U.S. Geological Survey water resources Internet tools
Kimberly H. Shaffer
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3072
The U.S. Geological Fact Sheet (USGS) provides a wealth of information on hydrologic data, maps, graphs, and other resources for your State.Sources of water resources information are listed below.WaterWatchWaterQualityWatchGroundwater WatchWaterNowWaterAlertUSGS Flood Inundation...
Physical, chemical, and isotopic data from groundwater in the watershed of Mirror Lake, and in the vicinity of Hubbard Brook, near West Thornton, New Hampshire, 1983 to 1997
James W. LaBaugh, Philip T. Harte, Allen M. Shapiro, Paul A. Hsieh, Carole D. Johnson, Daniel J. Goode, Warren W. Wood, Donald C. Buso, Gene E. Likens, Thomas C. Winter
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1087
Research on the hydrogeologic setting of Mirror Lake near West Thornton, New Hampshire (43° 56.5’ N, 71° 41.5’ W), includes the study of the physical, chemical, and isotopic characteristics of groundwater in the vicinity of the lake and nearby Hubbard Brook. Presented here are those physical, chemical, and isotopic data...
Detection of salt marsh vegetation stress and recovery after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in Barataria Bay, Gulf of Mexico using AVIRIS data
Shruti Khanna, Maria J. Santos, Susan L. Ustin, Alexander Koltunov, Raymond F. Kokaly, Dar A. Roberts
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the biggest oil spill in US history. To assess the impact of the oil spill on the saltmarsh plant community, we examined Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data flown over Barataria Bay, Louisiana in September 2010...
Asian carp behavior in response to static water gun firing
Megan J. Layhee, Jackson A. Gross, Michael J. Parsley, Jason G. Romine, David C. Glover, Cory D. Suski, Tristany L. Wagner, Adam Sepulveda, Robert E. Gresswell
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3098
The potential for invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes has ecological and socio-economic implications. If they become established, Asian carp are predicted to alter lake ecosystems and impact commercial and recreational fisheries. The Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal is an important biological conduit between the Mississippi River Basin,...
Recent lake ice-out phenology within and among lake districts of Alaska, U.S.A.
Christopher D. Arp, Benjamin M. Jones, Guido Grosse
2013, Limnology and Oceanography (58) 2013-2028
The timing of ice-out in high latitudes is a fundamental threshold for lake ecosystems and an indicator of climate change. In lake-rich regions, the loss of ice cover also plays a key role in landscape and climatic processes. Thus, there is a need to understand lake ice phenology at multiple...
Hydrographic surveys of four narrows within the Namakan reservoir system, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2011
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
2013, Data Series 792
The U.S. Geological Survey performed multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of four narrows in the Namakan reservoir system in August 2011, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission and Environment Canada. The data-collection effort was completed to provide updated and detailed hydrographic data to Environment Canada for inclusion in a Hydrologic...
Large scale snow water status monitoring: Comparison of different snow water products in the upper Colorado basins
G. A. Artan, J. P. Verdin, R. Lietzow
2013, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (17) 5127-5139
We illustrate the ability to monitor the status of snow water content over large areas by using a spatially distributed snow accumulation and ablation model that uses data from a weather forecast model in the upper Colorado Basin. The model was forced with precipitation fields from the National Weather Service...
Using isotopes for design and monitoring of artificial recharge systems
International Atomic Energy Agency
2013, IAEA TECDOC 1723
Over the past years, the IAEA has provided support to a number of Member States engaged in the implementation of hydrological projects dealing with the design and monitoring of artificial recharge ( A R ) systems, primarily situated in arid and semiarid regions. AR is defined as any engineered system...
Surface water quality in streams and rivers: Scaling, and climate change
John Loperfido
2013, Book chapter, Comprehensive water quality and purification
This chapter explores spatial and temporal scaling and the impact of climate change on four basic water quality parameters: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and suspended sediment. An introduction describing the conditions and changes in these water quality parameters is presented. Temporal scaling of water quality parameters is discussed on diel...
