Linkages between sea-ice coverage, pelagic-benthic coupling, and the distribution of spectacled eiders: observations in March 2008, 2009 and 2010, northern Bering Sea
L. W. Cooper, Matthew G. Sexson, J.M. Grebmeier, R. Gradinger, C.W. Mordy, J.R. Lovvorn
2013, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (94) 31-43
Icebreaker-based sampling in the northern Bering Sea south of St. Lawrence Island in March of 2008, 2009, and 2010 has provided new data on overall ecosystem function early in the annual productive cycle. While water-column chlorophyll concentrations (−2 integrated over the whole water column) are two orders of...
Geophysical and hydrologic analysis of an earthen dam site in southern Westchester County, New York
Anthony Chu, Frederick Stumm, Peter K. Joesten, Michael L. Noll
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5247
Ninety percent of the drinking water for New York City passes through the Hillview Reservoir facility in the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York. In the past, several seeps located downslope from the reservoir have flowed out from the side of the steepest slope at the southern end of...
Flood-inundation maps for the Iroquois River at Rensselaer, Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler, Aubrey R. Bunch
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3246
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.0-mile reach of the Iroquois River at Rensselaer, Indiana (Ind.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict...
Assessment of mercury and methylmercury in water, sediment, and biota in Sulphur Creek in the vicinity of the Clyde Gold Mine and the Elgin Mercury Mine, Colusa County, California
Roger L. Hothem, James J. Rytuba, Brianne E. Brussee, Daniel N. Goldstein
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1056
At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, we performed a study during April–July 2010 to characterize mercury (Hg), monomethyl mercury (MMeHg), and other geochemical constituents in sediment, water, and biota at the Clyde Gold Mine and the Elgin Mercury Mine, located in neighboring subwatersheds of Sulphur Creek,...
Geodatabase and characteristics of springs within and surrounding the Trinity aquifer outcrops in northern Bexar County, Texas, 2010--11
Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris, Travis J. Garcia
2013, Data Series 750
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, and the San Antonio River Authority, developed a geodatabase of springs within and surrounding the Trinity aquifer outcrops in a 331-square-mile study area in northern Bexar County, Texas. The data used to...
Lateglacial and Holocene climate, disturbance and permafrost peatland dynamics on the Seward Peninsula, western Alaska
Stephanie D. Hunt, Zicheng Yu, Miriam C. Jones
2013, Quaternary Science Reviews (63) 42-58
Northern peatlands have accumulated large carbon (C) stocks, acting as a long-term atmospheric C sink since the last deglaciation. How these C-rich ecosystems will respond to future climate change, however, is still poorly understood. Furthermore, many northern peatlands exist in regions underlain by permafrost, adding to the challenge of projecting...
Choices in recreational water quality monitoring: new opportunities and health risk trade-offs
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Richard L. Whitman
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 3073-3081
With the recent release of new recreational water quality monitoring criteria, there are more options for regulatory agencies seeking to protect beachgoers from waterborne pathogens. Included are methods that can reduce analytical time, providing timelier estimates of water quality, but the application of these methods has not been examined at...
Overview of groundwater quality in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado, 1946--2009
J.C. Thomas, P.B. McMahon
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5198
Groundwater-quality data from public and private sources for the period 1946 to 2009 were compiled and put into a common data repository for the Piceance Basin. The data repository is available on the web at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/cwqdr/Piceance/index.shtml. A subset of groundwater-quality data from the repository was compiled, reviewed, and checked for...
An assessment of hydrothermal alteration in the Santiaguito lava dome complex, Guatemala: implications for dome collapse hazards
Jessica L. Ball, Eliza S. Calder, Bernard E. Hubbard, Marc L. Bernstein
2013, Bulletin of Volcanology (75) 676-676
A combination of field mapping, geochemistry, and remote sensing methods has been employed to determine the extent of hydrothermal alteration and assess the potential for failure at the Santiaguito lava dome complex, Guatemala. The 90-year-old complex of four lava domes has only experienced relatively small and infrequent dome collapses in...
Accounting for non-photosynthetic vegetation in remote-sensing-based estimates of carbon flux in wetlands
Lisa M. Schile, Kristin B. Byrd, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Maggi Kelly
2013, Remote Sensing Letters (4) 542-551
Monitoring productivity in coastal wetlands is important due to their high carbon sequestration rates and potential role in climate change mitigation. We tested agricultural- and forest-based methods for estimating the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (f APAR), a key parameter for modelling gross primary productivity (GPP), in a restored,...
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2011 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Laura Biewick, Steven W. Blecker, Gregory K. Boughton, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Melanie L. Clark, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Bradley C. Fedy, Katharine Foster, Steven L. Garman, Stephanie Germaine, Matthew G. Hethcoat, JoAnn Holloway, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Edward M. Olexa, Christopher J. Potter, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Lisa L. Stillings, Michael J. Sweat, Michele L. Tuttle, Anna B. Wilson
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1033
This is the fourth report produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) to detail annual work activities. In FY2011, there were 37 ongoing, completed, or new projects conducted under the five major multi-disciplinary science and technical-assistance activities: (1) Baseline Synthesis, (2) Targeted Monitoring...
Patterns of social association in the franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei
Randall S. Wells, Pablo Bordino, David C. Douglas
2013, Marine Mammal Science (29) E520-E528
Little is known from living animals about the social patterns of the franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei, a small dolphin inhabiting a narrow strip of coastal waters off Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. These dolphins tend to be found in small groups, typically composed of two or three individuals (Bordino et al. 1999)....
