Interactions between hyporheic flow produced by stream meanders, bars, and dunes
Susa H. Stonedahl, Judson W. Harvey, Aaron I. Packman
2013, Water Resources Research (49) 5450-5461
Stream channel morphology from grain-scale roughness to large meanders drives hyporheic exchange flow. In practice, it is difficult to model hyporheic flow over the wide spectrum of topographic features typically found in rivers. As a result, many studies only characterize isolated exchange processes at a single spatial scale. In this...
Performance of human fecal anaerobe-associated PCR-based assays in a multi-laboratory method evaluation study
Blythe A. Layton, Yiping Cao, Darcy L. Ebentier, Kaitlyn Hanley, Elisenda Balleste, Joao Brandao, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Reagan Converse, Andreas H. Farnleitner, Jennifer Gidley Gentry-Shields Gidley, Maribeth L., Michele Gourmelon, Chang Soo Lee, Jiyoung Lee, Solen Lozach, Tania Madi, Wim G. Meijer, Rachel Noble, Lindsay Peed, Georg H. Reischer, Raquel Rodrigues, Joan B. Rose, Alexander Schriewer, Chris Sinigalliano, Sangeetha Srinivasan, Jill Stewart, Van De Werfhorst, C. Laurie, Dan Wang, Richard Whitman, Stefan Wuertz, Jenny Jay, Patricia A. Holden, Alexandria B. Boehm, Orin Shanks, John F. Griffith
2013, Water Research (47) 6897-6908
A number of PCR-based methods for detecting human fecal material in environmental waters have been developed over the past decade, but these methods have rarely received independent comparative testing in large multi-laboratory studies. Here, we evaluated ten of these methods (BacH, BacHum-UCD, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BtH), BsteriF1, gyrB, HF183 endpoint, HF183...
Real-time continuous nitrate monitoring in Illinois in 2013
Kelly L. Warner, Paul J. Terrio, Timothy D. Straub, Donald Roseboom, Gary P. Johnson
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3109
Many sources contribute to the nitrogen found in surface water in Illinois. Illinois is located in the most productive agricultural area in the country, and nitrogen fertilizer is commonly used to maximize corn production in this area. Additionally, septic/wastewater systems, industrial emissions, and lawn fertilizer are common sources of nitrogen...
Shallow groundwater and soil chemistry response to 3 years of subsurface drip irrigation using coalbed-methane-produced water
Carleton R. Bern, Adam R. Boehlke, Mark A. Engle, Nicholas J. Geboy, K.T. Schroeder, J.W. Zupancic
2013, Hydrogeology Journal (21) 1803-1820
Disposal of produced waters, pumped to the surface as part of coalbed methane (CBM) development, is a significant environmental issue in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin, USA. High sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) of the waters could degrade agricultural land, especially if directly applied to the soil surface....
Thermal profiles for reaches of Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks, Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, July 2013
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Chad C. Opatz
2013, Data Series 807
Longitudinal profiles of streambed temperatures were measured in approximately 225-m-long reaches of the Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks in the Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, during July 2013, to provide information about areas of groundwater discharge to streams. During summer, groundwater discharge is a source of cold water to streams and...
Catchment-scale stormwater management via economic incentives – An overview and lessons-learned
W. Schuster, A.S. Garmestani, O.O. Green, l.K. Rhea, Allison H. Roy, H.W. Thurston
Baden Robert Myers, Simon Beecham, Terry Lucke, Floris Boogaard, editor(s)
2013, Conference Paper, Novatech 2013: international conference on strategies and solutions for integrated and sustainable water management in the city Lyon, France
Long-term field studies of the effectiveness and sustainability of decentralized stormwater management are rare. From 2005-2011, we tested an incentive-based approach to citizen participation in stormwater management in the Shepherd Creek catchment, located in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Hydrologic, biological, and water quality data were characterized in a baseline monitoring effort...
Integrating Federal and State data records to report progress in establishing agricultural conservation practices on Chesapeake Bay farms
W. Dean Hively, Olivia H. Devereux, Peter R. Claggett
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1287
In response to the Executive Order for Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration (E.O. #13508, May 12, 2009), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) took on the task of acquiring and assessing agricultural conservation practice data records for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, and transferred those datasets in aggregated format to...