Estimating nitrate concentrations in groundwater at selected wells and springs in the surficial aquifer system and Upper Floridan aquifer, Dougherty Plain and Marianna Lowlands, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, 2002-50
Christy A. Crandall, Brian G. Katz, Marian P. Berndt
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5150
Groundwater from the surficial aquifer system and Upper Floridan aquifer in the Dougherty Plain and Marianna Lowlands in southwestern Georgia, northwestern Florida, and southeastern Alabama is affected by elevated nitrate concentrations as a result of the vulnerability of the aquifer, irrigation water-supply development, and intensive agricultural land use. The region...
Mercury speciation and mobilization in a wastewater-contaminated groundwater plume
Carl H. Lamborg, Doug B. Kent, Gretchen J. Swarr, Kathleen M. Munson, Tristan Kading, Alison E. O’Connor, Gillian M. Fairchild, Denis R. LeBlanc, Heather A. Wiatrowski
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 13239-13249
We measured the concentration and speciation of mercury (Hg) in groundwater down-gradient from the site of wastewater infiltration beds operated by the Massachusetts Military Reservation, western Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Total mercury concentrations in oxic, mildly acidic, uncontaminated groundwater are 0.5–1 pM, and aquifer sediments have 0.5–1 ppb mercury. The plume...
Geomorphology and groundwater origin of amphitheater-shaped gullies at Fort Gordon, Georgia, 2010-2012
James Landmeyer, John B. Wellborn
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1230
Seven amphitheater-shaped gullies at valley heads in the northern part of Fort Gordon, Georgia, were identified by personnel from Fort Gordon and the U.S. Geological Survey during a field investigation of environmental contamination near the cantonment area between 2008 and 2010. Between 2010 and 2012, the amphitheater-shaped gullies were photographed,...
The effects of artificial recharge on groundwater levels and water quality in the west hydrogeologic unit of the Warren subbasin, San Bernardino County, California
Christina L. Stamos, Peter Martin, Rhett R. Everett, John A. Izbicki
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5088
Between the late 1940s and 1994, groundwater levels in the Warren subbasin, California, declined by as much as 300 feet because pumping exceeded sparse natural recharge. In response, the local water district, Hi-Desert Water District, implemented an artificial-recharge program in early 1995 using imported water from the California State Water...
Genetics, recruitment, and migration patterns of Arctic Cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) in the Colville River, Alaska and Mackenzie River, Canada
Christian E. Zimmerman, Andrew M. Ramey, S. Turner, Franz J. Mueter, S. Murphy, Jennifer L. Nielsen
2013, Polar Biology (36) 1543-1555
Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis have a complex anadromous life history, many aspects of which remain poorly understood. Some life history traits of Arctic cisco from the Colville River, Alaska, and Mackenzie River basin, Canada, were investigated using molecular genetics, harvest data, and otolith microchemistry. The Mackenzie hypothesis, which suggests that...
Crustal-scale recycling in caldera complexes and rift zones along the Yellowstone hotspot track: O and Hf isotopic evidence in diverse zircons from voluminous rhyolites of the Picabo volcanic field, Idaho
Dana L. Drew, Ilya N. Bindeman, Kathryn E. Watts, Axel K. Schmitt, Bin Fu, Michael McCurry
2013, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (381) 63-77
Rhyolites of the Picabo volcanic field (10.4–6.6 Ma) in eastern Idaho are preserved as thick ignimbrites and lavas along the margins of the Snake River Plain (SRP), and within a deep (>3 km) borehole near the central axis of the Yellowstone hotspot track. In this study we present new O...
Spatial, seasonal, and source variability in the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of tap waters throughout the USA
Jurate M. Landwehr, Tyler B. Coplen, David W. Stewart
2013, Hydrological Processes
To assess spatial, seasonal, and source variability in stable isotopic composition of human drinking waters throughout the entire USA, we have constructed a database of δ18O and δ2H of US tap waters. An additional purpose was to create a publicly available dataset useful for evaluating the forensic applicability of these...
