Elevated streamflows increase dam passage by juvenile coho salmon during winter: Implications of climate change in the Pacific Northwest
Tobias J. Kock, Theresa L. Liedtke, Dennis W. Rondorf, John D. Serl, Mike Kohn, Karin A. Bumbaco
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1070-1079
A 4-year evaluation was conducted to determine the proportion of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch passing Cowlitz Falls Dam, on the Cowlitz River, Washington, during winter. River and reservoir populations of coho salmon parr were monitored using radiotelemetry to determine if streamflow increases resulted in increased downstream movement and dam...
Geomorphic and hydrologic study of peak-flow management on the Cedar River, Washington
Christopher S. Magirl, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher P. Konrad, Mathieu D. Marineau
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1240
Assessing the linkages between high-flow events, geomorphic response, and effects on stream ecology is critical to river management. High flows on the gravel-bedded Cedar River in Washington are important to the geomorphic function of the river; however, high flows can deleteriously affect salmon embryos incubating in streambed gravels. A geomorphic...
Proceedings of the workshop on alternative futures: Accounting for growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Peter R. Claggett, Renee L. Thompson, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1216
This workshop provided a forum for identifying and discussing policies and assumptions for use in creating regionally consistent alternative future land-use scenarios. The alternative scenarios will help to inform how planning can potentially be used as a primary Best Management Practice by identifying land-use policies and other planning actions that...
Inability to demonstrate fish-to-fish transmission of Ichthyophonus from laboratory infected Pacific herring Clupea pallasii to naïve conspecifics
J.L. Gregg, C.A. Grady, C.S. Friedman, P.K. Hershberger
2012, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (99) 139-144
The parasite Ichthyophonus is enzootic in many marine fish populations of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Forage fishes are a likely source of infection for higher trophic level predators; however, the processes that maintain Ichthyophonus in forage fish populations (primarily clupeids) are not well understood. Lack of an identified intermediate host has led...
Salinity adaptation of the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the Columbia River estuary (Pacific Northwest, USA): Physiological and molecular studies
Marshal Hoy, Bruce L. Boese, Louise Taylor, Deborah Reusser, Rusty Rodriguez
2012, Aquatic Ecology (46) 249-260
In this study, we examine salinity stress tolerances of two populations of the invasive species New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, one population from a high salinity environment in the Columbia River estuary and the other from a fresh water lake. In 1996, New Zealand mud snails were discovered in...
Evaluation of volatile organic compound (VOC) blank data and application of study reporting levels to groundwater data collected for the California GAMA Priority Basin Project, May 2004 through September 2010
Miranda S. Fram, Lisa D. Olsen, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5139
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed in quality-control samples collected for the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project. From May 2004 through September 2010, a total of 2,026 groundwater samples, 211 field blanks, and 109 source-solution blanks were collected and analyzed for concentrations of 85...
A novel antibody-based biomarker for chronic algal toxin exposure and sub-acute neurotoxicity
Kathi A. Lefebvre, Elizabeth R. Frame, Frances Gulland, John D. Hansen, Preston S. Kendrick, Richard P. Beyer, Theo K. Bammler, Frederico M. Farin, Emma M. Hiolski, Donald R. Smith, David J. Marcinek
2012, PLoS ONE (7) e36213
The neurotoxic amino acid, domoic acid (DA), is naturally produced by marine phytoplankton and presents a significant threat to the health of marine mammals, seabirds and humans via transfer of the toxin through the foodweb. In humans, acute exposure causes a neurotoxic illness known as amnesic shellfish poisoning characterized by...
Hydrogeology and water quality of the Floridan aquifer system and effect of Lower Floridan aquifer pumping on the Upper Floridan aquifer, Pooler, Chatham County, Georgia, 2011–2012
Gerard Gonthier
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5249
Two test wells were completed in Pooler, Georgia, in 2011 to investigate the potential of using the Lower Floridan aquifer as a source of water for municipal use. One well was completed in the Lower Floridan aquifer at a depth of 1,120 feet (ft) below land surface; the other well...
