C. Peters, Charles A. Cravotta III,
2015, Applied Geochemistry (62) 84-95
Water quality data collected in 2012 for 10 above- and 14 below-drainage coal mine discharges (CMDs), classified by mining or excavation method, in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania, USA, are compared with data for 1975, 1991, and 1999 to evaluate long-term (37 year) changes in pH, SO42−, and Fe concentrations related...
Responses of macroinvertebrate community metrics to a wastewater discharge in the Upper Blue River of Kansas and Missouri, USA
Barry C. Poulton, Jennifer L. Graham, Teresa J. Rasmussen, Mandy L. Stone
2015, Journal of Water Resource and Protection (7) 1195-1220
The Blue River Main wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) discharges into the upper Blue River (725 km2), and is recently upgraded to implement biological nutrient removal. We measured biotic condition upstream and downstream of the discharge utilizing the macroinvertebrate protocol developed for Kansas streams. We examined responses of 34 metrics to...
Storage capacity of the Fena Valley Reservoir, Guam, Mariana Islands, 2014
Mathieu D. Marineau, Scott Wright
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5128
The Fena Valley Reservoir is in southern Guam and is the primary source of water for the U.S. Naval Base Guam and nearby village residents. Since the construction of the Fena Dam in 1951, sediment has accumulated in the reservoir and reduced its storage capacity. The reservoir was surveyed previously...
myScience—Engaging the public in U.S. Geological Survey science
Sally Holl
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3070
myScience (http://txpub.usgs.gov/myscience/) is a Web application developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Texas Water Science Center through a partnership with the USGS Community for Data Integration to address the need for increasing public awareness and participation in existing USGS citizen science projects. The myScience application contains data...
Discharge, suspended sediment, and salinity in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and adjacent surface waters in South-Central Louisiana, 1997–2008
Christopher M. Swarzenski, Scott M. Perrien
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5132
Discharge, suspended sediment, and salinity data collected between 1997 and 2008 indicate that the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) is an important distributary of river water and suspended sediments to coastal wetlands in south-central coastal Louisiana. Following natural hydraulic gradients, the GIWW passively distributes freshwater and suspended sediments from the Atchafalaya...
Hydrogeology of Valley-Fill Aquifers and Adjacent Areas in Eastern Chemung County, New York
Paul M. Heisig
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5092
The extent, hydrogeologic framework, and potential well yields of valley-fill aquifers within a 151-square-mile area of eastern Chemung County, New York, were investigated, and the upland distribution of till thickness over bedrock was characterized. The hydrogeologic framework of these valleyfill aquifers was interpreted from multiple sources of surficial and subsurface...
Topsy-turvy: Turning the counter-current heat exchange of leatherback turtles upside down
John Davenport, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs
2015, Biology Letters (11)
Counter-current heat exchangers associated with appendages of endotherms feature bundles of closely applied arteriovenous vessels. The accepted paradigm is that heat from warm arterial blood travelling into the appendage crosses into cool venous blood returning to the body. High core temperature is maintained, but the appendage functions at low temperature....
Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota
Neil S. Fishman, Sven O. Egenhoff, Adam Boehlke, Heather A. Lowers
2015, GSA Special Papers (515) 125-151
The organic-rich upper shale member of the upper Devonian–lower Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA) has undergone significant diagenetic alteration, irrespective of catagenesis related to hydrocarbon generation. Alteration includes precipitation of numerous cements, replacement of both detrital and authigenic minerals, multiple episodes of fracturing, and compaction. Quartz authigenesis...
Interactive effects of climate change with nutrients, mercury, and freshwater acidification on key taxa in the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative region
Alfred E. Pinkney, Charles T. Driscoll, David C. Evers, Michael J. Hooper, Jeffrey Horan, Jess W. Jones, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Harold G. Marshall, Andrew Milliken, Barnett A. Rattner, John J. Schmerfeld, Donald W. Sparling
2015, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (11) 355-369
The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative LCC (NA LCC) is a public–private partnership that provides information to support conservation decisions that may be affected by global climate change (GCC) and other threats. The NA LCC region extends from southeast Virginia to the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Within this region, the US...
Hindcast storm events in the Bering Sea for the St. Lawrence Island and Unalakleet Regions, Alaska
Li H. Erikson, Robert T. McCall, Arnold van Rooijen, Benjamin Norris
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1193
This study provides viable estimates of historical storm-induced water levels in the coastal communities of Gambell and Savoonga situated on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, as well as Unalakleet located at the head of Norton Sound on the western coast of Alaska. Gambell, Savoonga, and Unalakleet are small...
Initial characterization of the groundwater system near the Lower Colorado Water Supply Project, Imperial Valley, California
Alissa L. Coes, Michael Land, Jill N. Densmore, Michael T. Landrum, Kimberly R. Beisner, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Jamie P. Macy, Fred D. Tillman
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5102
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Needles, began a study of the hydrogeology along the All-American Canal, which conveys water from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley. The focus of this study was to gain a better understanding of the effect of...
Simulation of daily streamflow for nine river basins in eastern Iowa using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System
Adel E. Haj, Daniel E. Christiansen, Kasey J. Hutchinson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5129
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, constructed Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System models to estimate daily streamflow for nine river basins in eastern Iowa that drain into the Mississippi River. The models are part of a suite of methods for estimating daily streamflow at ungaged...