A preliminary assessment of streamflow gains and losses for selected stream reaches in the lower Guadalupe River Basin, Texas, 2010-12
Loren L. Wehmeyer, Karl E. Winters, Darwin J. Ockerman
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5209
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Fort Worth District, the Texas Water Development Board, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, and the Edwards Aquifer Authority, investigated streamflow gains and losses in the lower Guadalupe River Basin during four selected base-flow periods in March 2010, April 2011,...
Methane occurrence in groundwater of south-central New York State, 2012: Summary of findings
Paul M. Heisig, Tia-Marie Scott
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3118
A survey of methane in groundwater was undertaken to document methane occurrence on the basis of hydrogeologic setting within a glaciated 1,810-square-mile area of south-central New York that has not seen shale-gas resource development. The adjacent region in northeastern Pennsylvania has undergone shale-gas resource development from the Marcellus Shale. Well construction...
Chronic toxicity of nickel-spiked freshwater sediments: variation in toxicity among eight invertebrate taxa and eight sediments
John M. Besser, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Chris D. Ivey, James L. Kunz, Nile E. Kemble, Christian E. Schlekat, Emily R. Garman
2013, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (32) 2495-2506
This study evaluated the chronic toxicity of Ni-spiked freshwater sediments to benthic invertebrates. A 2-step spiking procedure (spiking and sediment dilution) and a 2-stage equilibration period (10 wk anaerobic and 1 wk aerobic) were used to spike 8 freshwater sediments with wide ranges of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS; 0.94–38 µmol/g) and total organic carbon...
Characterizing response of total suspended solids and total phosphorus loading to weather and watershed characteristics for rainfall and snowmelt events in agricultural watersheds
Mari E. Danz, Steven Corsi, Wesley R. Brooks, Roger T. Bannerman
2013, Journal of Hydrology (507) 249-261
Understanding the response of total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) to influential weather and watershed variables is critical in the development of sediment and nutrient reduction plans. In this study, rainfall and snowmelt event loadings of TSS and TP were analyzed for eight agricultural watersheds in Wisconsin, with...
Assessing grain-size correspondence between flow and deposits of controlled floods in the Colorado River, USA
Amy Draut, David M. Rubin
2013, Journal of Sedimentary Research (83) 962-973
Flood-deposited sediment has been used to decipher environmental parameters such as variability in watershed sediment supply, paleoflood hydrology, and channel morphology. It is not well known, however, how accurately the deposits reflect sedimentary processes within the flow, and hence what sampling intensity is needed to decipher records of recent or...
Erosional and depositional changes wrought by the flood of May 1978 in the channels of Powder River, southeastern Montana
Robert H. Meade, John A. Moody
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5035
Powder River’s second largest flood of record (1919–2012) moved through northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana during May 1978. Within a ninety-kilometer reach of the channel in southeastern Montana, the most prominent planform effects of the flood were the growth of meander bends by bank erosion (this was most intense just...
Occurrence of methane in groundwater of south-central New York State, 2012-systematic evaluation of a glaciated region by hydrogeologic setting
Paul M. Heisig, Tia-Marie Scott
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5190
A survey of methane in groundwater was undertaken to document methane occurrence on the basis hydrogeologic setting within a glaciated 1,810-square-mile area of south-central New York along the Pennsylvania border. Sixty-six wells were sampled during the summer of 2012. All wells were at least 1 mile from any known gas...
Assaying environmental nickel toxicity using model nematodes
David Rudel, Chandler Douglas, Ian Huffnagle, John M. Besser, Christopher G. Ingersoll
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Although nickel exposure results in allergic reactions, respiratory conditions, and cancer in humans and rodents, the ramifications of excess nickel in the environment for animal and human health remain largely undescribed. Nickel and other cationic metals travel through waterways and bind to soils and sediments. To evaluate the potential toxic...
Hydrology and water quality of Shell Lake, Washburn County, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of diversion and changes in water level on the water quality of a shallow terminal lake
Paul F. Juckem, Dale M. Robertson
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5181
Shell Lake is a relatively shallow terminal lake (tributaries but no outlets) in northwestern Wisconsin that has experienced approximately 10 feet (ft) of water-level fluctuation over more than 70 years of record and extensive flooding of nearshore areas starting in the early 2000s. The City of Shell Lake (City) received...
