Delineation of contributing areas to selected wells in Ingham County, Michigan
Carol L. Luukkonen
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1054
A groundwater-flow model that was constructed in 2009 was updated to reflect recent (2011–12) pumping conditions in the Tri-County region, which consists of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties, Michigan. As part of local wellhead protection area programs, areas contributing water to local production wells must be periodically updated, because groundwater-flow...
Characterizing the primary material sources and dominant erosional processes for post-fire debris-flow initiation in a headwater basin using multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning data
Dennis M. Staley, Thad A. Waslewicz, Jason W. Kean
2014, Geomorphology (214) 324-338
Wildfire dramatically alters the hydrologic response of a watershed such that even modest rainstorms can produce hazardous debris flows. Relative to shallow landslides, the primary sources of material and dominant erosional processes that contribute to post-fire debris-flow initiation are poorly constrained. Improving our understanding of how and where material is...
The USGS at Embudo, New Mexico: 125 years of systematic streamgaging in the United States
Mark A. Gunn, Anne Marie Matherne, Mason Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3034
John Wesley Powell, second Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, had a vision for the Western United States. In the late 1800s, Powell explored the West as head of the Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. He devoted a large part of “Report on the Lands of...
Precipitation and streamflow data from the Fort Carson Military Reservation and precipitation, streamflow, and suspended-sediment data from the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, Southeastern Colorado, 2008-2012
Christopher R. Brown
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1039
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U. S. Department of the Army, compiled available precipitation and streamflow data for the years of 2008–2012 from the Fort Carson Military Reservation (Fort Carson) near Colorado Springs, Colo., and precipitation, streamflow, and suspended-sediment loads from the Piñon Canyon...
Geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Ogallala Formation and White River Group, Belvoir Ranch near Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming
Timothy T. Bartos, Sharon F. Diehl, Laura L. Hallberg, Daniel M. Webster
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5242
The geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of Tertiary lithostratigraphic units (Ogallala Formation and White River Group) that typically compose or underlie the High Plains aquifer system in southeastern Wyoming were described physically and chemically, and evaluated at a location on the Belvoir Ranch in Laramie County, Wyoming. On the basis of...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for North Dakota
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3036
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of North Dakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management,...
The presence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and inorganic elements in water and lakebed materials and the potential for bioconcentration in biota at established sampling sites on Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona
Kurt T. Schonauer, Robert J. Hart, Ronald C. Antweiler
2014, Open-File Report 2013-1299
The National Park Service is responsible for monitoring the effects of visitor use on the quality of water, lakebed material (bottom sediments), and biota, in Lake Powell, Utah and Arizona. A sampling program was begun in 2010 to assess the presence, distribution, and concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds in...
Geologic sources and concentrations of selenium in the West-Central Denver Basin, including the Toll Gate Creek watershed, Aurora, Colorado, 2003-2007
Suzanne S. Paschke, Katherine Walton-Day, Jennifer A. Beck, Ank Webbers, Jean A. Dupree
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5099
Toll Gate Creek, in the west-central part of the Denver Basin, is a perennial stream in which concentrations of dissolved selenium have consistently exceeded the Colorado aquatic-life standard of 4.6 micrograms per liter. Recent studies of selenium in Toll Gate Creek identified the Denver lignite zone of the non-marine Cretaceous...
Simulation of groundwater and surface-water resources of the Santa Rosa Plain watershed, Sonoma County, California
Linda R. Woolfenden, Tracy Nishikawa
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5052
Water managers in the Santa Rosa Plain face the challenge of meeting increasing water demand with a combination of Russian River water, which has uncertainties in its future availability; local groundwater resources; and ongoing and expanding recycled water and water from other conservation programs. To address this challenge, the U.S....
Predicting the effects of climate change on ecosystems and wildlife habitat in northwest Alaska
Anthony R. DeGange, Bruce G. Marcot, James Lawler, Torre Jorgenson, Robert Winfree
2014, Alaska Park Science (12) 66-73
We used a modeling framework and a recent ecological land classification and land cover map to predict how ecosystems and wildlife habitat in northwest Alaska might change in response to increasing temperature. Our results suggest modest increases in forest and tall shrub ecotypes in Northwest Alaska by the end of...
The interactive effects of climate change, riparian management, and a non-native predators on stream-rearing salmon
David J. Lawrence, Ben Stewart-Koster, Julian D. Olden, Aaron S. Ruesch, Christian E. Torgersen, Joshua J. Lawler, Don P. Butcher, Julia K. Crown
2014, Ecological Applications (24) 895-912
Predicting how climate change is likely to interact with myriad other stressors that threaten species of conservation concern is an essential challenge in aquatic ecosystems. This study provides a framework to accomplish this task in salmon-bearing streams of the northwestern United States, where land-use related reductions in riparian shading have...
Late Holocene vegetation, climate, and land-use impacts on carbon dynamics in the Florida Everglades
Miriam C. Jones, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
2014, Quaternary Science Reviews (90) 90-105
Tropical and subtropical peatlands are considered a significant carbon sink. The Florida Everglades includes 6000-km2 of peat-accumulating wetland; however, detailed carbon dynamics from different environments within the Everglades have not been extensively studied or compared. Here we present carbon accumulation rates from 13 cores and 4 different environments, including sawgrass ridges...
