Effects of smectite on the oil-expulsion efficiency of the Kreyenhagen Shale, San Joaquin Basin, California, based on hydrous-pyrolysis experiments
Michael D. Lewan, Michael P. Dolan, John B. Curtis
2014, AAPG Bulletin (98) 1091-1109
The amount of oil that maturing source rocks expel is expressed as their expulsion efficiency, which is usually stated in milligrams of expelled oil per gram of original total organic carbon (TOCO). Oil-expulsion efficiency can be determined by heating thermally immature source rocks in the presence of liquid water (i.e.,...
Relationships between water and gas chemistry in mature coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin
Jack C. Pashin, Marcella R. McIntyre-Redden, Steven D. Mann, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 92-105
Water and gas chemistry in coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin reflects a complex interplay among burial processes, basin hydrodynamics, thermogenesis, and late-stage microbial methanogenesis. These factors are all important considerations for developing production and water management strategies. Produced water ranges from nearly potable sodium-bicarbonate water to...
Angler effort and catch within a spatially complex system of small lakes.
Kevin L. Pope, Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Tony J. Barada, Jeffrey J. Schuckman
2014, Fisheries Research (154) 172-178
Spatial layout of waterbodies and waterbody size can affect a creel clerk’s ability to intercept anglers for interviews and to accurately count anglers, which will affect the accuracy and precision of estimates of effort and catch. This study aimed to quantify angling effort and catch across a spatially complex system...
Mercury cycling in agricultural and managed wetlands, Yolo Bypass, California: Spatial and seasonal variations in water quality
Charles N. Alpers, Jacob A. Fleck, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Craig A. Stricker, Mark Stephenson, Howard E. Taylor
2014, Science of the Total Environment (484) 276-287
The seasonal and spatial variability of water quality, including mercury species, was evaluated in agricultural and managed, non-agricultural wetlands in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, an area managed for multiple beneficial uses including bird habitat and rice farming. The study was conducted during an 11-month period (June 2007 to April...
Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: A comparison between 1995 and 2007
Michael S Majewski, Richard H. Coupe, William T. Foreman, Paul D. Capel
2014, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (33) 1283-1293
A variety of current-use pesticides were determined in weekly composite air and rain samples collected during the 1995 and 2007 growing seasons in the Mississippi Delta (MS, USA) agricultural region. Similar sampling and analytical methods allowed for direct comparison of results. Decreased overall pesticide use in 2007 relative to 1995...
Global ocean conveyor lowers extinction risk in the deep sea
Lea-Anne Henry, Norbert Frank, Dierk Hebbeln, Claudia Weinberg, Laura Robinson, Tina van de Flierdt, Mikael Dahl, Melanie Douarin, Cheryl L. Morrison, Matthias Lopez Correa, Alex D. Rogers, Mario Ruckelshausen, J. Murray Roberts
2014, Deep Sea Research Part A, Oceanographic Research Papers (88) 8-16
General paradigms of species extinction risk are urgently needed as global habitat loss and rapid climate change threaten Earth with what could be its sixth mass extinction. Using the stony coral Lophelia pertusa as a model organism with the potential for wide larval dispersal, we investigated how the global ocean...
Mount Baker lahars and debris flows, ancient, modern, and future
David S. Tucker, Kevin M. Scott, Eric E. Grossman, Scott Linneman
2014, GSA Field Guides 33-52
The Middle Fork Nooksack River drains the southwestern slopes of the active Mount Baker stratovolcano in northwest Washington State. The river enters Bellingham Bay at a growing delta 98 km to the west. Various types of debris flows have descended the river, generated by volcano collapse or eruption (lahars),...
Land-margin ecosystem hydrologic data for the coastal Everglades, Florida, water years 1996-2012
Gordon H. Anderson, Thomas J. Smith III, Karen M. Balentine
2014, Data Series 853
Mangrove forests and salt marshes dominate the landscape of the coastal Everglades (Odum and McIvor, 1990). However, the ecological effects from potential sea-level rise and increased water flows from planned freshwater Everglades restoration on these coastal systems are poorly understood. The National Park Service (NPS) proposed the South Florida Global...