Assessment of water-quality data from Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota--2008 through 2012
Brian A. Tangen, Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Michael J. Rabenberg, Charles F. Dahl, Mike J. Ell
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5183
ong Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central North Dakota, is an important habitat for numerous migratory birds and waterfowl, including several threatened or endangered species. The refuge is distinguished by Long Lake, which is approximately 65 square kilometers and consists of four primary water management units. Water levels in...
Detectability of thermal signatures associated with active formation of ‘chaos terrain’ on Europa
Oleg Abramov, J. Rathbun, Britney E. Schmidt, John R. Spencer
2013, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (384) 37-41
A recent study by Schmidt et al. (2011) suggests that Thera Macula, one of the “chaos regions” on Europa, may be actively forming over a large liquid water lens. Such a process could conceivably produce a thermal anomaly detectable by a future Europa orbiter or flyby mission, allowing for a...
Hydration free energies of cyanide and hydroxide ions from molecular dynamics simulations with accurate force fields
Myung W. Lee, M. Meuwly
2013, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (15) 20303-20312
The evaluation of hydration free energies is a sensitive test to assess force fields used in atomistic simulations. We showed recently that the vibrational relaxation times, 1D- and 2D-infrared spectroscopies for CN(-) in water can be quantitatively described from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with multipolar force fields and slightly enlarged...
Transient simulation of groundwater levels within a sandbar of the Colorado River, Marble Canyon, Arizona, 2004
Thomas A. Sabol, Abraham E. Springer
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1277
Seepage erosion and mass failure of emergent sandy deposits along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are a function of the elevation of groundwater in the sandbar, fluctuations in river stage, the exfiltration of water from the bar face, and the slope of the bar face. In...
Functional diversity supports the physiological tolerance hypothesis for plant species richness along climatic gradients
Marko J. Spasojevic, James B. Grace, Susan Harrison, Ellen Ingman Damschen
2013, Journal of Ecology (102) 447-455
1. The physiological tolerance hypothesis proposes that plant species richness is highest in warm and/or wet climates because a wider range of functional strategies can persist under such conditions. Functional diversity metrics, combined with statistical modeling, offer new ways to test whether diversity-environment relationships are consistent with this hypothesis. 2....
Effects of summer drawdown on the fishes and larval chironomids in Beulah Reservoir, Oregon
Brien P. Rose, Matthew G. Mesa
2013, Northwest Science (87) 207-218
Summer drawdown of Beulah Reservoir, Oregon, could adversely affect fish and invertebrate production, limit sport fishing opportunities, and hinder the recovery of threatened species. To assess the impacts of drawdown, we sampled fish and Chironomidae larvae in Beulah Reservoir in the springs of 2006 to 2008. The reservoir was reduced...
Distribution and movement of Big Spring spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis) in Condor Canyon, Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada
Ian G. Jezorek, Patrick J. Connolly
2013, Western North American Naturalist (3) 323-336
Big Spring spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis) is a cyprinid whose entire population occurs within a section of Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada. Other spinedace species have suffered population and range declines (one species is extinct). Managers, concerned about the vulnerability of Big Spring spinedace, have considered habitat restoration actions or translocation,...
Comparative microhabitat characteristics at oviposition sites of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Jeff A. Alvarez, David G. Cook, Julie L. Yee, Michael G. van Hattem, Darren R. Fong, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (8) 539-551
We studied the microhabitat characteristics of 747 egg masses of the federally-threatened Rana draytonii (California red-legged frog) at eight sites in California. our study showed that a broad range of aquatic habitats are utilized by ovipositing R. draytonii, including sites with perennial and ephemeral water sources, natural and constructed wetlands,...
Land subsidence and relative sea-level rise in the southern Chesapeake Bay region
Jack Eggleston, Jason Pope
2013, Circular 1392
The southern Chesapeake Bay region is experiencing land subsidence and rising water levels due to global sea-level rise; land subsidence and rising water levels combine to cause relative sea-level rise. Land subsidence has been observed since the 1940s in the southern Chesapeake Bay region at rates of 1.1 to 4.8...