Use of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for simulating hydrology and water quality in the Cedar River Basin, Iowa, 2000--10
Kasey J. Hutchinson, Daniel E. Christiansen
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5002
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate streamflow and nitrate loads within the Cedar River Basin, Iowa. The goal was to assess the ability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to estimate streamflow and...
Abundance, size distributions and trace-element binding of organic and iron-rich nanocolloids in Alaskan rivers, as revealed by field-flow fractionation and ICP-MS
Bjorn Stolpe, Laodong Guo, Alan M. Shiller, George R. Aiken
2013, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (105) 221-239
Water samples were collected from six small rivers in the Yukon River basin in central Alaska to examine the role of colloids and organic matter in the transport of trace elements in Northern high latitude watersheds influenced by permafrost. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), selected elements (Al, Si, Ca,...
Progress toward establishing a national assessment of water availability and use
William M. Alley, Eric J. Evenson, Nancy L. Barber, Breton W. Bruce, Kevin F. Dennehy, Mary Freeman, Ward O. Freeman, Jeffrey M. Fischer, William B. Hughes, Jonathan G. Kennen, Julie E. Kiang, Kelly O. Maloney, MaryLynn Musgrove, Barbara E. Ralston, Steven Tessler, James P. Verdin
2013, Circular 1384
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11) was passed into law on March 30, 2009. Subtitle F, also known as the SECURE Water Act, calls for the establishment of a "national water availability and use assessment program" within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A major driver...
Five-year interim report of the United States-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program: 2007--2012
William M. Alley, editor(s)
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1059
Transboundary aquifers are an essential, and in many cases, singular source of water for United States – Mexico border communities, particularly in arid regions. Declining water levels, deteriorating water quality, and increasing use of groundwater resources by municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users on both sides of the international border...
Use of sediment amendments to rehabilitate sinking coastal swamp forests in Louisiana
Beth A. Middleton, Ming Jiang
2013, Ecological Engineering (54) 183-191
Coastal wetlands are losing elevation worldwide, so that techniques to increase elevation such as sediment amendment might benefit these wetlands. This study examined the potential of sediment amendment to raise elevation and support the production and regeneration of vegetation in coastal forests in Louisiana. Before sediment amendment, the vegetation did...
Predictive occurrence models for coastal wetland plant communities: delineating hydrologic response surfaces with multinomial logistic regression
Gregg A. Snedden, Gregory D. Steyer
2013, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (118) 11-23
Understanding plant community zonation along estuarine stress gradients is critical for effective conservation and restoration of coastal wetland ecosystems. We related the presence of plant community types to estuarine hydrology at 173 sites across coastal Louisiana. Percent relative cover by species was assessed at each site near the end of...
Occurrence and variability of mining-related lead and zinc in the Spring River flood plain and tributary flood plains, Cherokee County, Kansas, 2009--11
Kyle E. Juracek
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5028
Historical mining activity in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), located in parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma, has resulted in a substantial ongoing input of cadmium, lead, and zinc to the environment. To provide some of the information needed to support remediation efforts in the Cherokee County,...
Current perspectives in contaminant hydrology and water resources sustainability
Paul M. Bradley
2013, Book
Human society depends on liquid freshwater resources to meet drinking, sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, and industry needs. Improved resource monitoring and better understanding of the anthropogenic threats to freshwater environments are critical to efficient management of freshwater resources and ultimately to the survival and quality of life of the global...
High seroprevalence of antibodies to avian influenza viruses among wild waterfowl in Alaska: implications for surveillance
Heather M. Wilson, Jeffery S. Hall, Paul L. Flint, J. Christian Franson, Craig R. Ely, Joel A. Schmutz, Michael D. Samuel
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
We examined seroprevalence (presence of detectable antibodies in serum) for avian influenza viruses (AIV) among 4,485 birds, from 11 species of wild waterfowl in Alaska (1998–2010), sampled during breeding/molting periods. Seroprevalence varied among species (highest in eiders (Somateria and Polysticta species), and emperor geese (Chen canagica)), ages (adults higher than...
Flood-inundation maps for the Tippecanoe River near Delphi, Indiana
Chad D. Menke, Aubrey R. Bunch, Moon H. Kim
2013, Scientific Investigations Map 3243
Digital flood-inundation maps for an 11-mile reach of the Tippecanoe River that extends from County Road W725N to State Road 18 below Oakdale Dam, Indiana (Ind.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through...
Miscellaneous geochemical data from waters in the Upper Animas River Watershed, Colorado
Raymond H. Johnson, Douglas B. Yager
2013, Open-File Report 2013-1047
This report releases geochemistry data in waters from the upper Animas River watershed that have been analyzed by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. These samples were collected at various sites and at various dates (41 sites and 86 samples from 2008 to 2010). A main data table is provided and the...
An opportunity and an imperative: Chapter 11 in United States-Mexican Borderlands: Facing tomorrow's challenges through USGS science
Randall G. Updike, William R. Page
2013, Circular 1380-11
Along the nearly 3,200 kilometers (almost 2,000 miles) of the United States–Mexican border, we are witnessing the expression of the challenges of the 21st century. The Borderlands have become a microcosm for the entire United States and Mexico; the issues faced in that region are felt throughout both nations—water availability...
Challenge theme 7: Information support for management of border security and environmental protection: Chapter 9 in United States-Mexican Borderlands: Facing tomorrow's challenges through USGS science
Jean W. Parcher, William R. Page
2013, Circular 1380-9
Historically, international borders were located far from the major political and economic capitals of their countries and rarely received adequate planning or infrastructure development. Today, as a result of global economics and increased movement of goods between nations, border regions play a much greater role in commerce, tourism, and transportation....