A pier-scour database: 2,427 field and laboratory measurements of pier scour
Stephen T. Benedict, Andral W. Caldwell
2014, Data Series 845
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a literature review to identify potential sources of published pier-scour data, and selected data were compiled into a digital spreadsheet called the 2014 USGS Pier-Scour Database (PSDb-2014) consisting of 569 laboratory and 1,858 field measurements. These data encompass a wide range of laboratory and field...
An analysis of potential water availability from the Charles Mill, Clendening, Piedmont, Pleasant Hill, Senecaville, and Wills Creek Lakes in the Muskingum River Watershed, Ohio
G. F. Koltun
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5071
This report presents the results of a study to assess potential water availability from the Charles Mill, Clendening, Piedmont, Pleasant Hill, Senecaville, and Wills Creek Lakes, located within the Muskingum River Watershed, Ohio. The assessment was based on the criterion that water withdrawals should not appreciably affect maintenance of recreation-season...
Extending the turbidity record: making additional use of continuous data from turbidity, acoustic-Doppler, and laser diffraction instruments and suspended-sediment samples in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Nicholas Voichick, David J. Topping
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5097
Turbidity is a measure of the scattering and absorption of light in water, which in rivers is primarily caused by particles, usually sediment, suspended in the water. Turbidity varies significantly with differences in the design of the instrument measuring turbidity, a point that is illustrated in this study by side-by-side...
Proceedings of the U.S. Geological Survey Eighth Biennial Geographic Information Science Workshop and first The National Map Users Conference, Denver, Colorado, May 10-13, 2011
Jennifer B. Sieverling, Jeffrey Dietterle, editor(s)
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5053
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is sponsoring the first The National Map Users Conference in conjunction with the eighth biennial Geographic Information Science (GIS) Workshop on May 10-13, 2011, in Lakewood, Colorado. The GIS Workshop will be held at the USGS National Training Center, located on the Denver Federal Center,...
Simulation of natural flows in major river basins in Alabama
Alexandria M. Hunt, Ana María García
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5021
The Office of Water Resources (OWR) in the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is charged with the assessment of the State’s water resources. This study developed a watershed model for the major river basins that are within Alabama or that cross Alabama’s borders, which serves as a...
Mercury speciation in the Mt. Amiata mining district (Italy): interplay between urban activities and mercury contamination
Valentina Rimondi, Fabrizio Bardelli, Marco Benvenuti, Pilario Costagliola, John E. Gray, Pierfranco Lattanzi
2014, Chemical Geology (380) 110-118
A fundamental step to evaluate the biogeochemical and eco-toxicological significance of Hg dispersion in the environment is to determine speciation of Hg in solid matrices. In this study, several analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), sequential chemical extractions (SCEs), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) were...
Prevalence, transmission, and genetic diversity of blood parasites infecting tundra-nesting geese in Alaska
Andrew M. Ramey, John A. Reed, Joel A. Schmutz, Tom F. Fondell, Brandt W. Meixell, Jerry W. Hupp, David H. Ward, John Terenzi, Craig R. Ely
2014, Canadian Journal of Zoology (92) 699-706
A total of 842 blood samples collected from five species of tundra-nesting geese in Alaska was screened for haemosporidian parasites using molecular techniques. Parasites of the generaLeucocytozoon Danilewsky, 1890, Haemoproteus Kruse, 1890, and Plasmodium Marchiafava and Celli, 1885 were detected in 169 (20%), 3 (<1%), and 0 (0%) samples, respectively. Occupancy modeling was used to...
Invasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Ryan P. Kovach, Leslie A. Jones, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Matthew C. Boyer, Robb F. Leary, Winsor H. Lowe, Gordon Luikart, Fred W. Allendorf
2014, Nature Climate Change (4) 620-624
Climate change will decrease worldwide biodiversity through a number of potential pathways1, including invasive hybridization<a id="ref-link-section-d51451e531" title="Hoffmann, A. A. & Sgro, C....
