Monitoring and modeling wetland chloride concentrations in relationship to oil and gas development
Max Post van der Burg, Brian A. Tangen
2015, Journal of Environmental Management (150) 120-127
Extraction of oil and gas via unconventional methods is becoming an important aspect of energy production worldwide. Studying the effects of this development in countries where these technologies are being widely used may provide other countries, where development may be proposed, with some insight in terms of concerns associated with...
Hydroclimatic conditions preceding the March 2014 Oso landslide
Brian Henn, Qian Cao, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Christopher S. Magirl, Clifford Mass, J. Brent Bower, Michael St. Laurent, Yixin Mao, Sanja Perica
2015, Journal of Hydrometeorology (16) 1243-1249
The 22 March 2014 Oso landslide was one of the deadliest in U.S. history, resulting in 43 fatalities and the destruction of more than 40 structures. We examine synoptic conditions, precipitation records and soil moisture reconstructions in the days, months, and years preceding the landslide. Atmospheric reanalysis shows a period...
Ahead of his time: Jacob Lipman's 1930 estimate of atmospheric sulfur deposition for the conterminous United States
Edward R. Landa, James B. Shanley
2015, Soil Science (180) 87-89
A 1936 New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin provided an early quantitative assessment of atmospheric deposition of sulfur for the United States that has been compared in this study with more recent assessments. In the early 20th century, anthropogenic sulfur additions from the atmosphere to the soil by the combustion...
Response of crayfish to hyporheic water availability and excess sedimentation
Joseph J. Dyer, Thomas A. Worthington, Shannon K. Brewer
2015, Hydrobiologia (747) 147-157
Crayfish in many headwater streams regularly cope with seasonal drought. However, it is unclear how landscape changes affect the long-term persistence of crayfish populations. We designed two laboratory experiments to investigate the acute effects of common landscape stressors on crayfish: water withdrawal and sedimentation. The first experiment tested the interaction...
Mechanisms of nutrient retention and its relation to flow connectivity in river-floodplain corridors
Laurel Larsen, Judson Harvey, Morgan M. Maglio
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 187-205
Understanding heterogeneity or patchiness in the distribution of vegetation and retention of C and nutrients in river corridors is critical for setting priorities for river management and restoration. Several mechanisms of spatial differentiation in nutrient retention in river and floodplain corridors have been recognized, but few studies have distinguished their...
Turbidity, light, temperature, and hydropeaking control primary productivity in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Robert O. Hall Jr., Charles B. Yackulic, Theodore A. Kennedy, Michael D. Yard, Emma J. Rosi-Marshall, Nicholas Voichick, Kathrine E. Behn
2015, Limnology and Oceanography (60) 512-516
Dams and river regulation greatly alter the downstream environment for gross primary production (GPP) because of changes in water clarity, flow, and temperature regimes. We estimated reach-scale GPP in five locations of the regulated Colorado River in Grand Canyon using an open channel model of dissolved oxygen. Benthic GPP dominates...
High-throughput computing vs. high-performance computing for groundwater applications
Michael N. Fienen, Randall J. Hunt
2015, Groundwater (53) 180-184
No abstract available....
Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in landfill leachate of the United States
Dana W. Kolpin, Jason R. Masoner, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. Gray, Eric A. Schwab
2015, Norman Network Bulletin 10-11
Landfills are commonly the final respository for a heterogeneous mixture of waste from residential, commercial, and industrial sources. The use of landfills as a means of waste disposal will likely increase as the global population increases and nations develop. Thus, landfills receiving such waste have the potential to produce leachate...
Behavioral responses of freshwater mussels to experimental dewatering
Heather S. Galbraith, Carrie J. Blakeslee, William A. Lellis
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 42-52
Understanding the effects of flow alteration on freshwater ecosystems is critical for predicting species responses and restoring appropriate flow regimes. We experimentally evaluated the effects of 3 dewatering rates on behavior of 6 freshwater mussel species in the context of water-removal rates observed in 21 Atlantic Coast rivers. Horizontal movement...
Identifying the location and population served by domestic wells in California
Tyler D. Johnson, Kenneth Belitz
2015, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (3) 31-86
Study region California, USA. Study focus Identification of groundwater use is an important step in the regional-scale assessment of groundwater quality. In California, 1990 US Census data indicate that domestic wells provide drinking-water to about 1.2 million people. However, the location of these domestic well users of groundwater is...
Uranium isotopes and dissolved organic carbon in loess permafrost: Modeling the age of ancient ice
Stephanie A. Ewing, James B. Paces, J.A. O'Donnell, M.T. Jorgenson, M.Z. Kanevskiy, George R. Aiken, Y. Shur, Jennifer W. Harden, Robert G. Striegl
2015, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (152) 143-165
The residence time of ice in permafrost is an indicator of past climate history, and of the resilience and vulnerability of high-latitude ecosystems to global change. Development of geochemical indicators of ground-ice residence times in permafrost will advance understanding of the circumstances and evidence of permafrost formation, preservation, and thaw...
Mitigation effectiveness for improving nesting success of greater sage-grouse influenced by energy development
Christopher P. Kirol, Andrew L. Sutphin, Laura S. Bond, Mark R. Fuller, Thomas L. Maechtle
2015, Wildlife Biology (21) 98-109
Sagebrush Artemisia spp. habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species — including the greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, there is...
