Mississippi River nitrate loads from high frequency sensor measurements and regression-based load estimation
Brian A. Pellerin, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Robert J. Gilliom, Charles G. Crawford, John Franco Saraceno, C. Paul Frederick, Bryan D. Downing, Jennifer C. Murphy
2014, Environmental Science & Technology (48) 12612-12619
Accurately quantifying nitrate (NO3–) loading from the Mississippi River is important for predicting summer hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and targeting nutrient reduction within the basin. Loads have historically been modeled with regression-based techniques, but recent advances with high frequency NO3– sensors allowed us to evaluate model performance relative to...
Thermal ecology of subadult and adult muskellunge in a thermally enriched reservoir
A. J. Cole, Phillip William Bettoli
2014, Fisheries Management and Ecology (21) 410-420
The movement of adult muskellunge, Esox masquinongy Mitchill, has been investigated in a variety of systems, but temperature selection by muskellunge has not been examined where well-oxygenated waters were available over a range of temperatures for much of the year. Thirty subadult and adult muskellunge tagged internally with temperature-sensing radio tags...
Evaluating the effects of land use on headwater wetland amphibian assemblages in coastal Alabama
Diane M. Alix, Christopher J. Anderson, J. Barry Grand, Craig Guyer
2014, Wetlands (34) 917-926
Anthropogenic land use is known to impact aquatic ecosystems in several ways, including increased frequency and intensity of floods, stream channel incision, sedimentation, and loss of microtopography. Amphibians are susceptible to changes in wetland and surrounding habitats. This study evaluated amphibian assemblages of fifteen headwater slope wetlands in coastal Alabama...
Biscayne aquifer drinking water (USGS45): a new isotopic reference material for δ2H and δ18O measurements of water
Jennifer M. Lorenz, Lauren V. Tarbox, Bryan Buck, Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen
2014, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (28) 2031-2034
RATIONALE As a result of the scarcity of isotopic reference waters for daily use, a new secondary isotopic reference material for international distribution has been prepared from drinking water collected from the Biscayne aquifer in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. METHODS This isotopic reference water was filtered, homogenized, loaded into glass ampoules, sealed with a...
Straddling the tholeiitic/calc-alkaline transition: The effects of modest amounts of water on magmatic differentiation at Newberry Volcano, Oregon
Ben E. Mandler, Julie M. Donnelly-Nolan, Timothy L. Grove
2014, Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (168)
Melting experiments have been performed at 1 bar (anhydrous) and 1- and 2-kbar H2O-saturated conditions to study the effect of water on the differentiation of a basaltic andesite. The starting material was a mafic pumice from the compositionally zoned tuff deposited during the ~75 ka caldera-forming eruption of Newberry Volcano, a rear-arc...
Depth gradients in food-web processes linking habitats in large lakes: Lake Superior as an exemplar ecosystem
Michael E. Sierszen, Thomas R. Hrabik, Jason D. Stockwell, Anne M Cotter, Joel C. Hoffman, Daniel L. Yule
2014, Freshwater Biology (59) 2122-2136
In large lakes around the world, depth-based changes in the abundance and distribution of invertebrate and fish species suggest that there may be concomitant changes in patterns of resource allocation. Using Lake Superior of the Laurentian Great Lakes as an example, we explored this idea through stable isotope analyses of...
Spring migration of waterfowl in the Northern Hemisphere: a management and conservation perspective
Joshua D. Stafford, Adam K. Janke, Michael J. Anteau, Aaron T. Pearse, Anthony D. Fox, Johan Elmberg, Jacob N. Straub, Michael W. Eichholz, Celine Arzel
2014, Wildfowl (2014) 70-85
Spring migration is a key part of the annual cycle for waterfowl populations in the northern hemisphere, due to its temporal proximity to the breeding season and because resources may be limited at one or more staging sites. Research based on field observations during spring lags behind other periods of the year, despite...
Where the waters meet: sharing ideas and experiences between inland and marine realms to promote sustainable fisheries management
Steven J. Cooke, Robert Arlinghaus, Devin M. Bartley, T. Douglas Beard Jr., Ian G. Cowx, Timothy E. Essington, Olaf P. Jensen, Abigail J. Lynch, William W. Taylor, Reg Watson
2014, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (71) 1593-1601
Although inland and marine environments, their fisheries, fishery managers, and the realm-specific management approaches are often different, there are a surprising number of similarities that frequently go unrecognized. We contend that there is much to be gained by greater cross-fertilization and exchange of ideas and strategies between realms and the...