Factors affecting temporal variability of arsenic in groundwater used for drinking water supply in the United States
Joseph D. Ayotte, Marcel Belaval, Scott A. Olson, Karen R. Burow, Sarah M. Flanagan, Stephen R. Hinkle, Bruce D. Lindsey
2014, Science of the Total Environment (505) 1370-1379
The occurrence of arsenic in groundwater is a recognized environmental hazard with worldwide importance and much effort has been focused on surveying and predicting where arsenic occurs. Temporal variability is one aspect of this environmental hazard that has until recently received less attention than other aspects. For this study, we...
Regional differentiation among populations of the Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin)
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret E. Hunter, Tim L. King
2014, Conservation Genetics (15) 593-603
The Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a brackish-water turtle species whose populations have been fragmented due to anthropogenic activity such as development of coastal habitat and entrapment in commercial blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) fishing gear. Genetic analyses can improve conservation efforts for the long-term protection of the species. We used...
Development of flood-inundation maps for the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Christiana R. Czuba, James D. Fallon, Corby R. Lewis, Diane F. Cooper
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5079
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.3-mile reach of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota, were developed through a multi-agency effort by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in collaboration with the National Weather Service. The inundation maps, which can be accessed...
Assessing climate-change risks to cultural and natural resources in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA
James R. Hatten, Stephen M. Waste, Alec G. Maule
2014, Climatic Change (124) 363-370
We provide an overview of an interdisciplinary special issue that examines the influence of climate change on people and fish in the Yakima River Basin, USA. Jenni et al. (2013) addresses stakeholder-relevant climate change issues, such as water availability and uncertainty, with decision analysis tools. Montag et al. (2014) explores...
Groundwater levels and water quality during a 96-hour aquifer test in Pickaway County, Ohio, 2012
Ralph J. Haefner, Donna L. Runkle, Brian E. Mailot
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5040
During October–November 2012, a 96-hour aquifer test was performed at a proposed well field in northern Pickaway County, Ohio, to investigate groundwater with elevated nitrate concentrations. Earlier sampling done by the City of Columbus revealed that some wells had concentrations of nitrate that approached 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L), whereas...
Discharge, water temperature, and selected meteorological data for Vancouver Lake, Vancouver, Washington, water years 2011-13
James R. Foreman, Cameron A. Marshall, Rich W. Sheibley
2014, Data Series 849
The U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership in a 2-year intensive study to quantify the movement of water and nutrients through Vancouver Lake in Vancouver, Washington. This report is intended to assist the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership in evaluating potential courses of action to mitigate seasonally...
Organic substances in produced and formation water from unconventional natural gas extraction in coal and shale
William H. Orem, Calin A. Tatu, Matthew S. Varonka, Harry E. Lerch, Anne L. Bates, Mark A. Engle, Lynn M. Crosby, Jennifer McIntosh
2014, International Journal of Coal Geology (126) 20-31
Organic substances in produced and formation water from coalbed methane (CBM) and gas shale plays from across the USA were examined in this study. Disposal of produced waters from gas extraction in coal and shale is an important environmental issue because of the large volumes of water involved and the...
Large biases in regression-based constituent flux estimates: causes and diagnostic tools
Robert M. Hirsch
2014, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (50) 1401-1424
It has been documented in the literature that, in some cases, widely used regression-based models can produce severely biased estimates of long-term mean river fluxes of various constituents. These models, estimated using sample values of concentration, discharge, and date, are used to compute estimated fluxes for a multiyear period at...
Low-altitude photographic transects of the Arctic Network of National Park Units and Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, July 2013
Bruce G. Marcot, M. Torre Jorgenson, Anthony R. DeGange
2014, Data Series 846
During July 16–18, 2013, low-level photography flights were conducted (with a Cessna 185 with floats and a Cessna 206 with tundra tires) over the five administrative units of the National Park Service Arctic Network (Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates of the Arctic National Park and...