Flow monitoring along the western Tamiami Trail between County Road 92 and State Road 29 in support of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, 2007-2010
Amanda Booth, Lars E. Soderqvist, Marcia C. Berry
2014, Data Series 831
The construction of U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail), the Southern Golden Gate Estates development, and the Barron River Canal has altered the flow of freshwater to the Ten Thousand Islands estuary of Southwest Florida. Two restoration projects, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project and the Tamiami Trail Culverts Project, both associated...
Water resources of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Lawrence B. Prakken, Vincent E. White, John K. Lovelace
2014, Fact Sheet 2013-3102
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. Mary 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 management of this vital resource. Information on the...
Interactions between waves, sediment, and turbulence on a shallow estuarine mudflat
Lissa J. MacVean, Jessica R. Lacy
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (119) 1534-1553
Measurements were collected on a shallow estuarine mudflat in northern San Francisco Bay to examine the physical processes controlling waves, turbulence, sediment resuspension, and their interactions. Tides alone forced weak to moderate currents of 10–30 cm s-1 in depths of 0–3 m, and maintained a background suspension of 30–50 mg...
Direct measurement of sub-surface mass change using the variable-baseline gravity gradient method
Jeffrey Kennedy, Ty P.A. Ferré, Andreas Guntner, Maiko Abe, Benjamin Creutzfeldt
2014, Geophysical Research Letters (41) 2827-2834
Time-lapse gravity data provide a direct, non-destructive method to monitor mass changes at scales from cm to km. But, the effectively infinite spatial sensitivity of gravity measurements can make it difficult to isolate the signal of interest. The variable-baseline gravity gradient method, based on the difference of measurements between two...
Coastal storm monitoring in Virginia
Shaun Wicklein, Mark Bennett
2014, General Information Product 156
Coastal communities in Virginia are prone to flooding, particularly during hurricanes, nor’easters, and other coastal low-pressure systems. These weather systems affect public safety, personal and public property, and valuable infrastructure, such as transportation, water and sewer, and electric-supply networks. Local emergency managers, utility operators, and the public are tasked with making...
Trends in precipitation, runoff, and evapotranspiration for rivers draining to the Gulf of Maine in the United States
Thomas G. Huntington, M. Billmire
2014, Journal of Hydrometeorology (15) 726-743
Climate warming is projected to result in increases in total annual precipitation in northeastern North America. The response of runoff to increases in precipitation is likely to be more complex because increasing evapotranspiration (ET) could counteract increasing precipitation. This study was conducted to examine these competing trends in the historical...
Spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Green River Formation using Fischer Assay, Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado
Ronald C. Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1059
The spatial and stratigraphic distribution of water in oil shale of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of northwestern Colorado was studied in detail using some 321,000 Fischer assay analyses in the U.S. Geological Survey oil-shale database. The oil-shale section was subdivided into 17 roughly time-stratigraphic intervals,...
Uncertainty, robustness, and the value of information in managing a population of northern bobwhites
Fred A. Johnson, Greg Hagan, William E. Palmer, Michael Kemmerer
2014, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 531-539
The abundance of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) has decreased throughout their range. Managers often respond by considering improvements in harvest and habitat management practices, but this can be challenging if substantial uncertainty exists concerning the cause(s) of the decline. We were interested in how application of decision science could be...
Characterization of stormwater at selected South Carolina Department of Transportation maintenance yards and section shed facilities in Ballentine, Conway, and North Charleston, South Carolina, 2010-12
Celeste A. Journey, Kevin J. Conlon
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3011
Increased impervious surfaces (driveways, parking lots, and buildings) and human activities (residential, industrial, and commercial) have been linked to substantial changes in both the quality and quantity of stormwater on a watershed scale (Brabec and others, 2002; Pitt and Maestre, 2005). Small-scale storage and equipment repair facilities increase impervious surfaces...
Hydrogeology of the Old Faithful area, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and its relevance to natural resources and infrastructure
Old Faithful Science Review Panel, Duncan Foley, Robert O. Fournier, Henry P. Heasler, Bern Hinckley, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Jacob B. Lowenstern, David D. Susong
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1058
A panel of leading experts (The Old Faithful Science Review Panel) was convened by Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to review and summarize the geological and hydrological understanding that can inform National Park Service management of the Upper Geyser Basin area. We give an overview of present geological and hydrological knowledge...
Extreme drought-summary of hydrologic conditions in Georgia, 2012
Andrew E. Knaak, Michael F. Peck
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3028
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Georgia Water Science Center (GaWSC) maintains a long-term hydrologic monitoring network of more than 330 real-time streamgages, including 10 real-time lake-level monitoring stations, 63 real-time water-quality monitors, and 48 water-quality sampling stations. Additionally, the GaWSC operates more than 180 groundwater monitoring wells, 42 of which...
Remediation scenarios for attenuating peak flows and reducing sediment transport in Fountain Creek, Colorado, 2013
Michael S. Kohn, John W. Fulton, Cory A. Williams, Stogner
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Fountain Creek Watershed, Flood Control and Greenway District assessed remediation scenarios to attenuate peak flows and reduce sediment loads in the Fountain Creek watershed. To evaluate these strategies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) hydrologic and hydraulic...
Development of a regionally consistent geospatial dataset of agricultural lands in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 2007-10
Susan G. Buto, Brittany L. Gold, Kimberly A. Jones
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5039
Irrigation in arid environments can alter the natural rate at which salts are dissolved and transported to streams. Irrigated agricultural lands are the major anthropogenic source of dissolved solids in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Understanding the location, spatial distribution, and irrigation status of agricultural lands and the method...