Factors controlling floc settling velocity along a longitudinal estuarine transect
A.J. Manning, David H. Schoellhamer
Patrick L. Barnard, Bruce E. Jaffe, David H. Schoellhamer, editor(s)
2013, Marine Geology (345) 266-280
A 147 km longitudinal transect of flocculated cohesive sediment properties in San Francisco Bay (SFB) was conducted on June 17th, 2008. Our aim was to determine the factors that control floc settling velocity along the longitudinal axis of the estuary. The INSSEV-LF video system was used to measure floc diameters...
Groundwater ages and mixing in the Piceance Basin natural gas province, Colorado
Peter B. McMahon, Judith C. Thomas, Andrew G. Hunt
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 13250-13257
Reliably identifying the effects of energy development on groundwater quality can be difficult because baseline assessments of water quality completed before the onset of energy development are rare and because interactions between hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifers can be complex, involving both natural and human processes. Groundwater age and mixing data...
Comparison of sediment supply to San Francisco Bay from watersheds draining the Bay Area and the Central Valley of California
L.J. McKee, M. Lewicki, David H. Schoellhamer, Neil K. Ganju
Patrick L. Barnard, Bruce E. Jaffe, David H. Schoellhamer, editor(s)
2013, Marine Geology (345) 47-62
Quantifying suspended sediment loads is important for managing the world's estuaries in the context of navigation, pollutant transport, wetland restoration, and coastal erosion. To address these needs, a comprehensive analysis was completed on sediment supply to San Francisco Bay from fluvial sources. Suspended sediment, optical backscatter, velocity data near the...
Does centennial morphodynamic evolution lead to higher channel efficiency in San Pablo Bay, California?
M. van der Wegen, Bruce E. Jaffe
Patrick L. Barnard, Bruce E. Jaffe, David H. Schoellhamer, editor(s)
2013, Marine Geology (345) 254-265
Measured bathymetries on 30 year interval over the past 150 years show that San Pablo Bay experienced periods of considerable deposition followed by periods of net erosion. However, the main channel in San Pablo Bay has continuously narrowed. The underlying mechanisms and consequences of this tidal channel evolution are not...
Changes in surfzone morphodynamics driven by multi-decadal contraction of a large ebb-tidal delta
Jeff E. Hansen, Edwin Elias, Patrick L. Barnard
P.L. Barnard, B.E. Jaffe, D. H. Schoellhamer, editor(s)
2013, Marine Geology (345) 221-234
The impact of multi-decadal, large-scale deflation (76 million m3 of sediment loss) and contraction (~ 1 km) of a 150 km2 ebb-tidal delta on hydrodynamics and sediment transport at adjacent Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA (USA), is examined using a coupled wave and circulation model. The model is forced...
Research on pathogens at Great Lakes beaches: sampling, influential factors, and potential sources
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3071
The overall mission of this work is to provide science-based information and methods that will allow beach managers to more accurately make beach closure and advisory decisions, understand the sources and physical processes affecting beach contaminants, and understand how science-based information can be used to mitigate and restore beaches and...
Coastal processes influencing water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3070
In a series of studies along the Great Lakes, U.S. Geological Survey scientists are examining the physical processes that influence concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria and related pathogens at recreational beaches. These studies aim to estimate human health risk, improve management strategies, and understand the fate and transport of microbes...
Real-time assessments of water quality: expanding nowcasting throughout the Great Lakes
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3069
Nowcasts are systems that inform the public of current bacterial water-quality conditions at beaches on the basis of predictive models. During 2010–12, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked with 23 local and State agencies to improve existing operational beach nowcast systems at 4 beaches and expand the use of predictive...
Tools for beach health data management, data processing, and predictive model implementation
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3068
This fact sheet describes utilities created for management of recreational waters to provide efficient data management, data aggregation, and predictive modeling as well as a prototype geographic information system (GIS)-based tool for data visualization and summary. All of these utilities were developed to assist beach managers in making decisions to...