Surrogate Analysis and Index Developer (SAID) tool
Marian M. Domanski, Timothy D. Straub, Mark N. Landers
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1177
The use of acoustic and other parameters as surrogates for suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC) in rivers has been successful in multiple applications across the Nation. Tools to process and evaluate the data are critical to advancing the operational use of surrogates along with the subsequent development of regression models from which...
Flood-inundation maps for South Fork Peachtree Creek from the Brockett Road bridge to the Willivee Drive bridge, DeKalb County, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3347
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.3-mile reach of South Fork Peachtree Creek that extends from about 500 feet above the Brockett Road bridge to the Willivee Drive bridge were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with DeKalb County, Georgia. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through...
Endocrine-disrupting activity of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and adverse health outcomes after prenatal exposure in male mice
Christopher D. Kassotis, Kara C. Klemp, Danh C. Vu, Chung-Ho Lin, Chun-Xia Meng, Cynthia L. Besch-Williford, Lisa Pinatti, R. Thomas Zoeller, Erma Z. Drobnis, Victoria D. Balise, Chiamaka J. Isiguzo, Michelle A. Williams, Donald E. Tillitt, Susan C. Nagel
2015, Endocrinology (156) 4458-4473
Oil and natural gas operations have been shown to contaminate surface and ground water with endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In the current study, we fill several gaps in our understanding of the potential environmental impacts related to this process. We measured the endocrine-disrupting activities of 24 chemicals used and/or produced by oil...
Relating subsurface temperature changes to microbial activity at a crude oil-contaminated site
Ean Warren, Barbara A. Bekins
2015, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (182) 183-193
Crude oil at a spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota has been undergoing aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation for over 30 years, creating a 150–200 m plume of primary and secondary contaminants. Microbial degradation generates heat that should be measurable under the right conditions. To measure this heat, thermistors were installed in wells in...
Accuracy testing of steel and electric groundwater-level measuring tapes: Test method and in-service tape accuracy
Janice M. Fulford, Christopher S. Clayton
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1137
The accuracy of groundwater-level tapes was investigated by developing a tape calibration method and device and testing the accuracy of a sample of groundwater-level tapes with the calibration method and device. The sample of tapes included in-service U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Center steel and electric groundwater-level tapes. The tape...
Dam removal, connectivity, and aquatic resources in the St. Regis River Watershed, New York
James E. McKenna Jr., Kaitlin Hanak, Katharine DeVilbiss, Anthony David, James H. Johnson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5116
The decommissioning and planned removal of the Hogansburg Dam on the St. Regis River in New York has stimulated interest in the potential effects of that barrier removal on the St. Regis watershed. There will be immediate and systemic effects of the Hogansburg Dam removal, which may include inundation of...
Identifying trout refuges in the Indian and Hudson Rivers in northern New York through airborne thermal infrared remote sensing
Anne G. Ernst, Barry P. Baldigo, Fred J. Calef, Douglas A. Freehafer, Robert L. Kremens
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1078
The locations and sizes of potential cold-water refuges for trout were examined in 2005 along a 27-kilometer segment of the Indian and Hudson Rivers in northern New York to evaluate the extent of refuges, the effects of routine flow releases from an impoundment, and how these refuges and releases might...
Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, Volume 15
Julie A. Dumoulin, editor(s)
2015, Professional Paper 1814
Summary Professional Paper 1814—Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, Volume 15—continues a long-running series of collected volumes of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientific reports on Alaska. This series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to Earth and biological scientists in academia, government, and industry; to...
Mortality, movement and behaviour of native mussels during a planned water-level drawdown in the Upper Mississippi River
Teresa J. Newton, Steven J. Zigler, Brian R. Gray
2015, Freshwater Biology (60) 1-15
Managers in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) are using reductions in the River's water levels during summer to mimic historical water regimes and rehabilitate habitats for vegetation and other species. Concerns for the unintended effects of these actions on mussel populations threatened to halt these projects. Our objective...
Bioaccumulation trends of arsenic and antimony in a freshwater ecosystem affected by mine drainage
Meghan A. Dovick, Thomas R. Kulp, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod
2015, Environmental Chemistry (13) 149-159
We compared As and Sb bioaccumulation and biomagnification when these metalloids co-occurred at varying environmental concentrations in a stream and wetlands near a contaminated mine site in Idaho (USA). We measured As and Sb concentrations in water and substrate samples, and in tissues of organisms representing several trophic levels. Bioaccumulation...
Archive of bathymetry data collected at Cape Canaveral, Florida, 2014
Mark E. Hansen, Nathaniel G. Plant, David M. Thompson, Rodolfo J. Troche, Christine J. Kranenburg, Emily S. Klipp
2015, Data Series 957
Remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of the sea floor, acquired by boat- and aircraft-based survey systems, were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida, for the area at Cape Canaveral. The work was conducted as part of a study to...
Installation of a groundwater monitoring-well network on the east side of the Uncompahgre River in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, 2014
Judith C. Thomas
2015, Data Series 955
The east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin has been a known contributor of dissolved selenium to recipient streams. Discharge of groundwater containing dissolved selenium contributes to surface-water selenium concentrations and loads; however, the groundwater system on the east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin is not well characterized. The...