Field-based evaluations of horizontal flat-plate fish screens, II: Testing of a unique off-stream channel device - The Farmers Screen
Matthew G. Mesa, Brien P. Rose, Elizabeth S. Copeland
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 604-612
Screens are installed at water diversion sites to reduce entrainment of fish. Recently, the Farmers Irrigation District (Oregon) developed a unique flat-plate screen (the “Farmers Screen”) that operates passively and may offer reduced installation and operating costs. To evaluate the effectiveness of this screen on fish, we conducted two separate...
Geomorphic response to flow regulation and channel and floodplain alteration in the gravel-bedded Cedar River, Washington, USA
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Christopher S. Magirl, Christiana R. Czuba
2012, Geomorphology (179) 258-268
Decadal- to annual-scale analyses of changes to the fluvial form and processes of the Cedar River in Washington State, USA, reveal the effects of flow regulation, bank stabilization, and log-jam removal on a gravel-bedded river in a temperate climate. During the twentieth century, revetments were built along ~ 60% of...
Bathymetry of the Hong and Luoc River Junction, Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2010
Paul J. Kinzel, Jonathan M. Nelson, Duong Duc Toan, Mung Dinh Thanh, Yasuyuki Shimizu
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3235
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducted a bathymetric survey of the junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers. The survey was done to characterize the channel morphology of this delta distributary network and provide input for hydrodynamic and sediment transport models....
Soil-water dynamics and unsaturated storage during snowmelt following wildfire
Brian A. Ebel, E.S. Hinckley, Deborah A. Martin
2012, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (16) 1401-1417
Many forested watersheds with a substantial fraction of precipitation delivered as snow have the potential for landscape disturbance by wildfire. Little is known about the immediate effects of wildfire on snowmelt and near-surface hydrologic responses, including soil-water storage. Montane systems at the rain-snow transition have soil-water dynamics that are further...
Phenology and duration of remigial moult in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) and White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca) on the Pacific coast of North America
Rian D. Dickson, Daniel Esler, Jerry W. Hupp, E.M. Anderson, J.R. Evenson, J. Barrett
2012, Canadian Journal of Zoology (90) 932-944
By quantifying phenology and duration of remigial moult in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata (L., 1758)) and White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca (L., 1758)), we tested whether timing of moult is dictated by temporal optima or constraints. Scoters (n = 3481) were captured during moult in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington, and...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Greene and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
E.T. Slonecker, L.E. Milheim, C.M. Roig-Silva, G.B. Fisher
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1220
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing unconventional hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Evaluation of streambed scour at bridges over tidal waterways in Alaska
Jeffrey S. Conaway, Paul V. Schauer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5245
The potential for streambed scour was evaluated at 41 bridges that cross tidal waterways in Alaska. These bridges are subject to several coastal and riverine processes that have the potential, individually or in combination, to induce streambed scour or to damage the structure or adjacent channel. The proximity of a...
Reference hydrologic networks I. The status and potential future directions of national reference hydrologic networks for detecting trends
Paul H. Whitfield, Donald H. Burn, Jamie Hannaford, Helene Higgins, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Terry Marsh, Ulrich Looser
2012, Hydrological Sciences Journal (57) 1-18
Identifying climate-driven trends in river flows on a global basis is hampered by a lack of long, quality time series data for rivers with relatively undisturbed regimes. This is a global problem compounded by the lack of support for essential long-term monitoring. Experience demonstrates that, with clear strategic objectives, and...
Understanding pesticides in California's Delta
Kathryn Kuivila, James L. Orlando
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3132
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) is the hub of California’s water system and also an important habitat for imperiled fish and wildlife. Aquatic organisms are exposed to mixtures of pesticides that flow through the maze of Delta water channels from sources including agricultural, landscape, and urban pest-control applications. While...