Spatial structuring within a reservoir fish population: implications for management
David R. Stewart, James M. Long, Daniel E. Shoup
2014, Marine and Freshwater Research (66) 202-212
Spatial structuring in reservoir fish populations can exist because of environmental gradients, species-specific behaviour, or even localised fishing effort. The present study investigated whether white crappie exhibited evidence of improved population structure where the northern more productive half of a lake is closed to fishing to provide waterfowl hunting opportunities....
A geochemical approach to determine sources and movement of saline groundwater in a coastal aquifer
Robert Anders, Gregory O. Mendez, Kiyoto Futa, Wesley R. Danskin
2014, Groundwater (52) 756-768
Geochemical evaluation of the sources and movement of saline groundwater in coastal aquifers can aid in the initial mapping of the subsurface when geological information is unavailable. Chloride concentrations of groundwater in a coastal aquifer near San Diego, California, range from about 57 to 39,400 mg/L. On the basis of...
Ecosystem effects in the Lower Mississippi River Basin
D. Phil Turnipseed, Yvonne C. Allen, Brady R. Couvillion, Karen L. McKee, William C. Vervaeke
2014, Professional Paper 1798-L
The 2011 Mississippi River flood in the Lower Mississippi River Basin was one of the largest flood events in recorded history, producing the largest or next to largest peak streamflow for the period of record at a number of streamgages on the lower Mississippi River. Ecosystem effects include changes to...
Mercury deposition and methylmercury formation in Narraguinnep Reservoir, southwestern Colorado, USA
John E. Gray, Mark E. Hines, Harland L. Goldstein, Richard L. Reynolds
2014, Applied Geochemistry (50) 82-90
Narraguinnep Reservoir in southwestern Colorado is one of several water bodies in Colorado with a mercury (Hg) advisory as Hg in fish tissue exceed the 0.3 μg/g guideline to protect human health recommended by the State of Colorado. Concentrations of Hg and methyl-Hg were measured in reservoir bottom sediment and...
Depletion and capture: revisiting “The source of water derived from wells"
Leonard F. Konikow, Stanley A. Leake
2014, Groundwater (52) 100-111
A natural consequence of groundwater withdrawals is the removal of water from subsurface storage, but the overall rates and magnitude of groundwater depletion and capture relative to groundwater withdrawals (extraction or pumpage) have not previously been well characterized. This study assesses the partitioning of long-term cumulative withdrawal volumes into fractions...
Seismological and geodetic constraints on the 2011 Mw5.3 Trinidad, Colorado earthquake and induced deformation in the Raton Basin
William D. Barnhart, Harley M. Benz, Gavin P. Hayes, Justin L. Rubinstein, E. Bergman
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (119) 7923-7933
The Raton Basin of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico is an actively produced hydrocarbon basin that has experienced increased seismicity since 2001, including the August 2011 Mw5.3 Trinidad normal faulting event. Following the 2011 earthquake, regional seismic observations were used to relocate 21 events, including the 2011 main shock,...
Can mercury in fish be reduced by water level management? Evaluating the effects of water level fluctuation on mercury accumulation in yellow perch (Perca flavescens)
James H. Larson, Ryan P. Maki, Brent C. Knights, Brian R. Gray
2014, Ecotoxicology (23) 1555-1563
Mercury (Hg) contamination of fisheries is a major concern for resource managers of many temperate lakes. Anthropogenic Hg contamination is largely derived from atmospheric deposition within a lake’s watershed, but its incorporation into the food web is facilitated by bacterial activity in sediments. Temporal variation in Hg content of fish...
U.S. Geological Survey quality-assurance plan for continuous water-quality monitoring in Kansas, 2014
Trudy J. Bennett, Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Mandy L. Stone, Kyle E. Juracek, Teresa J. Rasmussen, James E. Putnam
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1151
A quality-assurance plan for use in conducting continuous water-quality monitoring activities has been developed for the Kansas Water Science Center in accordance with guidelines set forth by the U.S. Geological Survey. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey in Kansas for activities...