Experimental susceptibility of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) for West Nile virus
Erik K. Hofmeister, Robert E. Porter, J. Christian Franson
2015, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (51) 411-418
Detection of West Nile virus (WNV) has been reported in a variety of wild ducks in the US, but little is known about the pathogenesis and outcome of exposure of the disease in these species. Previous experimental studies of WNV in ducks either have challenged a small number of ducks...
Water resources of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken, Robert B. Fendick Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3102
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information...
Developing a new, passive diffusion sampling array to detect helium anomalies associated with volcanic unrest
Brittany E Dame, D Kip Solomon, William C. Evans, Steven E. Ingebritsen
2015, Bulletin of Volcanology (77)
Helium (He) concentration and 3 He/ 4 He anomalies in soil gas and spring water are potentially powerful tools for investigating hydrothermal circulation associated with volca- nism and could perhaps serve as part of a hazards warning system. However, in operational practice, He and other gases are often sampled only...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Timothy M. Mathany, Kenneth Belitz
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5215
Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile (1,639-square-kilometer) Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The study unit is composed of two study areas...
GRIDGEN Version 1.0: a computer program for generating unstructured finite-volume grids
Jyh-Ming Lien, Gaisheng Liu, Christian D. Langevin
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1109
GRIDGEN is a computer program for creating layered quadtree grids for use with numerical models, such as the MODFLOW–USG program for simulation of groundwater flow. The program begins by reading a three-dimensional base grid, which can have variable row and column widths and spatially variable cell top and bottom elevations....
Groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges Basins, California
Timothy M. Mathany, Kenneth Belitz
2015, Fact Sheet 2014-3114
The Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit is 633 square miles and consists of 35 groundwater basins and subbasins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003; Mathany and Belitz, 2015). These basins and subbasins were grouped into two study areas based primarily on locality. The groundwater basins and subbasins located inland,...
Maine StreamStats: A water-resources web application
Pamela J. Lombard
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3014
Maine StreamStats is a tool that any user with Internet access can use to delineate a basin on the fly and estimate a wide variety of streamflow statistics for ungaged sites on rivers and streams in Maine. Estimates are based on regression equations or are from data from similar gaged...
Wildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 156-163
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for...
The Landscape Evolution Observatory: a large-scale controllable infrastructure to study coupled Earth-surface processes
Luke A. Pangle, Stephen B. DeLong, Nate Abramson, John Adams, Greg A. Barron-Gafford, David D. Breshears, Paul D. Brooks, Jon Chorover, William E. Dietrich, Katerina Dontsova, Matej Durcik, Javier Espeleta, T.P.A. Ferre, Regis Ferriere, Whitney Henderson, Edward A. Hunt, Travis E. Huxman, David Millar, Brendan Murphy, Guo-Yue Niu, Mitch Pavao-Zuckerman, Jon D. Pelletier, Craig Rasmussen, Joaquin Ruiz, Scott Saleska, Marcel Schaap, Michael Sibayan, Peter A. Troch, Markus Tuller, Joost van Haren, Xubin Zeng
2015, Geomorphology (244) 190-203
Zero-order drainage basins, and their constituent hillslopes, are the fundamental geomorphic unit comprising much of Earth's uplands. The convergent topography of these landscapes generates spatially variable substrate and moisture content, facilitating biological diversity and influencing how the landscape filters precipitation and sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide. In light of these significant...
Conceptual and numerical models of groundwater flow in the Ogallala and Arikaree aquifers, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation area, South Dakota, water years 1980-2009
Kyle W. Davis, Larry D. Putnam, Anneka R. LaBelle
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5241
The Ogallala and Arikaree aquifers are the largest sources of groundwater on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and are used extensively for irrigation and public and domestic water supplies. To assess the potential for decreased water levels and discharge to streams in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, conceptual and numerical...
A comparison of hydrologic models for ecological flows and water availability
Peter V Caldwell, Jonathan G. Kennen, Ge Sun, Julie E. Kiang, John B Butcher, Michelle C Eddy, Lauren E. Hay, Jacob H. LaFontaine, Ernie F. Hain, Stacy C Nelson, Steve G McNulty
2015, Ecohydrology (8) 1525-1546
Robust hydrologic models are needed to help manage water resources for healthy aquatic ecosystems and reliable water supplies for people, but there is a lack of comprehensive model comparison studies that quantify differences in streamflow predictions among model applications developed to answer management questions. We assessed differences in daily streamflow...
Analysis of historic agricultural irrigation data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service monitoring and evaluation for Grand Valley, Lower Gunnison Basin, and McElmo Creek Basin, western Colorado, 1985 to 2003
John W. Mayo
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1261
The Natural Resources Conservation Service Monitoring and Evaluation for three salinity control units in western Colorado—Grand Valley, Lower Gunnison, and McElmo Creek—from 1985 to 2003 was a response to the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93–320, July 24, 1974, and its amendments. The Natural Resources Conservation Service...
Occurrence and distribution of fecal indicator bacteria and gene markers of pathogenic bacteria in Great Lakes tributaries, March-October 2011
Angela K. Brennan, Heather E. Johnson, Alexander R. Totten, Joseph W. Duris
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1013
From March through October 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), conducted a study to determine the frequency of occurrence of pathogen gene markers and densities of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in 22 tributaries to the Great Lakes. This project was funded as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)...