Reference hydrologic networks II. Using reference hydrologic networks to assess climate-driven changes in streamflow
Donald H. Burn, Jamie Hannaford, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Paul H. Whitfield, Robin Thorne, Terry Marsh
2012, Hydrological Sciences Journal (57) 1-15
Reference hydrologic networks (RHNs) can play an important role in monitoring for changes in the hydrological regime related to climate variation and change. Currently, the literature concerning hydrological response to climate variations is complex and confounded by the combinations of many methods of analysis, wide variations in hydrology, and the...
Local and landscape associations between wintering dabbling ducks and wetland complexes in Mississippi
Aaron T. Pearse, Richard M. Kaminski, Kenneth J. Reinecke, Stephen J. Dinsmore
2012, Wetlands (32) 859-869
Landscape features influence distribution of waterbirds throughout their annual cycle. A conceptual model, the wetland habitat complex, may be useful in conservation of wetland habitats for dabbling ducks (Anatini). The foundation of this conceptual model is that ducks seek complexes of wetlands containing diverse resources to meet dynamic...
Maps of estimated nitrate and arsenic concentrations in basin-fill aquifers of the southwestern United States
Kimberly R. Beisner, David W. Anning, Angela P. Paul, Tim S. McKinney, Jena M. Huntington, Laura M. Bexfield, Susan A. Thiros
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3234
Human-health concerns and economic considerations associated with meeting drinking-water standards motivated a study of the vulnerability of basin-fill aquifers to nitrate contamination and arsenic enrichment in the southwestern United States. Statistical models were developed by using the random forest classifier algorithm to predict concentrations of nitrate and arsenic across a...
Modeling a thick unsaturated zone at San Gorgonio Pass, California: lessons learned after five years of artificial recharge
Alan L. Flint, Kevin M. Ellett, Allen H. Christensen, Peter Martin
2012, Vadose Zone Journal (11)
The information flow among the tasks of framework assessment, numerical modeling, model forecasting and hind casting, and system-performance monitoring is illustrated. Results provide an understanding of artificial recharge in high-altitude desert settings where large vertical distances may separate application ponds from their target aquifers.Approximately 3.8 million cubic meters of surface...
County-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus from commercial fertilizer for the Conterminous United States, 1987-2006
Jo Ann M. Gronberg, Norman E. Spahr
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5207
The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment program requires nutrient input for analysis of the national and regional assessment of water quality. Detailed information on nutrient inputs to the environment are needed to understand and address the many serious problems that arise from excess nutrients in the streams and groundwater...
Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States
James F. Coles, Gerard McMahon, Amanda H. Bell, Larry R. Brown, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Michael D. Woodside, Thomas F. Cuffney, Wade L. Bryant Jr., Karen Cappiella, Lisa Fraley-McNeal, William P. Stack
2012, Circular 1373
Urban development is an important agent of environmental change in the United States. The urban footprint on the American landscape has expanded during a century and a half of almost continuous development. Eighty percent of Americans now live in metropolitan areas, and the advantages and challenges of living in these...
Concentrations, loads, and yields of organic carbon in streams of agricultural watersheds
Scott Kronholm, Paul Capel
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 1874-1883
Carbon is cycled to and from large reservoirs in the atmosphere, on land, and in the ocean. Movement of organic carbon from the terrestrial reservoir to the ocean plays an important role in the global cycling of carbon. The transition from natural to agricultural vegetation can change the storage and...
Groundwater quality in West Virginia, 1993-2008
Douglas B. Chambers, Mark D. Kozar, Jeremy S. White, Katherine S. Paybins
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5186
Approximately 42 percent of all West Virginians rely on groundwater for their domestic water supply. However, prior to 2008, the quality of the West Virginia’s groundwater resource was largely unknown. The need for a statewide assessment of groundwater quality prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with West Virginia...