Caution on the use of NBS 30 biotite for hydrogen-isotope measurements with on-line high-temperature conversion systems
Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen, Gerard Olack, Torsten W. Vennemann
2014, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (28) 1987-1994
RATIONALEThe supply of NBS 30 biotite is nearly exhausted. During measurements of NBS 30 and potential replacements, reproducible δ2HVSMOW-SLAP values could not be obtained by three laboratories using high-temperature conversion (HTC) systems. The cause of this issue has been investigated using the silver-tube technique for hydrogen-isotope measurements of water.METHODSThe δ2HVSMOW-SLAP...
Bird mortality during nocturnal migration over Lake Michigan: A case study
Robert H. Diehl, John M. Bates, David E. Willard, Thomas P. Gnoske
2014, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (126) 19-29
Millions of birds die each year during migration. Most of this mortality goes unobserved and conditions surrounding the actual events are often not thoroughly documented. We present a case study of substantial migrant casualties along the shores of southwestern Lake Michigan during May 1996 when we found 2,981 dead birds...
Hydrogeology, water resources, and water budget of the upper Rio Hondo Basin, Lincoln County, New Mexico, 2010
Michael J. Darr, Kurt J. McCoy, Gordon W. Rattray, Roger A. Durall
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5153
The upper Rio Hondo Basin occupies a drainage area of 585 square miles in south-central New Mexico and comprises three general hydrogeologic terranes: the higher elevation “Mountain Block,” the “Central Basin” piedmont area, and the lower elevation “Hondo Slope.” As many as 12 hydrostratigraphic units serve as aquifers locally and...
Pesticides in groundwater of the United States: decadal-scale changes, 1993-2011
Patricia L. Toccalino, Robert J. Gilliom, Bruce D. Lindsey, Michael G. Rupert
2014, Groundwater (52) 112-125
The national occurrence of 83 pesticide compounds in groundwater of the United States and decadal-scale changes in concentrations for 35 compounds were assessed for the 20-year period from 1993–2011. Samples were collected from 1271 wells in 58 nationally distributed well networks. Networks consisted of shallow (mostly monitoring) wells in agricultural...
Groundwater-quality characteristics for the Wyoming Groundwater-Quality Monitoring Network, November 2009 through September 2012
Gregory K. Boughton
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5130
Groundwater samples were collected from 146 shallow (less than or equal to 500 feet deep) wells for the Wyoming Groundwater-Quality Monitoring Network, from November 2009 through September 2012. Groundwater samples were analyzed for physical characteristics, major ions and dissolved solids, trace elements, nutrients and dissolved organic carbon, uranium, stable isotopes...
Estimated monthly streamflows for selected locations on the Kabul and Logar Rivers, Aynak copper, cobalt, and chromium area of interest, Afghanistan, 1951-2010
Kevin C. Vining, Aldo V. Vecchia
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5157
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, used the stochastic monthly water-balance model and existing climate data to estimate monthly streamflows for 1951–2010 for selected streamgaging stations located within the Aynak copper, cobalt, and chromium area of interest...
User's manual for the upper Delaware River riverine environmental flow decision support system (REFDSS), Version 1.1.2
Colin Talbert, Kelly O. Maloney, Chris Holmquist-Johnson, Leanne Hanson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1183
Between 2002 and 2006, the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted field surveys, organized workshops, and performed analysis of habitat for trout and shad in the Upper Delaware River Basin. This work culminated in the development of decision support system software (the Delaware River...
Watershed Data Management (WDM) database for Salt Creek streamflow simulation, DuPage County, Illinois, water years 2005-11
Maitreyee Bera
2014, Data Series 870
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with DuPage County Stormwater Management Division, maintains a USGS database of hourly meteorologic and hydrologic data for use in a near real-time streamflow simulation system, which assists in the management and operation of reservoirs and other flood-control structures in the Salt Creek watershed...
Groundwater and surface-water interaction and potential for underground water storage in the Buena Vista-Salida Basin, Chaffee County, Colorado, 2011
Kenneth R. Watts, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, Stogner, James F. Bruce
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5095
By 2030, the population of the Arkansas Headwaters Region, which includes all of Chaffee and Lake Counties and parts of Custer, Fremont, and Park Counties, Colorado, is forecast to increase about 73 percent. As the region’s population increases, it is anticipated that groundwater will be used to meet much of...